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Greening options for winter gloom |
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Thursday, 07 February 2008 |
 Freshman art education major Cary E. Pryor waters her windowsill plants in her dorm room in Newland Residence Hall. Photo by Alisha Park
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by ALISON MEANEY
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
With February here and Boone devoid of color and warmth, an easy way to increase the air and aesthetic quality of a space is to introduce a living plant into it.
“It’s just nice to have something green and alive,” said Cary E. Pryor, a freshman art education major.
Pryor is a plant lover at Appalachian State University who uses plants to improve the atmosphere of her room.
She has a corner room in Newland Residence Hall, which receives almost no light during the day and looks out at a brick wall.
Pryor takes advantage of the light she does get with the low-light-loving plants that line her windowsill.
“It just makes it more like home,” she said.
Betsy Cobb has directed Appalachian’s department of biology’s greenhouse facility for nearly 28 years.
She utilizes the applied science of horticulture in set design, as she
did in Farthing Auditorium Monday evening’s speaker, Gloria Steinem.
“It makes the speakers feel more comfy and cozy,” Cobb said. “We can create an artificial tropical jungle for them.”
She maintains hundreds of exotic plants inside of her greenhouse with the help of a handful of science students.
J. Fenner Klak, a junior biology major, has learned the science of
horticulture from Cobb and recommends considering this science when
growing plants indoors.
“The more you know about your plant, the easier it is to take care of it,” he said.
He gave the example of growing a cactus. Deserts are dry, sunny and low
in nutrients, so cacti should be nurtured accordingly, he said.
Dr. Rose Annkatrin, professor of plant molecular biology, recommends a few of her favorite plants for indoor gardeners.
Her favorites include Jasmine, which is a flowering winter plant with “a really intense smell, especially at night,” she said.
For those who like the smell of flowers, Jasmine is frequently used in aromatherapy products.
She also suggests any kind of succulents that require high light and
very little watering. Aloe, Jade, and Blue Heron are succulents which
are easy to take care of and hard to kill.
“If you forget to water them for a week they will survive,” Annkatrin said.
Spider plants can greatly improve the air quality of a smoking home.
Spider plants are also fun because they sprout other plants off of
themselves, which you can pick and transplant, Annkatrin said.
More ambitious plant-lovers should consider growing orchids because of
their exotic flowers that bloom in the winter with flowers that don’t
wilt for weeks at a time, Annkatrin said.
These plants can be temperamental and orchids can require some dedicated baby-sitting.
When growing these plants, Klak recommends utilizing a southern facing window, watching the plant and checking the soil.
If the soil is wet at all, he said, don’t water it.
“The number one way to kill a plant is to over-water it,” Klak said.
Indoor plants can be purchased locally at Grandfather Mountain Nursery,
the Mustard Seed Market or the Appalachian Greenhouse’s annual spring
sale, which benefits its plant collection.
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