Gloxinia (Sinningia Speciosa) can make a colorful addition to your home during the dreary days of winter. Their massive, deep-throated flowers come in many color combinations and put on quite a show.

Gloxinias, native to Brazil, are related to African violets. Their luxuriant, quilted, velvety leaves can grow up to six inches long and produce ruffled bell-shaped flowers in shades of white, pink, red, blue, and purple with contrasting edges.

With a small amount of attention and care, you'll be able to get this tuberous plant to re-bloom several times before it goes dormant until the following growing season. Gloxinias do best in consistent indoor temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees. They bloom best in a bright but indirect light location. Growing in low light will cause the flowers to be small and pale.

Gloxinias prefer moderately moist soil--but take care not to overwater, as this can prevent buds from developing. Try to lift the leaves before watering and allow the water to enter directly to the soil. Splashing water on the leaves can cause yellow spots.

Water thoroughly when the soil surface feels dry to the touch. Do not allow your plants to stand in water. If using bowls underneath your pots, make sure to empty the water from the bowl after each watering.

It is important to feed your plants regularly (every two weeks) while your plant is growing strongly and blooming. We recommend Dr. Earth Liquid Solution 3-3-3.

Most plants will bloom for 6 to 8 weeks and then take a short break before producing a new set of blooms. Discontinue feeding once the plants start dying back before entering dormancy. Gently remove the spent blooms after each flowering cycle.

It is best to repot gloxinias when they go dormant, so the plants can produce new growth in a larger pot with fresh soil. Then sit back and wait for new growth to appear for the following season and enjoy all over again!

Many gardeners are saddened when the dreary months of winter approach, because they believe it to hail the end of color in their garden. A yard filled with beautiful flowers in summer and fall suddenly seems impossible to duplicate when the weather is cold and the sun is hiding. But there are two plants that are becoming increasingly popular for cheering up winter gardens.

Let us introduce you to "Flowering Cabbage" and "Ornamental Kale." These ornamental plants look much the same as their cousins bred for the table, but have been bred specifically for their showy colors and ruffled foliage. They come in a variety of colors, ranging from white to pinks, purples, or reds. (The ornamentals are edible, but not bred for taste.)

More important, these plants can survive winter temperatures as low as 5 degrees. While a sudden severe cold can be deadly, these plants will do just fine if given time to acclimate. More interesting, a light to moderate frost will even help intensify their brilliant colors. They actually prefer the cold and don't do at all well in the summer months.

Both flowering cabbage and ornamental kale prefer to be planted in the full sun but will tolerate some shade (although their colors might not be as intense). As with all other annuals, they do best when planted in rich soil amended with Kellogg Amend. We recommend feeding them every two weeks with Gro-Power Liquid Fertilizer to keep them looking their best. They also do very well in pots, making them great for adding a bit of color on patios and around entrances.

We invite you to visit us to see their vivid color displays. Then take some home and cheer up your garden.

How often should I water my potted plants?

Answer:

Outdoor potted plants tend to dry out more quickly and require more water than those planted in the landscape. This is because potting soils are lighter in composition and less compact than garden soil. The size of the container also limits the water holding capacity. Watering potted plants once a day, or even twice daily, may be necessary--especially if the weather turns hot and windy or your containers are in full sunlight.

Indoors, most potted plants tend to be over-watered. They generally don't need to be watered more than once or twice per week.

The important thing is to check moisture levels often. If the potting soil appears pale or cracked, or feels dry below the soil's surface, then it's time to water. If plants are wilted and droopy, (or just in a plain old bad mood) then they're already seriously stressed and in need of immediate watering and potentially a trip to a therapist.

The use of a moisture meter can be very helpful. If you don't own a moisture meter, get one--it's better than using your fingers to check, and you'll cut way down on your manicure bills.

The idea is to water thoroughly but allow enough time between waterings for the soil to begin drying out. If the potting soil remains soggy for too long, air will be forced away from the roots and your plants may suffocate or drown.

Don't let plants sit in standing water. If a saucer is used under a container, make sure that it does not remain wet for more than an hour or two after watering. Poor drainage and damp soil conditions favor root-killing disease fungi that can develop as root rot and cause the plant to die.

If a potted plant gets too dry, stand the container in a bucket of water so that it can soak water right up into the soil. This is a better method than watering with a hose or can; in that case, the water will run straight through and around the dry soil where it has shrunk away from the side of the pot.

One of the biggest weed concerns most homeowners have for their lawns is crabgrass. This nasty clumping weed can make a mess out of a lawn in no time, leaving unsightly dead patches when it dies off the following winter. The good news is that there is plenty of time to prevent next year's crabgrass from taking root in your lawn.

On of the keys to preventing crabgrass is understanding how it grows. This in turn will help you decide which cultural and chemical control options to use against it. Crabgrass is a warm-season annual grass that dies off every winter. It can only reappear the following year from germinating seeds that were created before the mother plants died.

Crabgrass will not start germinating until soil temperatures consistently reach and stay at 60 degrees. This can be as early as late January in Southern California and as late as May in the Northeast. (In a few very warm areas like South Florida and Hawaii, it can germinate year-round, so count your blessings!)

Crabgrass prefers full sun, lots of moisture, and thin lawns that allow light to hit the soil. The thicker and more vigorous your lawn is, the less favorable environment you provide for the crabgrass. This means you also need to keep your mowing height higher. If you keep your mower height between 2-3 inches, there will be fewer crabgrass plants in your lawn. Also, avoid frequent lawn watering. As temperatures rise, water more deeply but less frequently.

Most pre-emergent crabgrass herbicides are available in combination with lawn fertilizers, so crabgrass prevention and spring fertilization can be done at the same time. These need to be applied before the crabgrass germinates in early spring. (See temperatures above.) We recommend using Greenlight Crabgrass Preventer. If temperatures are unseasonably warm, you might have to apply this product earlier than you normally would.

Sometimes, a few crabgrass plants still manage to find their way into your lawn. If this is the case, simply remove the plants by hand--making sure to pull out the entire root, too. If you miss the pre-emergent control season and crabgrass appears, control with a post-emergent spray such as Bayer Lawn Weed & Crabgrass Killer. The sooner you spray or remove the plants, the less chance they will have of producing seed for the following season.