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Winter Colour Indoors For Free
If you look round your garden in July it's difficult to imagine the
dull winter ahead! But with a little thought now you can have
free colour on your windowsill this winter.
Taking cuttings from some summer bedding plants now will give them
enough time to grow into full-size plants by early Autumn.
Which Plants?
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Most summer bedding plants will do OK indoors, but the lack
of light on your windowsill is the major point to
consider. Plants which thrive indoors
include bedding begonias (semperflorens) and busy-lizzies
(impatiens). One variety of 'impatiens' which does well
and produces spectacular flowers is the New Guinea impatiens
(see right) |
Click to enlarge
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Why not try a few plants from seed? Good ones to try are
Cineraraia and Primula (Primula malacoides or Primula obconica).
Click the picture to the right to enlarge it. |
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Plants from the seeds mentioned above will produce flowers in early
spring next year.
Taking The Cuttings
Select healthy non-flowering side shoots and trim them to 5 to
8cm (2 to 3ins) just below a leaf node. Fill a small pot with
standard potting compost. Make a hole in the compost with a
pencil or similar, insert the cutting and firm the compost down
around the cutting. Water the pot from the bottom by placing it
in a bowl of water for ten minutes.
The plants should then be left in the greenhouse or a
propagator in a shaded position out of direct sunlight.
They can also left on the windowsill covered with a clear
plastic bag which does not touch the leaves. Remove the plastic
bag when the plants have rooted (about two weeks). Pot the
plants up into larger pots when the roots fill the pot. Feed
with houseplant food, beginning about 4 weeks after taking the cuttings.
END ARTICLE
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