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JANUARY IN THE GARDEN

n Trouble could be brewing with your houseplants. Watch for the appearance of such common pests as mealy bugs, whiteflies and spider mites, which can become active in the balmy, cozy conditions of a winter home. n If you are looking to partake in some brisk exercise on a chilly morning, go out and turn your compost pile over. Also, enlist the able assistance of the sun to add extra heat to the heap—which will speed up decomposition—by covering the pile with a sheet of clear plastic.

TIP OF THE MONTH Your winter garden doesn’t have to be a dull, barren place. Believe it or not, there are many ornamental plants that save their flower festivals for the coldest times of the year. Hellebores, pansies, winter daphne, sweetbox, edgeworthia, wintersweet, camellia, winter honeysuckle and witch hazel are prime examples of beautiful bloomers that light up in the chilled landscape. Since this month into early spring is their usual time to shine, consider stopping by your local friendly garden centers to see some of these cold-season beauties in full flaunt.

L.A. JACKSON

The beautiful hellebore is just one of many flowering plants that can light up the winter garden.

The case for cast iron plant

BY L.A. JACKSON

THE CAST IRON PLANT (Aspidistra sp.) is a poster child for truth in advertising. A favorite houseplant since the dimly lit parlor days of Victorian England in the 1800s, it is a toughie that can grow in almost any conditions indoors.

Not much is needed to keep a cast iron plant happy. Keeping it out of direct sunlight and watering when the upper inch of soil feels dry to the touch are about all that is required, although adding a diluted fertilizer solution every few months will encourage better leaf production. Repotting is seldom necessary—this slow-growing plant will usually do just fine in a midsize, 8- to 10-inch diameter pot.

If there is any knock against the cast iron plant, it would be that it is green. Just plain green. Ho-hum green. Or so it would seem. Actually, there are many variegated cultivars delightfully sprinkled, sprayed, smeared or swiped in contrasting hues ranging from pale white to golden yellow.

For gardeners who like to see spots before their eyes, popular selections like Spek-tacular, Leopard, Milky Way and Golden Freckles will provide the right twinkle, while lovers of streaked leaves can enjoy pretty picks such as Variegata, Snow Cap, Gold Lancer and Lennon’s Song.

Quality local nurseries will probably offer some variegated cast iron plants, and for online shopping from regional sources, both Plant Delights Nursery

VARIEGATED VARIETY The Spek-tacular cultivar of cast iron plant will have you seeing spots before your eyes.

(plantdelights.com) and Nurseries Caroliniana (nurcar.com) have many tempting possibilities. With the cast iron plant being so easy to grow indoors, many gardeners think of it as simply a reliable houseplant, which it can be, of course, but there are several selections that will readily adapt to the great outdoors. A good chunk of these are cultivars from the common species

There are many Aspidistra elatior, which variegated cultivars has been found to be reliably hardy in South delightfully Carolina landscapes. Dry areas in shade sprinkled, sprayed, or dappled sunlight smeared or swiped are ideal growing spots outside, while soggy, in contrasting hues. constantly wet sites or locations in full sun just won’t do. Cast iron plant leaves can turn brown if they are exposed to arid, below-freezing winds in the winter, but a spring snipping of any desiccated vegetation will quickly remove such ugliness and even encourage a flush of new foliage growth. So, cast iron plants can be dependable additions to any gardener’s green world, either inside or out, but, as a bonus, the many beautiful variegated forms show that such reliability can also be served with a side order of sassy! L.A. JACKSON is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.