Wintergreen
Plants can make a difference during cold months
Sharma Howard GateHouse News Service

Bringing a bit of green into your home during the winter makes for colorful table centerpieces and fragrant indoor gardening, and creates a warm and welcoming environment

Byron Martin and Laurelynn Martin, owners of Logee's nursery in Danielson, Conn., have plenty

of tips for homeowners to decorate and nurture tropical and container plants.

From bougainvilleas that burst with papery thin blossoms in cerise pink to jasmines that are covered in a flurry of white blooms that scent a room, the options for the homeowner seem endless.

As centerpieces, many plants can be put on the table, taking the small pot the plant comes in and sinking it into a decorative container filled with something as simple as riverstones. More formal arrangements can be made, such as inserting it in a silver bowl, or draping decorative cloth around the pot.

But when you get the plant, it's best to not repot it in a ceramic or decorative pot right away, especially if it's blooming. The nursery recommends clay pots, which let the plants dry out, and to stay away from decorative pots without drainage holes. Plastic pots tend to let plants stay wet, and need to be watched more vigilantly.

Orchids are always a mainstay for any time of year, but with their rich blooms, they make for stunning and elegant spots to anchor the eye - from a centerpiece to a stately presence on a side table. And since they bloom for two to three weeks, they are an excellent choice. But keep in mind, Laurelynn Martin said, orchids must be put back into their light source after several days if you're using them on a table with little sun on them to keep the blooms coming.

Citrus is a good plant choice for its festive fruits and has the added benefit of tiny blooms packed with sweet fragrance. Put citrus in a sunny window and let the plants stay on the dry side, advised Byron Martin.

Another popular plant in winter is the clerodendrum splendens, which has a rich red color from December to June. It offers blooms even in the darkest days of the year.

One of the nursery's favorite plants doesn't come in red - but orange, and is a dwarf ginger plant called a burbidgea. Upright and bushy, the plant is smothered in spiky orange blooms on the shortest days of the year. It also blooms heavily in the summer.

Another possibility is begonias, from brightly variegated foliage (and since begonias generally require lower light, they are perfect to brighten shady corners), to leaves playfully dotted with white polka dots. Angel wings come in many colored blooms, including red, pink and coral.

Plants, Laurelynn Martin said, are becoming more popular for homeowners who want evergreen displays year-round.

"They have longevity. They don't just go back into the closet after the holidays, they can be used year after year."

Reach Norwich Bulletin writer Sharma Howard at showard@norwichbulletin.com