Back in October I dug a few annuals from the garden, cramming them in pots and setting them on the windowsills. I fed my hunger to prolong their lives even though I knew they'd fail to thrive indoors.
I have no knack with houseplants, but surround myself with them anyway. We New Englanders need to prove to ourselves that plant life goes on even in the dead of winter. Surrounding ourselves with flowering houseplants takes a little of the "dead" out of winter.
One of the most delightful winter houseplants is jasmine because winter is when it produces masses of tiny white fragrant blooms. http://www.myseason.com
There are a number of varieties available and all have that distinctive scent. A single plant in bloom can perfume an entire room. I have one hanging in my bedroom and its heavenly fragrance soothes me into sleep.
Jasmine prefers an eastern exposure with indirect sunlight, though I've got mine in a western window with indirect light and it does just fine. The unknown variety that I have is a vine, but I keep it in check with regular pruning. The soil should be uniformly moist without being soggy. Growth and bloom will slow down in the summer months, a great time to prune your Jasmine back. I've managed to keep mine alive for three years, practically a record for me with houseplants.
Another fragrant, though more finicky, exotic is gardenia, named not for the garden but for Linnaeus's friend Dr. Alexander Garden, an American. Many of us here in the north are familiar with this flower only from florist's corsages given at high school proms. They are evergreen in their native zones 8-11 and even without the large waxy white flowers make for an attractive houseplant. http://hg.women.com/homeandgarden/plants...
Gardenias have very distinct requirements if you want them to bloom. They prefer a very acid soil and must have at least 4 hours of direct sun a day. Daytime temperatures aren't critical, but nighttime ones are. Gardenias won't form buds unless nighttime temps are less than 62 degrees F. So think how much you will save on fuel oil this winter by setting your thermostat for 62 at night and throwing another blanket on the bed. If you live in a part of New England with soft water or have a softening system on you water supply; you should consider using a weak mix of an acid based liquid fertilizer every other week. You will be rewarded with that wonderful scent of gardenia.
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