A popular indoor plant that can bring color on a dreary winter day is the African violet, one with a "worldly history," said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator.

"Most everyone has owned or at least seen an African violet," said Jennifer Schultz Nelson. "Because it is sold in such everyday places as grocery stores and discount giants, you might not think it's a very exotic or exciting plant. But, in fact, the lowly African violet has a very worldly history."

Its introduction to the world beyond Africa dates back to 1892.

"At that time, most of East Africa was ruled by Germany and that nation had officers stationed in the region," she related. "One of them was Baron Walter von Saint Paul-Illaire, who had an interest in botany. This interest was most likely fueled by his father, who was a long-time patron of the botanic garden at Herrinhausen, near Hanover, Germany.

"Baron Walter made houseplant history in 1892 when while touring in East Africa near Tanga in Tanzania, he found a low-growing plant with very hairy, fleshy leaves, and striking blue flowers."

He collected samples of the plants and sent them to his father, who in turn shared some plants with Herman Wendland, director of the botanic garden at Herrinhausen. Wendland recognized that the plants were from a previously unknown genus of the plant world. He named the genus Saintpaulia, in honor of the father and son who had shared their discovery with him.

"Today, we know this genus by the common name African violet," said Schultz Nelson.

To date, there are 21 species, six variants, and two natural hybrids of African violets known.

"Each species has its own tiny specific habitat unique to East Africa," she said. "They do not grow naturally anywhere else in the world. These wild species vary in all aspects of growth habit and form, and flowers range in color from nearly white to dark purple.

"Who knew that such a unique member of the plant world was being sold for $1.99 at your local grocery store? The colors and forms we see today are descendants of the original collections, a result of generations of careful breeding."

This year, spring can come early to your home. How? Just snip some branches from your flowering shrubs, and force them into bloom, states David Robson, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator, Springfield Center.

By now, many shrubs have flower buds that are formed and ready to bloom. That's partially due to the warm spell in early January 2008. There has been sufficient cold weather to break dormancy, and all the buds require to burst open is warmth and moisture. And, of course, time.

This procedure is quite simple. Anyone, even apartment dwellers, can succeed with this project. Start by selecting branches loaded with flower buds. You can identify the flower buds because they are plumper and more round than leaf buds. When cutting, select branches that have curves or bends that will create interesting blooming arrangements. Or if you are into straight stems, cut those. Don't worry about slanting cuts or shredded stems. Ordinary cuts work fine.

Submerge the branches overnight in a deep pail or tub of warm water; or wrap them in a damp cloth, and put them in a plastic bag for a few days. This moistening and soaking loosens the bud scales and helps them to readily fall away as the flowers expand.

After the moistening operation is completed, stand the branches in a pail of water in a place where you can control the temperature. Sixty to 70 degrees is best for the developing flowers. Although the branches will force at higher temperatures, the color, size and keeping quality of the blooms will be reduced. For this reason, it is also best to keep the branches out of direct sun.

Generally, plants that normally bloom early are easiest to force indoors. Also, the closer to the natural bloom time you cut the branches, the faster they will open.

Try some things other than the old stand-bys of forsythia and pussy willow. Red maple has beautiful, red flowers. Catkins are flowers too, so try alder, birch or hazel. Foliage of some trees is spectacular when forced indoors. Try horse chestnut, birch or oak.

The following chart will give you an idea of how long it takes to coax flowers on branches of trees and shrubs. Start some every two weeks for continuous displays until spring.

Shadblow (Amelanchier)--------------- 1 week

Forsythia----------------------------------- 1 week

Redbud------------------------------------- 2 weeks

Pussy Willow------------------------------ 2 weeks

Privet (from an unpruned bush)------ 2 weeks

Spicebush--------------------------------- 2 weeks

Magnolia----------------------------------- 3 weeks

Deutzia------------------------------------- 3 weeks

Flowering Almond----------------------- 3 weeks

Honeysuckle------------------------------ 3 weeks

Bridal Wreath Spirea------------------- 4 weeks

Flowering Quince----------------------- 4 weeks

Lilac----------------------------------------- 4 weeks

Cherry-------------------------------------- 4 weeks

Crabapple--------------------------------- 4 weeks

Pear----------------------------------------- 4 weeks

Peach--------------------------------------- 4 weeks

Foliage houseplants have requirements for light, heat and water. The heat and water are easily supplied by a homeowner, but light is often a problem, says David Robson, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator, Springfield Center.

In the decorating scheme, foliage plants could often be useful in a corner, an entry area or almost anywhere away from good light–where they may grow long and spindly. Success is possible, however, and since green growing plants have a place in every décor–use them.

Some foliage plants can be acclimated to low light intensities. Three practices help ensure the plant adapting: watering only often enough to prevent wilting, reducing the amount of fertilizer applied to the plants and keeping the air temperatures on the cool side.

Double pot plants that are to be grown under reduced light. This makes soil-moisture control easier than leaving the pot exposed to the air.

Begin watering as frequently as you would if the plant had sufficient light. Then gradually lengthen the intervals between waterings. A few of the oldest leaves may die while you are adapting the plant to dry-soil conditions; this is part of the readjustment of the new environment. Do not let the plant wilt at any time, warns Robson.

