Ways to ward off the winter blues

I may just be getting old and cranky, but doesn't it seem as though the month of February has been endless?  This impression probably has a lot to do with the fact that it literally snows every other day, and temperatures in my neighborhood have only cracked the thawing point two or three times all month.  I admit it:  I'm restless for Spring.  With the dawn of a new season only 29 days away (but who's counting, right?), I need a little prelude to the main event.  Something to tide me over for the next four weeks, and one day.

A writer friend from Minnesota has offered inspiration: African violets.  These hothouse hotties come in a variety of hues--from pink to periwinkle and blue to maroon--they're offered online, and in many home-improvement and hardware stores.  Or, start one yourself--from a single leaf.  Grab a clipping from a friend's plant, place the leaf in a bud vase with the stem end remaining at all times in water, and you're on your way to a new plant.  In just a few weeks, roots will grow.

Another plus to planting African violets: they attract that most beneficial of beetles: the ladybug.  At a quarter-inch long, these bright orange or red bugs with attractive black polka dots, consume about 400 aphids a day!  That's some pretty handy houseplant housekeeping if you ask me!  These commendable critters will keep not only aphids at bay, but never turn down a meal of mites, scales, and whiteflies--tidying the terrain for optimal houseplant health.

And, like the violets, ladybugs can be purchased online.  Amazon, that Walmart of the web, offers 1500 live ladybugs for $3.85!  If buying in bulk, the ladybugs can be stored in the fridge (never the freezer) for up to two weeks, and released gradually.

I could elaborate on the therapeutic aspects of brightly blooming plants and bespeckled bugs to help ward off the winter blues, but I've gotta run--got to head out to the hardware store for my violets before the next snowstorm hits!