COLUMN: The 2023 plants of the year

COLUMN: The 2023 plants of the year

by Home And Garden

If you like to observe gardening trends, incorporate the “plants of the year” to your backyard garden. The Nationwide Backyard Bureau (NGB) is a non-income organization with a mission to “Inspire, Connect, Mature,” motivating gardeners and giving inspiration and education. The NGB has named these “Plants of the Year” for 2023.

The Calendar year of the Orchid: The NGB first extra houseplants to its once-a-year record in 2022. Orchids are this year’s houseplant option. They have a status of staying tough, but they definitely are not. The simplest wide range to expand and a fantastic preference for the novice is the moth orchid. Bouquets on moth orchids fluctuate in color and very last a very long time. Orchids favor filtered light-weight and moderate watering.

The 12 months of the Amaryllis: A person of the most recognizable bulbs, the amaryllis is a holiday getaway favorite. Extra than 600 versions, these crops occur in a variety of colours and flower styles. Quite a few amaryllis bulbs come inside of “kits” that involve the bulb, soil, and the pot. If you choose to obtain just a bulb, use a great potting combine and place the bulb with the major third exposed. Drinking water when until there’s development and then drinking water sparingly immediately after that.

The Yr of the Celosia: There are so a lot of unique kinds, heights, and shades, you can use this once-a-year flower any where, even containers. The term “celosia” comes from the Greek term “kelos,” this means “burned” which refers to the bouquets that essentially resemble flames. These bouquets like a sunny location wherever they’ll give your backyard garden the “wow” element for absolutely sure!

The Year of the Spirea: These shrubs have been a staple in the landscape for many years. They boast a range of colorful foliage and beautiful flowers. These quick-growing shrubs are so easy to grow and will tolerate lousy soil, drought, warmth, and chilly. They appear their most effective in full sunshine and prefer nicely-drained soil.

The Year of the Rudbeckia: This perennial, which incorporates the black-eyed Susan, is a need to-have for late summer months shade. It is no question this plant was chosen considering the fact that it is a pollinator magnet and is so quick to grow. These crops require comprehensive sunshine, moderate but consistent soil humidity, and nicely drained soil. They execute their ideal and make the most bouquets if the clumps are divided each individual a few to four several years.

The Yr of the Broccoli: This vegetable will come from the Mediterranean area and has been appreciated considering the fact that Roman instances. It is deemed a super foodstuff simply because it is so substantial in dietary worth. All sections of the plant are edible. It is considered a great season vegetable, escalating the very best in amazing temperatures of spring and slide. Crops desire fantastic drainage and whole sunshine. You can buy transplants for immediate planting in the floor or commence seeds indoors about six months just before the final frost date. Seek the advice of the seed package for more information or take a look at the vegetable gardening segment on our web-site at https://cceoneida.com/property-backyard garden/foods-gardening.

If you would like to read far more about these and other crops suggested by the Nationwide Backyard garden Bureau, check out their web site at ngb.org.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Oneida County responses house and backyard questions which can be emailed to homeandgarden@cornell.edu or simply call 315-736-3394, press 1 and ext. 333. Go away your dilemma, title and cell phone number. Issues are answered weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Also, visit our web-site at: cceoneida.com or cellular phone 315-736-3394, press 1 and then ext. 100.

GARDEN COLUMN: Putting the garden to bed for winter | Home & Garden

GARDEN COLUMN: Putting the garden to bed for winter | Home & Garden

by Home And Garden

The phrase ‘putting the garden to bed for winter’ always struck me as unrealistic as there is always something happening in the garden all year round, particularly in the south.

For those of us in Orangeburg County, the soil temperature is perfect for planting spring bulbs as well as hardy flower seeds that need cold temperatures before they germinate next spring. Dormant trees can also be planted as our ground rarely freezes so hard that you cannot dig in it.

Primarily though, the main chore is to tidy the garden up which does not mean mowing or trimming everything above the ground. Many annual flowers will set seed around themselves which, like the seeds that you purposely sow, wait until next year before they germinate and if you remove the seed heads, you will not get the self-sown seedlings next spring. Many perennials as well as annuals also have seeds that birds need to sustain them through the worst of winter weather. There are some flowers though that do need to be tidied up such as chrysanthemums, which look messy if not trimmed. If you are not a tidy gardener, even trimming chrysanthemums be done anytime before new growth emerges next year – so you have plenty of time.

