Overwintering bromeliads when you're quite tired

I am always an optimist in the spring. Things like bromeliads get purchased and I swear that I’m gonna do right by them, come winter. But then they get brought inside where they are slowly starved of water and light. I have yet to make it through a winter without losses because that is a time when I am not at my best. I could just chuck them in the compost in the fall and save everyone a lot of trouble, but then I wouldn’t have the fun story of getting up to pee in the middle of the night and stepping on a slug that had hitchhiked inside on a plant I was overwintering in the bathroom. That plant died, by the way. 

I’ve been on a journey to get better at this, but it’s hard when you’re lazy and prone to clinical depression. I seem to both under and overwater them. In an effort to kill fewer plants, or at least make the midnight foot goo worth it, I’m trying a new setup. 

The bromeliads get dug up from their outside locations and sprayed out to minimize spider and slug hitchhikers. Then they get snugged together in orchid pots with chunky soil. I’ve been using Sol Soils since the Tacoma Fling where I picked up a sample. I absolutely love them.

The orchid pots can be sprayed indiscriminately, making sure that the bromeliad cups have sufficient water but their roots won’t rot. I’m hoping this combo keeps them happier than in winters past.

Then I stuffed them in a metal bucket and put them under some grow lights in the living room, which is how you let visitors know that you’re a responsible adult.

A funny thing is that my brain has always associated grow lights with seed starting and not a thing that you could provide to make your houseplants happier. It took seeing my niece’s houseplant setup to retool my brain. Life is full of wonderful surprises when you go through it not really paying attention.

I might even buy a humidifier but I don’t want to get too good at this. Bromeliad growers are expecting me to keep them in business. Happy fall, y’all.

I only like the cold when it does stuff like this

Because this winter has been so much colder than the last, some of my evergreen perennials are doing wonderful things. I don't even mean that sarcastically.

The cold turned my Mahonia nervosa wine-colored. The stems are pink! I recently read up on this plant and discovered that it doesn't want full sun, where I have mine sited. It's done fine so far (I barely watered it last summer) so I'm going to keep it there until it screams.

Parahebe perfoliata's purple stems have spilled their coloring into some of the leaves, making it even better looking than before.

On the downside, my favorite agave is mush.

Agave parryi, ay yi yi.

This was before six inches of snow fell. It's completely rotted through and there's no saving it. Sigh. I guess I'll just have to go shopping at Cistus for a more cold-hardy replacement! 

And there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth

Our recent extended dip into freezing weather knocked a lot of my garden down. Some I expected, like my poor echiums.

Echium wildpretii and Echium candicans 'Star of Madeira' 

But I didn't even think to worry about my daphnes!

All of the leaves of Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata' are burned.

Anybody have any experience with this kind of damage? Great Plant Picks states that it can lose its leaves to freeze and completely regenerate but it still worries me.

Not the black daphne I had in mind.

My Daphne odora 'Mae Jima' in the front garden fared a little better and it looks like I might get blooms for the first time this year.

I tend to be pretty cavalier about my garden; if something doesn't survive it's an opportunity to go plant shopping. But this . . . daphne is my very favorite! And the 'Aureomarginata' was one of the very first plants I placed in my garden. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the rest of my garden but I suspect some of the newer plants I installed this fall (like a passion fruit vine) are toast. I don't know how you gardeners in the lower zones do it. Winter, you are a cruel beast.

La la la la, I can't hear you!

It may be getting into the thirties at night, but this little corner of my yard thinks it's still summer.

I so love an optimist.

Readying for winter

Somewhere in the last two months I forgot how to blog.  There was an incident with the big window in the front of my house (turns out it's rotting!) and my sad, sorry attempt to reglaze it.  It's better not to talk about it and instead save my money for a new window. 

I went to Hawai'i with my boy and hit the tropical gardens and I almost rethought all the NW natives I have in my yard. 

Maybe high maintenance tropicals are the way to go?  How gorgeous is that?

I've been clearing out the yard for winter, chopping down my unruly dahlias and planting tulips en masse.  I also planted this freakshow:

It's an allium, which is the genus of onions, and boy did the bulbs smell like it.  Apparently they are good to plant around your tulips and other bulbs because they deter would-be bulb eaters, like voles.  While I was in Hawaii a huge storm came through Portland, which knocked over the patio umbrella (I meant to take it down before I left, I swear) . . . which took the table with it . . . which took out my birdbath . . . which smothered my chives.  There's nothing like returning from paradise to a little bit of reality.  Surprise! You're still a homeowner!  There are no drinks in coconuts here.

It's sort of sad to see everything cleared away, like my poor tomato plants that never got past the green stage.  

I think I'm going to turn my focus this winter to planning the front yard.  And maybe applying for jobs in Hawaii.

Happy winter!

Snow!  In Portland!  Hooray!