Wordless Wednesday: Aglaonema Red

 Chinese Evergreen

Aglaeonema

Zones 10-12

One of the easiest houseplants EVER

Featured on page 115 of Indoor Plant Decor: The Design Stylebook For Houseplants

Fort Wayne (IN) Home & Garden Show 2014

Entrance designed by Arbor Farms

Nothing gets me more excited about the coming spring (on a cold and blustery day) than attending a home and garden show.  Mom and I go to the Fort Wayne Home & Garden Show every year and this year we were there on opening day.

Though it was my intent to leave the show without any plants in tow, you know that just didn't happen.  What was I thinking? There are always a few vendors that I make a point of stopping by to see, because they always have something to tempt me.  I made a bee line to Country View Greenhouse's (near South Whitley, IN) space, but got sidetracked by Young's Greenhouse (Ft. Wayne), another favorite.

Young's had some nice bonsais at an attractive price, so I bought a twisty Zelkova.  Zelkova is a Japanese elm and a popular street tree due to their disease and pest resistance, including Dutch Elm disease and Elm leaf beetle. It can be kept inside, in a sunny location, where it would keep green leaves all year round, then moved outside in spring. It is hardy to our zone, so theoretically it could stay outside year round, but I will bring it in for winter.  I also bought a hanging red container to plant up for our kitchen window.

I then moved on to Country View Greenhouse, where I always enjoy conversing with owner Ryan Baker.  I like to give him a hard time about the beautiful display of perennials and shrubs that he always has that aren't for sale, but they absolutely are enticing enough for me to vow to make the hour-and-a-half journey to his greenhouse this year once spring gets here.

Begonia hybrid (probably 'Kit Kat')

Heuchera 'French Quarter'

Sorbaria and Heuchera 'Zipper'

Love the chicken coop and run in this miniature garden display
at Country View Greenhouse!

A primula jumped into my bag at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory booth and a gorgeous striped bromeliad did the same thing at Vanroot Growers.  The homemade soaps at The Beehive caught my attention and I purchased a cake of lavender.

Vriesea sp. from Van Root Growers

Before I went to drool over the orchids on display at the Orchid Society's booth, I stopped to chat with the folks at the Gene Stratton-Porter Memorial Society booth.  There, I purchased some wisteria perfume, one of my very favorite scents from the garden.  The perfume was developed last year by Annie Oakley Perfumery, the only perfumery in the United States, located in Ligonier, Ind., in honor of the 150th year of Gene Stratton-Porter's birth.

I finished my garden part of the show by admiring the orchids, which are always stunning.  I never fail to be blown away by their beauty.

 

A quick run-through over at the home part of the show, which was in another exhibition hall, garnered some food purchases for an upcoming girls' night being held at our house:  salsa (raspberry, pineapple, and tropical fruit rum), beefstick, and some drink mixes. I also picked up some silicone covers for pots and dishes.

Unfortunately, the garden part of the show didn't really inspire me with any of the landscaping displays.  They were really non-existent.  There were fewer vendors in that part and some of the regular vendors had smaller booths.  Still, I managed to leave with my arms full of plants and products. (Big surprise, eh?)

The Cutest Little Cloche

Last spring, one of my favorite online places, Longfield Gardens, sent me a terrarium kit.  It wasn't so much a terrarium as it was the cutest little cloche on a saucer you ever did see.  Even if it hadn't included something to grow, I would have loved just the cloche set.

But it contained a begonia tuber, some growing medium, and a biodegradable peat pot in addition to the glass cloche and the green ceramic saucer.  The idea was to plant the tuber in the peat pot, moisten the soil, and cover with the cloche.

I did that, put it in a bright light location and waited for the begonia to begin growing. The glass cloche helps keep moisture in, acting like a tiny greenhouse. If you notice there's a little too much moisture inside, you can just lift the cloche off for a little while.

Once it outgrew the cloche, I transplanted the begonia, pot and all, to a larger container.  I chose to put it in a hanging container because of the growth habit of the begonia.

The kit contains one bulb and you may need more than one to get a really lush container. First bloom
is shown here.

This was a fun and attractive way to get a head start on the season and I still had the cloche to use for something else - like this Cryptanthus:

I also used it to help this spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) cutting get a good start:

I'm a huge fan of cloches and I have several that I use outside in my garden and another larger one that I use inside.  But I adore this smaller one - it's just eight inches tall.

If you're interested in getting one of your own ($29.95), you can find them here.  They'd make a wonderful gift too.  Everything you need to get growing is right there and the cloche can be used in a number of ways.  If you're not familiar with Longfield Gardens, they have other kits too, and all the bulbs I've received from them are ginormous and healthy.

First time customers can receive a 20% discount on their order by using the code LFG20 and shipping is free for orders over $50.

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*I received the Terrarium Kit for review, free of charge, from Longfield Gardens.  All opinions here are my own, as always.