Sitting around the dining room table surrounded by houseplants in the dead of winter is a satisfying feeling. We even have some of our geraniums blooming in the sunny, South-facing window. But upon closer inspection things aren't all well in the houseplant jungle. We're not the only ones appreciating the greenery this time of year. I see little black flies flying around my houseplants. These are most likely fungus gnats. Although they look ominous, they generally don't harm our houseplants. The larval form is mostly interested in feeding on the potting soil's organic matter. They hatch into adult black flies that lay eggs in the potting soil and the cycle continues. They can be annoying though. To control them, repot the houseplant with fresh potting soil, cover the potting soil with a layer of sand to dry out the eggs or use an organic, yellow sticky trap in the pot to catch and kill the adults. I also notice some white, cushiony growth on the backside of some fig leaves. This is most likely mealybugs. They suck the plant juices from leaves causing them to yellow and they drip a sweet, sticky honeydew substance on rugs and furniture. Control this pest by dabbing individual insects with a cotton swab doused in rubbing alcohol. I even have spied some green and black aphids on the new growth of our herbs. These soft-bodied insects also suck plant juices and drop honeydew. They're simple to control. Move the infected plants to a warm garage or basement and spray with insecticidal soap or Neem oil. This usually stops aphids in their tracks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

January is houseplant season in our home. With more time indoors due to the weather, garden geeks can't help but fuss over their houseplants. We're no different. We're evaluating, tossing and shopping for new houseplants right through the winter. The houseplant craze has spurred the creation of some great new versions of some classic houseplants. We all know philodendrons. This vining plant is one your mother or grandmother probably grew. It has dark green, heart shaped leaves. They're known for their low maintenance. There are some interesting new versions of this common houseplant. The Princess series features gold and green, white and green and even pink and green leaf variegations that makes them shine in a darker location. There is even a version that has black leaves as well. And there are philodendrons that don't cascade. Clumping forms, such as 'Prince of Orange' and 'Caramel', feature larger, elongated leaves that start out orange, or caramel, colored then fade to green. Tortum is a spiky leafed philodendron that looks more like a fern. Snake plants or Sansevieria thrive in low light and have low water needs. This tall, spiky plant comes in newer versions. 'Whale's Fin' looks like a twisting, spotted whale's tail as it grows. 'Samurai' is a small snake plant with two thick, fleshy leaves edged in red. It looks like a succulent. There are even versions that have thin, straight leaves that look like pencils. The beauty of these new versions of old classic houseplants is while they look and grow differently, they still have the low maintenance qualities that made them so popular in the first place.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Usually I spend part of the holidays making out my seed order for the season. But with lots of guests this year, I've fallen behind. Even though I have some favorite tomato varieties, I'm always on the lookout for new, improved ones to try. Here's what I've found so far for 2023. While most of the interesting new tomato varieties are small fruited, this one beefsteak size variety sounds really interesting. 'Captain Lucky' is an organic heirloom variety with green flesh and yellow, pink and red streaks in the center. It has a nice, dense, flavorful texture that's not too watery and silky smooth. For smaller fruited varieties, 'Mochi' hybrid cherry tomato seems to be a winner. The red fruits don't burst in your mouth like other cherry tomato varieties but instead have a gum drop-like texture. The fruits are sweet and flavorful and grow on a dwarf indeterminate sized plants that produce all summer, yet never get too big. 'Queen of the Night' is an heirloom cherry tomato from Germany. It has crimson and orange colored fruits with a rich, sweet flavor. It's another indeterminate plant but only tops out at 5 feet tall, making it more manageable in the garden and in a container. 