Question:
What can I plant in a container that can be brought indoors for a couple of weeks during the holidays and then moved back outside?Answer:
- I’d consider a Sasanqua Camellia or an Alberta Spruce.
- Sasanqua Camellias are blooming now, with the variety Yuletide being particularly popular. Yuletide has a single row of petals, a festive red color with yellow stamens in the center. It’s also available in pink. They make an excellent container plant.
- Sasanqua Camellias grow six to eight feet tall in the ground, but the size is easily controlled with pruning for containers. The blooming period starts in the late fall and is usually finished by January. Unlike the spring blooming varieties, Sasanqua’s grow in the sun as long as the roots are insulated with mulch from the heat of the day sun.
- Alberta Spruce make an excellent small-living Christmas Tree. They’re a dark green color with short needles and a compact growth habit. Whether they’re indoors or out, you can decorate them with holiday lights, ornaments, or any other type of decorations.
- For this year, I’d leave them in their original container and transplant them in the spring. The cans can be covered with different materials, such as foil, burlap, and landscape fabric, with artificial holly and berries.
- Before bringing them indoors, water them thoroughly several days beforehand and place a clear plastic tray under them to protect the carpet or flooring. I’d keep them indoors for no longer than two weeks and water them immediately when they’re brought back outdoors with room temperatures around seventy degrees.
- Depending on the container size, a cup of water or two should be sufficient every five days. Also, keep them away from any heat-generating source, such as heating vents or a fireplace.
- Sasanqua Camellias or Alberta Spruce are beautiful and festive around entryways when combined with red and white cyclamen, Zygocactus and, of course, Poinsettias.
Question:
I was given a mixed arrangement of plants consisting of Kalanchoe, Dragon Tree, and Silvery Queen Pothos. After separating the plants and transplanting them into separate containers, the leaves on the Dragon Tree are falling off. Is that normal?Answer:
- The Dragon Tree, or Dracaena, is a columnar plant. They’re usually found with multiple plants growing in the same container at staggered heights. It is usual for the lowest or oldest leaves to turn yellow and fall off first.
- Unlike other plants, the new leaves will not develop where they dropped off. The recent growth forms at the top of the canes; hence, there is no lateral branching.
- Excessive leaf drops can be from excessive moisture, so you don’t want to overwater them. They can go several weeks in between watering.
- I’d give them a good soaking by watering them in the sink and letting the water drain before returning them to their permanent location.