Paul Koloszar, Civic Garden Center's Horticulturist

Visit The Civic Garden Center's website.

What’s new and exciting at the Civic Garden Center?
Plant, Herb, and Hosta Sale Preview Party Friday, May 2nd from 6-9pm, $30 with reservations, Food, Drink, Music, and Plants Galore
Open to the public for free  Saturday from 9-3, Sunday 11-3

Click "read more" to see all of Paul's houseplant tips!

What do houseplants do for indoor air quality?
-subject of some debate;
-some houseplants ARE known to reduce the concentration of formaldehyde in certain instances (e.g., when sealed in a plexiglas box) certainly houseplants exchange co2 for o2
-growing plants in plastic pots could conceivably result in an increase of formaldehyde!
-people allergic to mold spores could have problems, too.
 
How do we determine which houseplants are right for our home?
Amount of care we’re willing to give
Pets/Children
Light- how do we determine light levels?
Window facing N, E, S, W?
Price
Humidity

What are the most fool proof houseplants?
Aspidistra or cast-iron plant
pothos (Scindapsus or Epipremnum)
Sansevieria (snake plant, mother-in-law’s tongue)
heart-leaf Philodendron
Monstera deliciosa (Swiss-cheese plant)
Cycads, especially Cycas revolute or Sago palm
Clivia miniata or bush lily (has another common name with a racist
Jade plant (Crassula ovata)
African violets
Impatiens
Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum sp.)

What are the plant care tips- basics for every plant
Mind that you keep up on water. Occasionally water through

Potting 101
Do not use garden soil
For the most part, houseplants can be repotted annually
Choosing the right size of pot depends on rate of growth
 
Transferring them outdoors in warmer weather/back indoors when it gets cooler
Easy enough; note how hardy your plant is and bring it in before it gets too cold. Bring them out when it warms up, but be ready to retreat if we get a late frost.

Trees- I keep killing my ficus trees- what am I doing wrong? What kind of tree do you suggest for indoors
In my experience, these can be “tempermental” (to anthropomorphize)
Instead, one might try:
F. deltoidea (mistletoe fig)
Bananas
Alocasias
Dieffenbachia –“dumb” cane
Some palms
Some Dracaena spp.

Local resources for buying houseplants:
A.J. Rahn on Gray (North of Spring Grove)
Delhi (various locations)
City Roots (1133 Vine)
H.J. Benken's
Marvin’s Organic Gardens (on 42 in Lebanon- http://www.marvinsorganicgardens.com/index.html)
 
What’s new and exciting at the Civic Garden Center?
Plant, Herb, and Hosta Sale Preview Party Friday, May 2nd from 6-9pm, $30 with reservations, Food, Drink, Music, and Plants Galore
Open to the public for free  Saturday from 9-3, Sunday 11-3

Green Learning Station project- http://www.greenlearningstation.org/

Rain Barrels in the Neighborhood Gardens

Recommended reading
Elvin McDonald- The New Houseplant
Lynn Rapp and Joel Rapp- Mother Earth's Hassle-Free Indoor Plant Book Dr. D.G. Hessayon- The Houseplant Expert
Tovah Martin- Well-clad Windowsills; Houseplants for Four Exposures
Peter Loewer- Bringing the Outdoors In; How to Do Wonders with Vines, Wildflowers, Ferns, Mosses, Bulbs, Cacti, and Dozens of Other Plants Most People Overlook