Leaves, particularly fallen leaves from deciduous trees and magnolias, can create a thick mass on a lawn which, if left for several weeks, can kill the turf underneath. Mow these leave to chop them into fine pieces, then use to mulch some shrubs to protect the roots. Chopped leaves generally do not form such a mass of wet, impenetrable mat over an area. Pine needles of course are great for strawberries and many other areas of the garden, but it does take time to sort out the cones from the needles before you spread them over the strawberry bed.

In my garden, I focus more on indoor events such as family visits and trips, so between Thanksgiving and New Year, I virtually ignore the garden and turn my thoughts to it again in January when I trim back the perennials particularly those that have been knocked over by wind and storms. Which brings us to another reason to leave some top growth on your perennials – and that is to remind you next spring that a plant is there and you don’t dig it up in the spring garden preparation.

So feel free to plant some hardy seeds, plant bulbs and then ignore the garden until the festivities are over – the garden, and weeds, will still be there to tend in January.

Kate Copsey is a garden author, writer and speaker now living in eastern Orangeburg County. Her book “The Downsized Veggie Garden” is available from bookstores everywhere as well as her webpage www.katecopsey.com.

GARDEN COLUMN: Seasonal decorations | Home & Garden

GARDEN COLUMN: Seasonal decorations | Home & Garden

by Home And Garden

The weather has turned seasonably cold with the first frost being seen by most of us. For most of the holiday season, our thoughts tend to be inside with family and indoor plants, some of which are popular as part of our seasonal decorations. Poinsettias, cacti and amaryllis are just some of the plants that we find in the stores right now.

Poinsettias: The traditional Christmas poinsettia has been popular for decades with the bright red leaves still being the most popular color with shoppers. New colors such as variegated leaves or light-colored leaves dyed blue were a fad a few years ago and can still be found in florists or nurseries if you like them. If you kept your poinsettia from last year, you might find some red leaves starting to appear though nursery grown plants tend to be brighter with more flowers. Just as a note though, the red color is actually from bracts, or modified leaves around the small yellow flower that is in the middle. Once the color is set, the plant can be kept in shade or sun for the holiday season.

Christmas Cacti: There are a few different cacti on the market and all flower around this holiday season – one closer to Thanksgiving and one nearer Christmas/New Year. All are tender succulents rather than true cacti, so they can dry out quickly in your home. Water well in the sink and let it drain before putting back into the decorative container. These plants all survive well outside in summer and once the temperatures sink into the 40s and the daylength gets shorter, they produce bright red, white or salmon pink flowers. They do prefer full sun but will be fine for a few weeks in a partly sunny position. Keep the plant on the dry side but repeat the ‘water in the sink’ when the top of the soil is dry. For the rest of the year, keep the cacti in a sunny south facing window and place on your patio in late spring.

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Rosemary Topiary: These delightful plants are closely cropped to form a pyramid or other formal shape. The plant containers tend to be full of roots and difficult to water, but without water they go brown and die in days. The best remedy is to remove the outer pretty covering, leaving just the root ball and water like the succulents – in the sink. If the roots are too dense, take a knife and make a few slits in the root ball so that water can penetrate into the center as well as the outside. The rosemary is the same as a culinary rosemary but resist trimming the stems for your kitchen for a while – the nurseries use chemicals to keep away bugs and fugal issues and to keep the plant looking healthy. These chemicals are not safe to ingest. If your rosemary does survive the holidays, keep it slightly moist and in a cool room until spring when it can be planted in the garden. Give the plant at least a year to minimize contamination before using in your culinary dishes.

Amarylis: The amaryllis bulb is a popular hostess gift for seasonal parties and come in box or container. Read the instructions to prompt the amaryllis to produce a flower stalk. Once the stalk begins, it grows rapidly and finally produces the beautiful flowers a few weeks later. The bulb can be put into the garden for summer, then placed in a dark location until the leaves die and the plant is fully dormant. Give the bulb about a month of dormancy then bring back into the home and water well.


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We have such a long growing season that winter flowers indoors are not required to last months, but for the holiday season they are certainly an addition to your decorations.

Wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy Thanksgiving and holiday season.


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Kate Copsey is a garden author, writer and speaker now living in eastern Orangeburg County. Her book “The Downsized Veggie Garden” is available from bookstores everywhere as well as her webpage www.katecopsey.com.