Houseplants

Although the calendar doesn’t quite agree, winter is here. We were given a white Thanksgiving followed by rain and then more snow. All this precipitation is good for our trees both ornamental and native.

We are getting a new roommate next week — a kitten! We haven’t had a kitten in over 30 years. We have always adopted older cats and lucky for me they didn’t eat my houseplants. However, kittens are like toddlers, always exploring and getting into trouble, so I have to make sure none of our plants can poison a curious kitten.

Garden Media Group (GMG), a public relations firm based in Pennsylvania, has been predicting gardening trends since 2001. In their recent report, “Rooted Together,” they have incorporated statistics from the National Gardening Association’s (NGA) annual survey to come up horticultural predictions for 2019.

Last year I wrote, “We are told to bring nature inside. Houseplant gardening is back, just like in my hippie days,” citing www.gardendesign.com 2017 trends.

I admit I haven’t been a fan of houseplants, other than cacti and succulents, for many years. I got tired of watering, trimming, fertilizing, repotting and dusting.

DAYTON, Nev. — Community Roots garden center has expanded to offer unique gifts, floral arrangements, and holiday centerpieces and is now located at 209 Dayton Valley Road. Part of the nonprofit Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey, Community Roots and Shoots' proceeds help support community and school gardens, teen job skills programs and more.

Our property is 2.5 acres in size. That’s bigger than many people have and huge for folks living in apartments or condominiums. And, some people don’t have any yards at all.

It’s a wine walking, Super Bowl weekend. You’ll find music and art on this list, but also a list of sports books and football parties. Fun for kids, adults, families, and friends awaits you in the area: it just depends on what you are in the mood for. Keep reading and have a great weekend!

SATURDAY:

• Free Youth Basketball Handling Clinic at the MAC: 1870 Russell Way (7:30am-8:30am; open to all youth aged 6-18; sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club)

If you have houseplants, it is likely that you occasionally have little black gnats flying around the house. Although these tiny pests are barely visible, they become annoying as they buzz around your face. The gnats are actually short-lived flies that infest the potting soil of houseplants. They can go from egg to adult in about 17 days, depending on temperature, with larvae emerging from the eggs in four to six days. They develop more quickly with higher temperatures. There can be multiple generations in a year. Adults live approximately one week and may lay up to 300 eggs

Just when you thought your summer battles with insects were over, I have to remind you about insect infestations on houseplants. Your houseplants may be at risk if you recently brought outdoor container plants into the house. Usually containerized plants pick up hitchhiking insects while they are outdoors and these travelers start breeding when brought into a warm interior.