I'm actually not a very keen houseplant person (they get neglected all summer while I'm outside), so the few houseplants I actually do own have to be extra special: anything that is easy to take care of, yet flowers, is definitely a worthwhile houseplant in my books!
Christmas cactus fits the bill:
People who've been over to my house recently have asked, "Do you fertilize your christmas cactus?" Why, yes, of course! It is a wonder to me that people think they can grow a plant in a pot for years and not feed it anything. I feed this the occasional 20-20-20 mixed in water from about March through to September (when I remember) and then stop. By now the plant has enough energy to flower and then I want to give it some downtime over the winter before it enters its next major growing season when the days start to lengthen again. This is growing in a sunny, west-facing window, BTW (and that's the Adventure Garden in the background.)
I also have a Meyer lemon tree which I acquired this past spring. It took a while to get settled in its new pot but seems to be doing OK now. It is everbearing so always has flowers on it - which smell AMAZING! I have yet to harvest a decent lemon but it's worth it just for the flowers. I can always hope for future lemons since it's early days still. I've also heard that these plants are fairly finicky about their moisture requirements... I'll have to do some research. Anyone have any tips for growing Meyer lemons?
I've been looking for a Meyer lemon in Calgary, but no luck - where did you find yours?
I've heard that you should rotate the pot weekly so that each side gets good sun and then mist the leaves with water daily (something I would probably neglect to do).
By the way - the late fall/winter garden I planted had a little bit of success. I'm harvesting tiny baby spinach and little radishes (both really, really tasty though). The various lettuces that I planted are too small to harvest. Next year I'm going to plant everything about a month earlier (I planted on August 28th this year, but it was the first try at a late garden, so I'm not too disappointed).
Posted by: Megan | November 10, 2010 at 06:47 AM
Hmmm, Ive probably exceeded my low maintenance criterion for the Meyer lemon, but I still think those amazing flowers are worth it! I will try to mist regularly. I havent seen any Meyer lemons in Calgary either (but that doesnt mean there arent any available). I ordered mine through Dominion Seed House.
Congrats on your fall veggie garden! It certainly was a good year for it! I still had swiss chard until a few days ago. Ive been wishing Id got my new raised beds ready for planting this fall and then I could have had a late crop of spinach and such, as well. Oh well, next year Ill be ready!
Cheers,
Janice
Posted by: Janice Miller-Young | November 11, 2010 at 06:38 AM
Sunnyside and Golden Acre both get in citrus trees. Any should make very fragrant flowers.
They're extremely popular and I think they only get in two shipments a year, so phone before going.
Posted by: esgeg | November 11, 2010 at 09:25 AM
Thanks esgeg!
Posted by: Janice Miller-Young | November 12, 2010 at 05:53 AM
BTW I'm extremely impressed with both plants - I managed to kill my Christmas Cactus, but I am inspired by your success with the citrus, so I need to get one too!
Posted by: esgeg | November 14, 2010 at 05:44 PM
Thank you again! Let us know when and where you find your citrus.
Janice
Posted by: Janice Miller-Young | November 14, 2010 at 07:58 PM