Although this has been a moderate winter (by Chicago standards), I’m looking forward to spring. The trees are still leafless and the ground is still frozen, but my trusty cold frame has provided me with greenery and life during this otherwise drab and dreary time.
My cold frame is packed with perennials and shrubs that are tough but probably not sufficiently hardy to survive on a Chicago&hellip
Location: Minnesota
As an indoor flower, African Violets are the most dependable for year-round color and variety. Easy to raise, all they really need is an occasional drink, some sunshine and a good feeding every few weeks. Violets like smaller pots but need good drainage because they don’t like wet soil or damp leaves.
I love my violets all grouped together for interesting color and&hellip
Location: Southeast US
Greenhouses in the south are usually confined to merchants who provide plants to the public. When I lived in a northern climate I remember yearning for spring flowers. The bare trees, snow covered lawns and dormant planting beds provided such a barren landscape month after long month. Heated greenhouses were limited to those homeowners who could afford them and the&hellip
Location: Vermont
Oh January. Whose idea was this?
I stand with my nose up against the glass and look out at a cold white blur. Snow is piling up, blowing, obliterating any sign of life. Christmas is over and now, like others of my kind here in the far north, I am weary of the chill and effort winter requires.
I turn around and there, greeting me like a secret, is my secret garden. In&hellip
