Hi GPODers!
At the beginning of the month I gave an update on my growing houseplant collection (Houseplant Happenings) with the hope that it might inspire some of you to share your favorite indoor plants, which can be gardening lifelines during the winter months. Barbara Owen in Wellesley, Massachusetts answered the charge and sent over photos of far more than just a few of her favorites. Barbara has shared her garden with us several times over the years (Barbara’s Beginning of Spring in Massachusetts, Barbara’s Massachusetts Garden Through the Seasons, Surprises and Lessons From Barbara’s Garden and Color Themes in Barbara’s Garden), but this is our first taste of the wide variety of plants she enjoys indoors.
A while ago you asked about our indoor gardens since cold, snowy weather in the northern part of the country makes it hard to work in our outdoor gardens. Years ago, when we renovated our house, we gained some wonderful windows for my collection of plants.
Let’s start in the eating area in the kitchen. These succulents thrive in this east facing window, cool at night and right above the heat during the day. After they spend the summer outdoors there are always too many to bring inside.
After I’ve given away what I can, those that are left become small gardens, a variety of shapes and personalities growing together in shallow pots.
Another combination of fabulous green foliage!
Moving to the sunroom, this window also faces east. There are windows and plants on the north and south walls as well. This is a great place for some of the summer pots of geraniums to spend the winter. Since I cut them back quite a bit last December, they aren’t yet exuberantly blooming but they will be soon.
This window is also the perfect place for the orchids that someone gave to my parents many years ago. The orchids were blooming at that point but never again bloomed even with the care they got in their greenhouse. When my parents moved, the orchids came to us. In this sunny, low heat room, they have bloomed every year since.
Orchids aren’t the only thing blooming on Barbara’s windowsill. Some variety of echeveria sent out this lovely cluster of bright orange blooms.
The dining room window also faces east but is partly shaded in the winter by the house.
It’s the perfect place for this group of plants, many with variegated or colorful leaves, as well as an annual gift of an amaryllis.
So while the snow falls outside, I can still “garden” inside along with dreaming and planning for next summer’s garden outside.
Lastly, a peach colored amaryllis—potentially the cultivar Apricot Parfait (Amaryllis ‘Apricot Parfait’, Zones 8–10 or as an indoor plant)—creates double the beauty when reflected in the window at night.
Thank you so much for giving us a tour of your indoor plant collection, Barbara! I, of course, have some serious window envy, but it was fabulous to see all of the amazing plants you’re able to grow with that extra light.
I hope more GPODers take Barbara’s lead and share some of their favorite houseplants. Whether your collection fills every windowsill or a few sunny corners of your home – we would love to see the plants that get your attention when it’s too cold or snowy to enjoy your outdoor garden. Follow the NEW directions below to submit your photos to Garden Photo of the Day!
We want to see YOUR garden!
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, fill out the Garden Photo of the Day Submission Form.
You can also send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
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