'Two Tasty' hybrid cherry tomato has fruits with a unique, bicolor red and purple colored skin. The flavor is sweet and complex, rivaling 'Sun Gold'. It was the best tasting new tomato variety in the Burpee trials last year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Come January, many gardener's attention turns to indoor plants. One group I've struggled with for years is citrus. But my wife and I seem to have figured out what we need to do to make indoor citrus survive. Dwarf plants, such as 'Meyer' lemon, 'Persian' lime, 'Calamondin' oranges and kumquats, are best for their small size and fruits. Purchase nursery grown plants. We do have one seed grown citrus from a friend's 30 year old orange tree. But usually seed-grown citrus take many years to flower and fruit and some never do. My cousin in Watertown has two seed grown lemon trees that are huge, but never have flowered or fruited. Find a bright spot in your home where your citrus will get some direct morning light with temperatures around 65 to 70 degrees. Pot up the citrus in a clay or ceramic pot so the soil stays evenly moist and slowly dries out. Water enough so it drains out of the bottom of the pot. We water our plants in the shower to also clean their leaves. In dry homes, especially with wood stoves, use a humidifier to keep the air moist or group plants together. Fertilize monthly from March to September. We keep our citrus indoors year round, but some people like to move them outdoors in summer. Once the air temperatures are consistently above 55 degrees, move the citrus outdoors, bringing them inside at night for the first week. Even if your citrus doesn't form fruit, the fragrant flowers that bloom on and off all year are a good enough reason to grow these plants indoors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the holidays wind down you may be wondering what to do with your live holiday tree, wreath and boughs. Certainly leaving them in your yard for wildlife to enjoy is an option. You can even add some peanut butter and birdseed to make it more attractive. Another good use is to cut boughs and cover tender perennials, such as lavender, in your garden. The boughs collect snow which insulates the plants. If you have a chipper, chop up the tree and use the mulch in your yard. In fact, many municipalities in Connecticut collect live holiday trees in early January and chip them up for city landscaping projects. Check with your town about the dates and details. You do have to make sure all ornaments, lights, tinsel and other materials are taken off the tree. Animals, besides the birds, can really enjoy the trees as well. Many farms in Connecticut welcome donations of live trees. Goats, alpacas and even pigs like to mulch on the needles and branches. Check with the farm first before hauling your tree to their location. Live Christmas trees can even be good for fish. Break a hole in the ice of your pond and drop the tree into the water. It will provide shelter and protection for the fish all winter. If you live along the shore, holiday trees can be placed on the sand dunes and eventually get buried in the dunes. This helps hold the dunes in place during storms and provides habitat for small creatures. Of course, only do this on land you own and with guidance from local officials.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many gardeners are also avid bird feeders. Overwintering birds often rely on a constant source of food from bird feeders. It's important to keep the feeders well stocked and clean throughout the winter and spring months. Feeding birds can also be a fun DIY project, especially with kids or grandkids. Here's a few DIY bird feeders you can easily create over the holidays. These feeders don't replace traditional bird feeding, but they are a lot of fun. The first is a classic is the pine cone peanut butter bird feeder. Collect opened pine cones from around your yard. Tie twine to the bottom of the cone and smear creamy or chunky peanut butter on the opened, pine cone scales. Then roll the cones in bird seed and hang them in a protected spot where it can be seen from the house. A similar bird feeder uses bread. Make some toast and using a cookie cutter make the bread into fun shapes such as snowmen and hearts. Attach twine to hang them, smear the peanut butter and roll it in bird seed. You can also freeze your creations and bring them out periodically throughout the winter. For wood peckers and other birds that like branches, cut a 1- to 2-foot long branch that's about 2 inches in diameter. Drill 1-inch deep holes into the branch and pack the holes with suet or peanut butter and bird feed. Attach an eye hook to the top and hang it in the trees. These DIY bird feeders are great ways to get kids interested in the natural world and create fun childhood memories.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Preserving our landscapes by planting native plants is important for bird and insect life and overall ecosystem health. What most gardeners don't know is that now is a good time to sow the seeds of wild plants. It might sound counterintuitive to sow seeds in December outdoors, but that's exactly what wild plants such as Joe Pye weed, bee balm, and asters need. It may be too late to collect wild, native plant seeds, but there are places to purchase the seed. The Wild Seed Project in Maine has sowing instructions and sells small packets of more than 75 native plant species. Go to wildseedproject.net for more. By sowing seeds in early winter we're mimicking nature. Wild plants drop seed in fall and that seed overwinters through the cold, ice, snow and wet conditions until it germinates in spring. We can do the same thing. Using 4-inch diameter plastic pots filled with compost amended potting soil, sow the seeds thickly on the surface and cover with coarse sand. Add plant markers. Cover the large seeds with a thicker layer of sand than small seeds. Create a nursery collecting all the pots together in a protected, shady spot. Elevate the pots on bricks, rocks or boards and lay 1/4-inch mesh hardware cloth over the pots to keep rodents away. Secure the hardware cloth with rocks or bricks to keep it in place. Then just leave the pots all winter. Come spring each seed will germinate when it should. You'll grow out the wildflowers in the pots all summer and divide and transplant them next fall.