If you are intensively gardening under lights, and are using grow tents or a greenhouse, dual arc lamps can be a good plant lighting choice. Dual arc grow lamps are hybrid HID lamps that blend the benefits of the cooler MH (metal halide) light spectrum with that of the warmer HPS (high-pressure sodium) lamps.

For example, a 1000-watt dual arc lamp combines a 600-watt MH and a 400-watt HPS lamp within the same bulb.

Gardening Under Lights Book

Ladybug larvae are ferocious predators of pests such as aphids and whiteflies. When you're gardening under lights indoors, you will have certain pest problems from time to time.

Somehow ladybugs always manage to find their way indoors when my citrus plants have whiteflies or aphids. If you find this valuable larvae on your plants, don't spray them! Let them do the pest control work for you.

Gardening Under Lights Book

Double-ended (DE) bulbs and fixtures are the next-generation evolution of HPS (high-pressure sodium) lamps. If you are gardening under lights intensively in your home, especially if you're using grow tents, DE HPS lamps can be a good plant lighting choice. DE HPS lamps were originally designed to be compatible with traditional DE MH fixtures. A DE HPS lamp connects to a fixture on both ends, similar to fluorescent tubes.

Double-ended (DE) HPS lamps can also have a longer life span than single-ended (SE) lamps. Manufacturers claim that DE lamps produce 10 percent more PAR than SE HPS lamps, and that they also provide more UV and IR light.

Gardening Under Lights Book

Struggling to keep your indoor houseplants alive? Sansevieria, also known as snake plant or mother in law's tongue, are great for low light conditions.

If you plan to grow your succulent collection tucked away in an office, a grow closet, or another out-of-the-way space, you might choose an LED with a more limited spectrum (pink-colored light).

New BOOK! Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers

Have you heard? I have a new book coming out! If you're a Goodreads user, you're in luck because I'm running a book giveaway where 5 winners will receive a signed first edition of "Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers" from me! The giveaway will run today through the book's release date of June 6th, 2018, and you can click the link below to enter!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Gardening Under Lights

by Leslie F. Halleck

Giveaway ends June 06, 2018.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

If you want to learn how to grow just about anything indoors, any time of the year, I've written this book just for you. I hope you enjoy learning to take your indoor gardening skills to a new level!

Hey everyone, check out a sneek peek of my upcoming book "Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers", releasing June 6th, 2018!

It’s no secret that roses are some of my favorite landscape plants—especially those in apricot shades. So, imagine my delight when two of the new David Austin introductions for 2018 are peachy-apricot goodness!

Now, I know that rose rosette disease is a big concern in certain areas - especially here in Texas. The best thing you can do is keep an eye out for infected plants and remove them from the landscape immediately. That means bag them and trash them. No compost. The best way to stop the spread of the disease right now is to be proactive. That said, I’m still planting roses in areas that are not affected.

Along with 116 other David Austin varieties, we will now see ‘Roald Dahl’, ‘Imogen’ and “Bathsheba’ on the market for online and mail order bare-root shipping January through mid-May of 2018.

‘Roald Dahl’ is a spectacular peach shade that is suited to a wide range of growing conditions, including hot and humid or dry locations. It is known for its heavy blooming all spring and fall, with a brief break in the summer. The flower has a wonderful scent so commonly found in the garden rose varieties. According to technical director of David Austin Roses, Michael Marriott, “’Roald Dahl’ blooms its heart out from late spring till well into autumn, with just the slightest pause to catch its breath in mid-summer during peak heat.” The flowers are 3” across and filled with the signature full head of petals. The rose is named in honor of the author of James and the Giant Peach, on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

If you prefer a soft, lemon yellow flower, another new introduction ‘Imogen’ may be the one for you. ‘Imogen’ also exhibits the desirable button-eye. The very floriferous shrub starts blooming in late spring and continues with repeat blooms until frost. It is mildly scented, and the shrub will grow 3-4 foot in locations with cold winters; possibly larger in locations with warm winters.

This rose takes its name from a character in Shakespeare’s Cymbeline.

Another new introduction that I will have to have is ‘Bathsheba’. This beautiful, myrrh scented, apricot flower is not only large (with 170 petals), but also a vigorous climber. It reaches 10’ in height and blooms from early summer to frost. ‘Bathsheba’ is the first new apricot-colored climber to be introduced in 20 years.

This selection is named for a Thomas Hardy heroine in Far from the Madding Crowd. What a beauty.

For further information on all English Rose varieties available to North American gardeners, see www.davidaustinroses.com.

January weather is chilly...and not always so inviting when it comes to putting around in the outdoor garden. January IS the perfect time to get started on your spring garden from the warm comfort of the indoors.

Here are a few plants you can (and should!) start from seed indoors right now:

• Warm season crops such as tomato, eggplant, and peppers. Then they will be ready to transplant outside as soon as threat of cold weather passes.

• Cole crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, and chard. You can squeeze another round of these crops in before the heat of the summer hits. Transplant outdoors in February.

• Lettuce and mustard greens. Quick germination and growth will provide you a salad in no time!

• Herbs such as basil, sage and chives. Herb plants will be ready to transplant outside once the weather warms.

• Edible flowers such as nasturtium. We all need a little color—so add a pretty edible flower to the mix.

How to be successful

You don’t need to be born with a green thumb (because who is?) to be successful with seed-starting. It just takes some practice and experimentation.

Seed Starting Tips

• Moisture: Growing media should always be damp to the touch, similar to a wrung-out sponge. Never let it dry out but don’t let it stay soggy either.

• Light: There is usually not enough natural light indoors, even windowsills, for young seedlings. Seedlings need bright light and long days to thrive. Use grow lamps for successful seedlings.

• Grow Lamps: To produce happy seedlings, you can hang some HO T5 fluorescent lamps, CFLs, or LEDs a few inches away from the growing media. Raise up the lamps as seedlings grow.

• Temperature: Many seeds germinate well in the 68°F to 78°F (20–26°C) range for both soil and air temperature. If temperatures are too cold in your space, be sure to use a heat mat to speed up germination.

• Media: When buying or mixing your own growing media you must create a balance between water retention and good drainage. Small seedlings can dry out quickly and die; they need growing media that can hold adequate moisture, but not too much so they don’t rot.

• If you want to mix your own growing media for seeds, try this recipe;

4 parts fine-screened organic compost

2 parts coir, moistened

1 part perlite

1 part vermiculite

Sowing new plants from seed is pretty exciting and fun. Starting some seedlings inside can give you a jump on the growing season and add some much needed green to the dreary winter season.

My upcoming book, Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers comes complete with a section on propagating seeds and cuttings indoors. Pre-order now on Amazon!