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Happy National Houseplant Appreciation Day!

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED JAN 10, 2020

Be kind to your houseplants today. This peace lily works hard, helping the indoor environment. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

Be kind to your indoor green companions

It’s time to dust the ficus and show the peace lily some love. Why? It’s National Houseplant Appreciation Day.

Often ignored as part of the décor, indoor greenery does so much for us while asking little in return. The foliage helps clean the air, filtering out pollutants and carbon dioxide while adding a little extra oxygen. In addition, houseplants contribute a little moisture and extra humidity to our indoor air, creating a more comfortable environment (for them and us).

Besides helping indoor air quality, houseplants also have a therapeutic quality. We enjoy being around plants. They make us smile. They improve attitudes in both office and at home.

Mother-in-law's tongue is an old-

fashioned favorite that's happy

indoors.

This day of recognition is credited to the Gardener’s Network ( www.gardenersnet.com ), which has been publishing an online gardening e-zine for nearly 20 years. It’s an idea that’s quickly catching on with special sales and events at nurseries. Green Acres Nursery, for example, is celebrating with a Houseplant-palooza sale.

National Houseplant Appreciation Day comes after the holiday hustle, when we finally have a chance to look around and notice our green companions.

This is how this commemoration started, according to the Garden Network:

“By the 10th of January, the holidays are a distant, happy memory. We have put the decorations away. Now, our houses all look kinda plain, and drab inside. As you look around the house, something catches your eye. It's over there, in the corner of the room. It's still green, but it sure looks dry. And, it’s drooping a bit. Why, it's a houseplant! Funny, but with all of the holiday hubabuloo, you've all but forgotten your plants.

“Well aren't your houseplants lucky that the 10th of January has arrived!? Today is THE day to get back to tending to, and loving each and every plant in your home. It's also a day to appreciate just how special and important houseplants are to you. As gardeners we need to have our hands in some dirt. Caring for them gives us that opportunity. After all, it's a long way to spring, when we can get out into the garden again.”

In California, we can still go outside and play in the dirt (or mud). But it’s a lot more comfortable indoors, playing with our houseplants.

How to mark Houseplant Appreciation Day?

* Start by checking soil moisture. Make sure your houseplants are well watered.

* Snip off dead foliage and show your plants some TLC.

* Dust the leaves; that helps the foliage function better.

* If possible, put your plants in the shower and give them a gentle indoor rain. That washes off dirt and grime that may have accumulated.

* Start some cuttings from your houseplants and share with friends.

* Get some more houseplants. The selection has never been better as more people discover the joy of indoor gardening. Find a new favorite or rediscover an old-time charmer.

More details: http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/January/houseplantappreciationday.htm

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An article about gardening.

Keywords:

gardening Sacramento container plants houseplants Garden Network Green Acres Nursery and Supply indoor plants indoor gardening

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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

FALL

Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it

Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come

Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying

Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?

Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden

Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden

Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers

Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air

Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets

Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty

Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?

Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest

SUMMER

Sept. 16: Time to shut it down?

Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch

Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning

Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?

Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you

Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water

Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers

July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?

July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty

July 15: Does this plant need water?

July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions

July 1: How to grow summer salad greens

June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal

SPRING

June 17: Help pollinators help your garden

June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests

June 3: Make your own compost

May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?

May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days

May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success

April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?

April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)

April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers

April 8: When to plant summer vegetables

April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths

March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth

WINTER

March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds

March 4: Potatoes from the garden

Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space

Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting

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Garden checklist for week of Dec. 14

Rain is due midweek, but there should be some partly sunny breaks between rain clouds, especially Thursday. Make the most of those opportunities and show your garden some TLC.

* Brighten the holidays with winter bloomers such as poinsettias, amaryllis, calendulas, Iceland poppies, pansies and primroses.

* Keep poinsettias in a sunny, warm location. Water thoroughly. After the holidays, feed your plants monthly so they’ll bloom again next December.

* Rake and remove dead leaves and stems from dormant perennials.

* Rake and compost leaves from trees, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Clear gutters and storm drains.

* Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Plant bulbs at two-week intervals to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* Seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies, violas and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while they’re dormant.

* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.

* Bare-root season begins. Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

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