Green Up your Winter Abode with Houseplants -Winter 2014
by: Hilary Newell
When it’s time to put my garden to bed each year, there are decisions to be made. The thrifty Yankee in me wants to bring in plants and fill the house. The practical me says, “Whoa” and my husband says, “Why bother?”
So we strike a happy medium. There are ups and downs to having plants in the house, but in my book the ups outweigh the downs. On the upside there’s color, air detoxification and sometimes there’s glorious scent, or even some fruit. On the downside, there can be leaves or flowers that drop on the floor and there might be insects.
Meyer Lemon
When it comes right down to it, the citrus plants are the only ones that I bring inside. They love being outside on my deck all through the good weather (who doesn’t?) and because of their age and slow growth, they are not easily replaced. Meyer lemons (Citrus x meyeri) are very reliable and often produce fruit all winter. A cross between a true lemon and either a mandarin or a common orange, this plant was introduced to the United States in 1908. These lemons were popularized by chef Alice Waters in the 1990s and can be readily found in garden centers. The scent of the blossoms will fill your house, and when the lemons are ready to use, you will find the flavor to be sweeter and less acidic than grocery-store varieties.
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