PLANTS

The plants below are mine - summering outdoors.  I believe that indoor plants do so much better if you allow them to spend time outside.  In Hampton Roads, we usually have five months - May - September - during which you can enjoy your "houseplants" thriving in a more natural environment.  Placement is key......then repotting, watering and fertilizing.  

Low light houseplants need shady spots outdoors in the Spring and summer.  They may even mature and send out their version of a flower.  You'll want to place your low light loving houseplants under a tree or on the North side of your house to ensure that they don't get too much sunlight. 

Vibrant colored houseplants or houseplants that you would normally have in a sunny Southern window during the Fall and Winter will need to be placed in Morning or Afternoon sunlight when moved outdoors.  Look for areas on the East or West side of your home. 

The direct hot Summer sun - found on the South side of your home - is only good for your indoor cactus.  Even then, indoor cactus can become very tired of all the Summer sun - so watch them for signs of stress.  And be sure to water them.  Cactus like a good flood after their normal drought conditions.  Soak them well on occasion.

If you want luxurious growth from your vacationing houseplants, repot them into bigger pots (1/3 the diameter of the height of the plant) and give them a good soaking.  Try not to let repotted plants dry out completely before the next watering.  They need light watering daily to begin to send out new root growth.  Fertilize them several weeks after repotting and at least every month thereafter.  Plants in containers dry out faster than plants in the ground.  Clay pots dry out faster than plastic ones.  You may find that you have to water your outdoor houseplants daily to keep them lush and growing.  But your rewards will be great!  You'll have to start to plan where they'll fit in the house when you bring them inside again in the Fall.

MOSSES

The pictures below are of the Mosses we harvest from our farm, Rolling Hill Farm.  Moss identification is not an exact science, so we have given them the names of Mosses that, at least, look like them!  Link here to our Moss Price List for 2007.

Here we have a collection of Dicranum, Polyrichum and Leucobryum along with Reindeer Moss (not a moss but a lichen) tucked between. We are selling these moss collections.  This is a 10 inch clay saucer.  We also have smaller collections in 4 inch and 3 inch clay saucers.  Each collection comes with care instructions.