Fertilize the plants more sparingly than normal. Use only about one-third as much fertilizer as is recommended for plants growing vigorously. Apply less fertilizer each time, but still apply it on a regular basis. Maintain an air temperature that is as low as human occupants can comfortably tolerate.

Most plants thrive at temperatures of 60 to 75 degrees F. In general, weakly lighted plants do best in the lower limits of this range, while brightly lighted plants do best in the upper limits.

If you can add moisture to the air, do so. Plants will grow under conditions of low humidity, but they need more attention to watering than they do under moderate humidity.

Sometimes it is not possible to reduce temperatures adequately or the light is just too dim. Supplementary lighting with fluorescent bulbs works quite well. The required lighting intensity for a plant varies according to the time the plant is lighted; the dimmer the light, the longer the plant must be lighted.

If you use a fixture containing two 40-watt fluorescent tubes and light the plants for 16 hours a day, the minimum lighting intensity for growing foliage plants can be supplied by placing the fixture two to three feet above the plants.

These are maximum distances for satisfactory plant growth. All the plants grow best if they are no farther than 36 inches from the lighting fixture. If plants become leggy and weak, the lights are too far away and should be moved closer.

There are no real secrets to growing houseplants successfully. When the plants' requirements are known and then fulfilled, their performance will be a pleasure. Dim light isn't a problem if you know what to do about it.

Herb Day 2008 has been scheduled for Saturday, January 19. Herbal experts will present five educational sessions to inspire herb gardening and use in the coming year, says Extension Vegetable and Herb Specialist Chuck Voigt.

Jeanne Rose of San Francisco, California, will speak about The Aromatic History of the Use of Essential Oils. She is a noted author and expert on this subject, who teaches a wide array of classes on the uses of essential oils during the year.

Pat Burnell, of Burnell's Neat Wheat, in Varna, Illinois, will give a lecture-demonstration of this ancient art form, entitled Getting Started with Wheat Weaving. Pat is well known around the country for her work with this herb-related craft activity. She has just completed her 15^th annual visit to Dollywood, where her presentations are greatly appreciated.

Ben Lubchansky from Urbana, Illinois, recently completed his master's degree working on a project with pastured poultry and organic vegetable production. He is also an accomplished young chef who gave a wonderful presentation at the 2006 Organic Gardening Day. He will cook for us, using Herbs in the Twenty-First Century Kitchen.

Jonathan Hoffman of Vicksburg, Michigan, is in the process of writing a book about the plants that Lewis and Clark encountered along their historic route. Jonathan has traveled much of the route himself and will share his knowledge and excellent photos of The Herbal Footprints of Lewis and Clark.

Jeanne Rose will complete the day with a second talk about the production and use of essential oils in everyday life, entitled More Smelly Stories.

There will be a retail area selling a broad spectrum of herb, spice, and gardening products for a jump-start on shopping for the 2008 gardening season. Morning coffee, tea, and rolls will be available near the exhibit area, and an herb-themed lunch buffet will be served in the Atrium.

Attendees may register through January 11, 2008. Cost of registration is only $49 per person. This includes seating in the lectures, coffee, tea, and rolls during morning registration, an herbal theme lunch buffet (including vegetarian options), and access to the retail area. Those interested in attending should mail checks, payable to the University of Illinois, to: Herb Day 2008, Attn: Carol Preston, S-406 Turner Hall, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, Illinois 61801. For more information call 217-333-7738 or email preston1@uiuc.edu.

How exactly does salt damage plant material? Anyone who has tried to get table salt out of a wet salt shaker knows that salt readily absorbs water. Rock salt exhibits the same property in the soil. That is, it absorbs much of the water that would normally be available to roots. Even though there is adequate soil moisture, high amounts of salt can result in a drought-like environment for plants. Plants will exhibit drought or root damage injuries.

When salt dissolves in water, the ions separate and plants absorb the chloride ions. They accumulate in the growing points and build up to toxic levels. Stunted yellow foliage, premature fall coloration, leaf scorch and twig dieback are common. Excessive sodium in the soil also obstructs the availability of important nutrients. However, many of these symptoms occur after bud-break in the spring and well into the growing season. It is often difficult to connect early fall color to the previous winter's salt applications.

When salt is sprayed on plants from passing cars, injury occurs in cells and tissues sensitive to the chloride ion. Chloride ions move in the transpiration stream to the leaf tips and margins and again accumulate to toxic proportions. Usually this damage is on the side of the plant facing the road, and to plants located downwind. Often the plant will grow out of the damage, with new growth covering injured areas. On evergreens, pale green, yellow or brown foliage may be evident in late winter into spring if salt damage has occurred. On deciduous plants, death of buds and twig tips, especially apparent during the spring as buds begin to open, indicates that spray damage has occurred.

How can you avoid salt damage this winter? The obvious answer is to reduce the amount of salt used. Limit applications to high risk locations such as walkways and driveways on an incline, steps, and areas where water accumulates only to refreeze again and again. Avoid applying pure salt; instead mix salt with an abrasive material such as sand, ash or kitty litter.

When applying a de-icer, wait until you have finished shoveling or plowing. If possible, wait until after the threat of more snow has passed before spreading salt. This will help reduce the amount of salt draining from the pavement into the landscape.