How to manage your garden catalog fever
Winter is a great time for planning improvements to your garden with seed, bulb and nursery catalogs arriving in the mail.
There are many temptations in these catalogs, so focus on choosing plants that will prosper in your garden’s growing conditions and meet your design goals. These catalogs often contain some cultural information to assist in planning your garden for the coming growing season.
To help you choose the best plants for your garden, take advantage of the Chicago Botanic Garden's website. Find gardening information in our Plant Evaluation Notes, Plant Information Service, Lenhardt Library and the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden with a wide array of gardening courses. These are good first steps to take for 2025.
Keep the cyclamen blooming
Cyclamen plants will continue to bloom for a few weeks if they are kept in a north-facing window in a cool room (55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit) and watered enough to keep the soil evenly moist and never soggy.
Avoid splashing the crown of the plant or the foliage as this might promote mold. Remove fading flowers and their stems as needed.
Most gardeners find it too difficult to force plants to bloom again the following season. Those willing to take the challenge should follow these suggestions. As foliage and flowers begin to fade, withhold water. Remove all dead foliage from the tuber, clean off the soil, and store the tuber in peat moss or vermiculite in a dark, cool (50-degree) location for its dormant period. Later in spring or early summer, check the tuber for new growth. As soon as growth begins, repot the tuber with its top half exposed and bottom half buried in fresh soilless mix. Resume normal watering and fertilize with a dilute 10-10-10 or 15-15-15 mix twice a month.
Cyclamen benefits from summers spent outside in a protected spot in the garden where it receives morning sun. Bring the plant indoors before there is frost in fall.
Ivy topiary tips
Ivy topiary is a popular houseplant that can last for years if given proper care. Ivy also prefers cool conditions in bright light away from heating vents or fireplaces. Mist the plant regularly or swish upside down in a bucket of tepid water to keep the foliage clean and free of mites.
As the new growth emerges, train tendrils to the desired form. You can move the plant outside after the danger of frost has passed. Be sure to put the plant in shade for the first week or so and gradually acclimate it to a sunnier spot to avoid sunburn on the leaves.
• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.