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Proctor's Garden: Answering 'how does he do it?' questions

What happens to all these container plants in the winter?

Many thanks to all the gardeners, animal lovers and volunteers who helped make the 2017 Proctor's Garden tour a record-breaking one. Dumb Friends League is the beneficiary of nearly $20,000 in donations.

The tour also prompted many questions. Let's answer some of those that were most commonly asked.

"What happens to all these container plants in the winter?" Of the approximate 700 pots, those containing tropical plants definitely go inside. The front and back porches--and every window in the house--are filled with them.

This includes plants such as bananas, oleander, flowering maples (Abutilon), Mexican petunias (Ruellia), various types of spikes and succulents. Vacationing houseplants such as philodendron, mother-in-laws' tongue, spider plants, umbrella tree and Swedish ivy also get hauled inside.

Summer bulbs are allowed to frost in the fall. Then they're stored in a dark, very cool basement room. It's almost like being in a refrigerator all winter. This includes dahlias, lilies, cannas, pineapple lilies and gladiolus.

Cuttings are taken from many plants and many of the "mother" plants are also brought inside. This includes coleus, bloodleaf, geraniums, begonias and lantana.

"How do you get such big lily flowers?" Lilies respond to rich soil, fertilizer and reliable, even moisture but the main reason is that the Oriental lilies blooming in midsummer generally produce very large fragrant flowers.

"How do you get so many blossoms on petunias?" Soil, water and fertilization every ten days are important but which variety you grow is equally important. 'Vista Bubblegum' and 'Vista Fuchsia' are both very heavy bloomers because they are sterile and don't waste energy on seed production.

Once again, thanks to everyone who attended last weekend to support the mission of Dumb Friends League.

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