Putting Houseplants Outside

Many of your houseplants would love a little summer vacation outside. I recommend that you avoid direct sunlight however because too much full sun is hard on delicate houseplants.

Greetings fellow gardeners, 

Rain and sun and wind and heat and humidity and then something else. Ah, springtime weather is so special.  I am making sure that everything I am growing in a pot has enough water and that these pots have good drainage. 

Road Lettuce

The lettuce I am growing in pots near the end of my driveway has been doing well. We have had several salads from this lettuce. One thing I discovered is that this lettuce needs extra washing because of the dust from the road blowing onto it. My family has taken to calling it ‘road lettuce.’ Point taken. 

Peonies and Daisies are Companion Plants for Vegetables

The potatoes continue to thrive, and I continue to cover them with soil. Soon I will let the plants just grow. All the tomatoes have rallied after the attack of the rogue chipmunk and are starting to grow. So far Candyland is still alive, and I am hopeful it will form fruit. 

The red and black currants are putting forth tiny green orbs and they should be ripe in a few weeks. I have my currants in and around my peonies, as companion plants. This year my peonies are beautiful. I think the addition of compost and earth really contributed to the size of the flowers. I wish the flowers lasted longer, but soon the clematis will bloom and crawl all over the peony foliage. 

Sometimes the simple flowers are the backbone of a veggie garden. Daisies. These are wonderful flowers for pollinators, and I see bumblebees all over them. I really want these bumbly native bees in my garden as they are the ultimate tomato pollinators. I received the June update from Bumblebee Watch (https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/). This is a fascinating organization, and you can participate in their data collection. 

One clump of my daisies rings a small water feature. I buried a garbage can lid in the ground, added rocks and planted a primula in the center. Each year the primula grows, and flowers and the frogs appreciate the sheltered wet area. 

Top Photo: Daisies around water with primula

Putting Houseplants Outside for a Vacation

How are your houseplants? Many of your houseplants would love a little summer vacation outside. I recommend that you avoid direct sunlight however because too much full sun is hard on delicate houseplants. I put an assortment of my houseplants in my gazebo or outside on my shelf that receives morning sun only. My dragonfruit practically danced with joy when I put him on the table so he could look out the window. It is hard to believe that this mighty plant came from a tiny supermarket dragonfruit seed. You can put your Christmas and Easter cactuses out and they will enjoy the weather. If it is too sunny you will notice right away that their leaves will turn red. Remember that the sun and wind will dry the soil quickly so you may need to water these plants more often.

Now is the time to pay close attention to your watering regime. Next week we will talk about fertilizing.  Judith (Email:  sghorticultural@gmail.com)  Veggie Bites are available at https://sghorticultural.wixsite.com/website or https://gardeningcalendar.ca/articles/veggie-bites/