VISIT THE KROHN CONSERVATORY! – It’s holiday season and that means time to take a trip to the Krohn Conservatory! And this years holiday floral show – Lucia’s Garden. Swedish holiday traditions inspired this year’s show at the Krohn, which was designed by the Krohn’s florist Mary Ann Philips to help showcase her Swedish heritage.
Lucia’s Garden showcases these Swedish traditions amongst a holiday assortment of colorful plants, with a background of assorted evergreens including hemlock, spruce, white pine, and two decorated holiday firs. The bright holiday colors are provided by drifts of poinsettias, with an assortment of cyclamen, amaryllis, a huge poinsettia tree, and colorful annuals including coleus, dusty miller, Mexican heather, and plectranthus.
If you look closely, you’ll find a few gnomes peeking out of the display. They represent the gift bearing gnome named Tomte, similar to our modern day Santa. Gnomes are common characters in Swedish folklore year round. And yes, the traditional train display is up and running, featuring landmarks from the streets of Cincinnati. Lucia’s garden is an indoor winter wonderland that’ll have you feeling the spirit of the holiday season.
While you’re here, check out my favorite poinsettia – Ice Punch. So pack up the family and head on down to the Krohn Conservatory. It’s been a holiday tradition for my family, for many, many years. By the way, while you’re at the Krohn, take a look outside at some great examples of choosing plants that will add winter interest to your landscape. Granted you may not spend a lot of time outdoors during the winter, but when you do, or when you look out thru the windows, why not have plants that add a little something to the winter landscape. Now evergreens are a given – pines and spruce – junipers and hollies – but add a twist by planting golden chamaecyparis or blue junipers – or how about weeping Norway spruce and weeping white pine? If you like weeping, check out the form of the weeping beech tree clump near the sidewalk. Isn’t that something? And look at those grafted crabapples with their enlarged twisted trunks and eerie looking branching habit – great winter interest. And the cool thing is you really don’t appreciate these plants as much until their leaves drop in the fall. One last plant while you’re there. Out by the nativity scene, look tucked under that larger weeping spruce and you’ll find some Painted Arum. That wonderful foliage actually comes up in the fall! If protected, they last all winter and into the spring, and if not, they die back and come back up next spring anyway. Arum will send up stalks of green white flowers in late spring, the foliage dies back, and the flowers form stalks loaded with orange red berries thru the summer. Pretty weird eh? And by the way, they love the shade.
END OF YEAR TO DO LIST- Put the roses to bed now that the temps are cooler, finish deadheading and removal or dead perennial foliage, remove all those weeds that have suddenly popped up in the beds (don’t let them over winter), plant spring bulbs, still plenty of time to plant trees, shrubs, etc, get the mower serviced after the last mowing, and don’t forget to have those blades sharpened, remove hoses, drain, and store away (don’t forget that a hose attached to a freeze proof faucet will cause it to freeze!), properly store all chemicals, spray evergreens which a susceptible to winter burn / salt spray with WiltStop, build burlap screens for added protection, rake up late remaining fallen leaves, clean, oil and store away tools, try to avoid walking on frozen grass, still okay to do minimal structural pruning, clean out those gutters before we get into the freezing rains and snow, keep an eye on those houseplants for insect population flare-ups, as a good general rule, only water them when they’re dry (yes, there are a couple exceptions, but typically less water is needed during the winter months) and use luke warm water, visit your local garden store, pick up a few extra amaryllis, paperwhite, and hyacinth bulbs for indoor color over the winter, try growing herbs on the windowsill indoors, make sure you read all the seed catalogues you’ll get over the next month (I’m up to 4 already), and remember, if you have any questions about gardening, e mail us!
[Aspire to inspire before you expire.]
Tags: krohn conservatory
