On Sunday we went for a family walk around Swarthmore College (aka Scott Arboretum). The kids were quite happy running around in the cold. I find it so easy to hide away in the winter but the kids are good at reminding me that fresh air is a good thing! After an hour Sam was disappointed when I told him it was time to go home. While we were there I made it our goal to find some pretty winter interest plants.

I really loved these hydrangeas. These had such a  great structural quality that I liked against the snow.

I have admired this particular crape myrtle (Natchez) on several occasions. It is quite a large specimen and has lovely white flowers at the end of the summer. This variety apparently grows to 30′, which this one must be close to. But the bark is the real show stopper as far as I am concerned. I don’t have a place in my yard for this, but if I did I would definitely pick one up.  Although maybe this might be a nice tree for the front yard. hmmmm….

This Jasminum nudiflorum low grounding shrub I don’t know what the name of this ground cover is, but it was quite lovely and was taking over quite a large area of hillside (thanks to Carolyn for identifying it).

I have a few astibles in my yard, but I don’t think about them as offering winter interest. This garden made me rethink this. These are ‘Vision in Pink’, which look great considering that these flowers have been out like this for months. I suppose it is about planting several close together to get this effect.

Edgeworthia is new to me. Carolyn from Carolyn’s Shade Garden wrote an excellent article about them in December. I was quite intrigued by the post, where she included this particular specimen at the College. I was happy to see it in the middle of winter. She is suppose to have a few of these for sale this spring. Again, I don’t have a place for this, but it is really quite stunning.

The buds are fuzzy, how cool is that!

I have no idea what type of vine this is (wisteria?) but I thought the shape was stunning against the stone wall and lantern.

Finally here are the kids playing in a sculpture. Clearly we need to have some more outdoor winter adventures!

Does anyone have any recommendations for places to go around Philly?  I was thinking that Chanticleer Garden might be fun, but it isn’t open this time of year.

The Unexpected Houseplant by Tovah Martin (those are primroses in the picture)

It is another one of those weeks here where any hope of getting a project finished or staying on schedule has disappeared. We have 1 case of pink eye and 1 case of 3 1 /2 year old surly, stubborn, clingy girl. One of the few actual accomplishments for the weekend (besides attending 3 kid related get togethers) was making it over to Terrain at Styers on Sunday morning to see Tovah Martin. Her new book, The Unexpected Houseplant is out and she was having a book signing and demonstration. Maisie and I watched Tovah work her magic on a couple of indoor planters. Tovah is probably best known for her terrarium design but I first discovered her on her blog Plantswise. Tovah was lovely and very inspiring. I am halfway through the book now and am feeling pretty inspired!

Indoor Planter for a Sunny Location

I have to say that although I love gardening outside, my indoor plants do NOT thrive. I have somewhat of a black thumb indoors. I am hoping to change that, and I think this new book might be the start of good things to come! Tovah advocates for planting what you love! I am totally guilty of having mediocre indoor plants in random pots and then totally neglecting them. She shows you how to step out of that rut and plant exciting beautiful plants inside.  Now I just need to get started!

For inspiration, I thought I would show you a couple of beautiful  planter that she made up while I was there. These were designed for a woman who has a sunny bay window. The one above is a pineapple plant (which I do love) paired with red and orange flowers (that I totally forgot to get the name of) and a miniature bromeliad (one that doesn’t flower but looks so beautiful regardless). I also learned that the pineapple and the air plants are also members of the bromeliacae family.

Another Planter for a Sunny Window

The second planter (designed to go with the one above) was mostly filled with succulents and more of the miniature bromeliads. I am totally in favor of succulents, since by their nature don’t require much care. I have a few now, but they all live in individual pots.  On the subject of succulent planters I saw that Emily Clark just posted about a beautiful centerpiece that she put together yesterday made out of driftwood and succulents.

Mix of Planters

I also really liked these shade friendly planters in the foreground above. Unfortunately most of my windows are too bright for these. Although I am totally in love with the lower plant in the foreground, which is ‘Frosty Fern’ (Selaginella kraussiana ‘Variegata’) which is a kind of moss. Tovah recommends putting mosses as understory plants, which is some cases can work in sunnier locations when you have broader plants sitting above.

Another useful recommendation that I asked about and is described in the book is using cat friendly plants like grass. I haven’t had any luck with growing the kitty grass that they sell at the pet store, but I am really intrigued to try something like a blue fescue. I might even grab one of my smaller perennial grasses from outside and try it indoors for the winter. I like the idea of giving the kitties something to munch on that will be good for their tummies, and then they will hopefully be less likely to eat the plants that aren’t so good for them.

My Little Helper

Finally my little helper smiled for me with the plants. Now if she only was this well behave all of the time! Now if I can just get her to help with the watering!