Tag: houseplants

Inching Into Indoor Gardening

Martha Tomeo

“Inch by inch, row by row, gonna make this garden grow”… John Denver’s lyrics are often an earworm on my internal playlist, something I hum as I tend my “piece of fertile ground”.  I have always considered myself to be a gardener. My childhood home included a large patch of vegetables adjacent to our house and blackberry thickets bordering the yard. I was raised by thrifty parents who taught me the economic benefit of growing our own produce in rural New Hampshire. In Alaska, my own family homestead has always Read More …

Easy To Grow Houseplants

ggphillips

Houseplants Have Benefits Houseplants are a wonderful addition to any home. They add beauty, improve indoor air quality and uplift our spirit in the dead of winter. Some houseplants are difficult to grow, others not so much. Lets focus on a few inexpensive examples that are both common and easy to grow. One of my favorite houseplants is the snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata). This plant is very forgiving. You can forget to water it, and it will still survive for days being completely dry. In fact, it’s better not to Read More …

Tropical Alaska: Growing Indoor Tropical Plants in Anchorage

cngriffin

It’s October and the birch and cottonwood leaves color the ground yellow outside, while the annual flowers planted around Anchorage have been pulled up. The termination dust has already frosted the peaks of the Chugach Front Range, and it won’t be long before winter arrives. So what is a plant enthusiast to do during the dark and cold winters in south-central Alaska? One solution is to visit the Mann Leiser Memorial Greenhouse in Anchorage. Operated by the Municipality of Anchorage from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm daily, the two adjoining Read More …

Indoor air quality and plants–clear as smoke?

kmikulla

I’ve been thinking a lot about air quality lately. When I look out my cabin window, the familiar mountains are veiled behind a thick, smoky haze. For most of us, you don’t need to look at a map these days to know that Alaska is on fire. One glance out the window, one breath through your nose and it is obvious that the beautiful, hot, and dry spring created the perfect conditions for wildfires. Whether near or far, the fires in Alaska will affect each and every one of us Read More …