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We love to decorate our home with flowers for the holidays. But if you want to add fragrance, try the paperwhite narcissus. I first have to warn you, not all people love the sweet fragrance of paperwhites. I find them alluring, but my wife says they stink. So, check it out with your housemate before growing a bunch of flowers indoors. Paperwhite narcissus are a type of daffodil that doesn't need a long chilling period to bloom. Purchased online or from a garden center, simply pot them up and in 3- to 4-weeks, they will be blooming their heads off. Traditional varieties, such as 'Ziva' are white, but there are variations. 'Inbal' is a white flowering type that blooms faster. 'Ariel' is white and grows a little shorter. 'Grand Soleil D'or' is a golden petaled narcissus, but it takes 5- to 6- weeks to bloom. Once purchased, either place them in a deep glass or ceramic bowl with at least 2 inches of crushed stone on the bottom or pot them with potting soil. If using a decorative bowl, keep enough water in the bottom for the bulbs to grow. Don't let the water level rise above the roots or the bulb will rot. The one downside of the bowl is it's hard to support the sometimes floppy flower stems. That's why I like using potting soil where you can place sticks or supports in the pot to keep everything upright. Place in a brightly lit, warm room and enjoy the show and fragrance. After flowering simply compost the bulbs since they probably won't flower again for you.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the brightest flowers of the holiday season is the amaryllis. This Southern Hemisphere native bulb comes in a variety of colors from pure white to the deepest burgundy, with single or double petals and in different sizes. Everyone loves amaryllis flowers, but some budding gardeners don't like the messiness of potting it up and remembering to water it. Well, bulb breeders to the rescue. One of the newest innovations in amaryllis growing is the waxed bulb. Dutch breeders found that if they cut the bulb roots and coated the whole bulb with wax, it would preserve the bulb well. They also found that when placed in a warm, brightly lit room, the bulb would still grow and flower, even without soil and a pot. You can purchase bulbs with colorful, and even glittery, wax on them. These waxed amaryllis bulbs have become very popular for those “black thumbs” in the family. Literally, all you have to do is place the bulb in a bright, warm room and it will start growing and eventually flower. The bulbs come with a metal pedestal embedded in the wax, so the plant doesn't fall over. After flowering, simply compost the bulb, wax and all. It's a great way to introduce flowers to a novice grower and keep the house neat and tidy over the holidays. If you want to try to save the bulb and grow it out, after flowering remove the wax and pot the bulb in a small container filled with moisten potting soil. It should grow some roots and maybe flower again for you next year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Thanksgiving season is a good time to mend fences. I'm not talking just about relations with family and friends, but literally, fixing your garden fences. The weather is cool, the ground hasn't frozen yet and it's a good time to assess not only fences, but other garden tools and features to see if they need fixing, removing or replacing. Let's start with the fence. We have a 7-foot-tall wire fence around the main part of our garden for deer control. It's worked well except for the occasional errant deer that tries to jump the fence every few years. That means it's been bent and broken in places. We've been cutting and mending that fence so the deer stay on “their side” of the garden. This is true for wooden and plastic mesh fences as well. Hoses and nozzles always seem to leak for us after a few years. First of all, drain them of water well and store the hoses in a dry, protected spot in winter. This will reduce cracking and breaking of the hose and couplings. Check the nozzles and, if they leak at the point of contact with the hose, get a new O-ring rubber washer to fit in the nozzle. Clean the nozzle as well. Take a good look at your cutting tools such as hand pruners, hedge trimmers and loopers. Clean and sharpen the blades now and oil the movable parts. Finally, do an assessment of what needs replacing such as grow lights, plant markers and plant stakes and do a little shopping now since you're already in the holiday spirit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.