Q: On a run in Portland’s Forest Park, I saw that someone had picked a trillium and hung it on a branch. When I looked closer, I could understand why. It has two sets of three leaves, and nine petals. What do I do with this?
The choices go beyond traditional poinsettias and amaryllis. Colorful African violets, gloxinia, cyclamen, orchids, ornamental peppers and Christmas cactus are blooming and readily available.
The plants in the field trials were chosen by an advisory group of nursery growers and landscape designers and were evaluated on growth, visual appeal, timing of flowering, density of flowers, physiology and heat tolerance.