Gray Skies

Gray Skies

By: Irvin Etienne

Yuck. January and February can be so depressing. January usually not quite so bad because you need a little down time after the holidays, so it doesn’t get to you until late in the month. February on the other hand can be murder with day after day of gray sky and March so far away. During these two months every sunny moment is worshiped like a movie star.
“Did you see the sun yesterday?”
“Yes. It was as beautiful as that picture in People”
“I know. I know. But in person you could actually feel the warmth.”
“OMG! I know exactly what you mean.”

It’s just a little pathetic. But most of us really do hunger for the sun this time of year. And something green besides pine trees and hellebores. I’m sure that’s one reason we keep houseplants. Yes they cleanse the air in our enclosed winterized homes but really I think it’s the green we want and those few scraggly blooms on a begonia or geranium in the window. It takes so very little to satisfy us in the winter. Only six leaves and two flower buds on that Abutilon? Good enough. It’s February.

Sometimes though, that’s just not enough. We need to be immersed in green leaves and bright flowers and humid air (Who thought we would so miss July’s humidity?). That’s when I suggest you go to one of the local public gardens with a greenhouse of some sort. I’ve included some contact info as they could be closed on a holiday or when preparing for a special event. Right here on the Southside we have the Garfield Park Conservatory. It’s not even a bad walk on a reasonable day. It’s open daily 10am to 5pm, contact at 327-7184 or http://www.garfieldgardensconservatory.org . On the Westside of downtown is the White River Gardens, part of the Indianapolis Zoo, and the Hilbert Conservatory. In January and February they are open Wednesday through Sunday, 9am to 4pm, 630-2001 or http://www.indyzoo.com .

The other spot that comes to mind is of course the Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, where I work. Now, I don’t actually work at the Greenhouse but at the IMA. We always have blooming plants and lots of greenery and a staff that loves to talk plants (In truth, we just love to talk. Period.) If you can’t fit one more plant in your living room then perhaps you can use a book or birthday card or maybe a vase. We are a full retail shop. The hours are a bit convoluted I admit – Tuesday/Wednesday/Saturday 11am to 5pm, Thursday/Friday 11am to 9pm, Sunday noon to 5pm, closed Mondays, 920-2662, http://www.imamuseum.org .

I know these are rough times for us gardening folk but we will survive these bleak days of January and February. Remember you can disappear for hours in a stack of seed catalogues or while away some time on the internet increasing your plant knowledge. Don’t forget to checkout some of the garden blogs too. What a perfect segue. I write a blog. Find it at http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/category/horticulture/ . I just love shameless self-promotion. Stay warm.