Your astrological sign purportedly links certain personality traits to the day and month of your birth. And last month, an article from the National Garden Bureau paired up certain flowers with each of the 12 signs — based on constellations in the night sky, and dating back to ancient Greece.
For instance, Librans are known to love romance and beauty, but they also can be tough and prickly. So, perhaps the perfect pairing for that sign might be a rose! It's got beauty and elegance right alongside the thorns.
You get the idea — check out the article to discover a fun, new way to choose flowers and plants for yourself and loved ones, based on personality traits from star signs.
A question about where to over-winter mandevilla
Q: We have two madevilla that we've been growing outside on our front porch for the last two years. We grow them on a decorative chain attached to the soffit of the house. In early fall, I cut them back and I've been storing them in a heated mudroom. But I noticed your website comment about growing them in a sunny room for the winter. Should I bring these potted plants into the warmer house near the sunny south windows or keep them at lower temps in the mudroom? - Bill, in Plattsburgh
A: If it's working in the mudroom, continue doing that! The only reason why you might want to move the mandevilla to the sunnier, warmer space is that, as you get closer to bringing them outside in spring, you might want to get a little jump on the season.
So in the mudroom, they're probably not going to grow very much. By putting them near a sunny, south-facing window in March or April, they may start growing more.
If you place them there, you can bring them outdoors at the end of May or in early June. Plus, you might find your mandevilla flowers a little bit earlier, too.
A better potting soil that resists drying out
Q: Will you please recommend a potting soil that doesn't repel water? Often water pours through and fills the dish beneath where it evaporates before the plant benefits. It's then necessary to soak the plants in a basin of water where they'll float for a half hour. I recognize that I shouldn't let my plants become too dry but even then the soil still appears to repel the water. Is there a solution to this annoying dilemma? - Antonia, in Woodstock
A: The solution here is coir. That's a coconut husk fiber that you can add to potting soils, or you can buy potting soils that already contain it.
Coir is hydrophilic, meaning it likes water and will absorb water relatively easily. Most potting soils have peat moss in them, which is hydrophobic.
When hydrophobic soil dries out, it repels water, and that's the issue you're seeing there. So look for coir, and either add it yourself or get a potting soil that already has it.
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