Brighten up the winter drabness with houseplants

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Friday, January 1, 1999 3:00 AM CST

by Patti Nagai for the Journal Times

Once the holidays are over and the decorations are removed, winter can begin to look quite dreary. To combat the winter doldrums perhaps you could venture into the world of flowering houseplants.

Flowering houseplants present many challenges to the winter gardener in Wisconsin, but they are certainly worth the effort when the rewards of bright floral displays cheer up the home.

There are multitudes of plant types to try. My favorites tend to be the ones that are fairly easy to care for and aren't so messy. Therefore, I avoid azaleas because of their excessive leaf and flower drop. I also avoid hydrangeas, which are so sensitive to the slightest drying. Even though I avoid those two popular florist gifts, there are abundant flowering choices that provide long-lasting color with minimal care.

Orchids

Contrary to popular belief, anyone can grow orchids. They are beautiful, easy to care for and often have a wonderful fragrance. The best thing about orchids is that their floral display can last from four weeks for the Cattleya species to four months for some of the Phalaenopsis species. With more than 30,000 species and 55,000 registered hybrids, anyone should be able to find a look, color and fragrance that suits them. Some are easier to care for than others; for beginners, I recommend buying mature plants of Dendrobium, Oncidium, Phalaenopsis, or Cattleya.

Dendrobium species are numerous, and although they may differ in their temperature requirements, their light requirements are similar. They need fairly bright light but not direct sun. These are known as ``tree dwellers" or epiphytes, so they grow best in soil-less potting mix; their natural habitat is supported by tree branches, not soil.

The growth medium should be a coarse mixture of bark, peat moss and fern root. The more peat moss and fern root in the mix, the more water it will hold. The more bark, clay articles, orchid chips or plastic foam beads in the mix, the better the drainage. Orchids like high humidity but not wet feet. Cooler night temperatures are sometimes required. When you purchase your orchid, always ask for a care sheet for that specific hybrid.

Oncidium species are known as ``Butterfly orchids" because of the shape of the flower, and can have a few flowers to hundreds of flowers per plant. Their care requirements are similar to those of the Cattleya species; they can tolerate high light, even direct sun if acclimated to it and will grow well in warm temperatures of 60 to 70 degrees. Night temperatures can drop as low as 50 degrees in the winter.

Phalaenopsis species are the easiest of all of the orchids to care for. They do well in the home in a bright window, but avoid direct sun. The temperature should be kept fairly warm, between 60 and 75 degrees. They do not need a dormant period to bloom and will tolerate the cooler temperatures of the winter home quite well. To prolong blooming of Phalaenopsis, always remove the individual flowers after they fade; the flowers below will continue to open for several months.

To learn more about orchids, consider attending the meetings of the Wisconsin Orchid Society in Milwaukee. For more information about the local group, call Bruce Efflandt at 645-0292. Or if you have Internet access, there are numerous Web sites on orchid varieties and culture:

American Orchid Society at www.pathfinder.com /vg /gardens /aos /

The Orchid Mall at www.orchidmall.com

Phalaenopsis at www.phalaenopsis.net /

Christmas Cactus

Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti are available in many beautiful colors and flowering styles, and rank high in my list of easy-to-care-for flowering plants. This time of year they should still be in full bloom, but if the flowers have faded and dropped it is time to let the plant rest for a while. It takes a lot of energy to produce and hold all of those flowers, and a six-week rest period after it is through flowering will help it prepare for the next stage of growth.

During this rest stage, or dormancy, keep the cactus a little cooler but still in bright light. Cut back on watering; keep the soil very dry, but don't let the plant shrivel. Once the six-week rest period is over, begin to water and fertilize on a regular basis. Re-pot if necessary, but don't increase the pot size more than one inch in diameter.

By next August the cactus should have increased in size and put out more branches. This is when you want to let i rest again to prepare for flowering. Keep it dry and cool until the flower buds start to appear at the ends of the branches, then increase watering to keep the soil moist during the flowering period.

Hibiscus

I get more calls on interior hibiscus plants than on any other interior plant. They are popular houseplants and come in a wide variety of colors. The one in my office is bright red and blooming profusely, well adapted to a Northern exposure. They like bright light and can easily tolerate full sun once adapted to it. However, if you had your hibiscus outdoors in full sun and have moved it in, be prepared for major leaf drop. Sun leaves will be smaller, thicker and bright green. Leaves that develop on an interior plant will be larger, thinner and darker green.

Hibiscus will re-adapt to the interior after spending the summer outdoors, but it will take a couple of months. Consider finding a permanent interior home for your hibiscus and you will have fewer problems. Another danger of taking it outside for summer and bringing it in during the winter is the probability of bringing in insects. Hibiscus plants are susceptible to aphids, mealy bugs, spider mites, thrips and scale. If you brought any of those in with you, keep your plant clean and use insecticidal soap to control the insects. Follow all safety recommendations when applying any chemicals. Keep infested plants away from non-infested plants. Just like children with colds, plants like to hare their bugs.

Hibiscus often need to be pruned, both to maintain their shape and keep them in bounds. Tree form hibiscus will need suckers and branches trimmed off several times a year to maintain the central trunk. Other forms will need to be pruned back to control growth and stimulate branching. Time your pruning with cessation of flowering, that way the hibiscus will have plenty of time to form new branches before the next wave of flowering begins.

Need more advice?

More information on this and other horticultural topics is available through the University of Wisconsin Extension. Our new Web site for Southeast Wisconsin Gardeners can be found at: www.uwex.edu /ces /sehort /. If you would like a complete listing of all the UW-Extension publications, call 886-8460 and request a bulletin catalog.

For information by phone 24 hours a day, an InfoSource brochure listing more than 500 topics of interest is available. If you have a question to ask the horticulture agent, call the UW-Extension office at 886-8460 between 8 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday.

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