Learn About Gardens

Commonly found in homes across the world, plants are one of the small pleasures people seek out for their homes or office. With an endless supply of types available for purchase, there is a type for everyone. Unlike many things, adding the living touch of a plant to your home or office can be very inexpensive, with little to no cost to maintain. As water, fertilizer and light are the only requirements for a plant’s life, it comes as no surprise that many people have tried to grow plants.

However, quite a few people have convinced themselves they have black thumbs because they somehow manage to kill the plant they have tried to care for. This common issue originates from a lack of understanding of what a plant needs in order to live. With a few small changes to how you tend to your plants should alter that black thumb into a green one.

Knowing how much you need to water your plant is the first step in tending to it. Over and under watering plants is the primary cause of fatalities in plants. This is something that is very simple to rectify. All you need to do is find knowledge about your plant, and discover how they are watered. A few plants like to always remain moist. In this case, you should water your plant frequently, but in low amounts. Some plants like to be drenched in water and then have their dirt dry out. There are some types of plants that only like to be watered once a month! By altering how you water your plant, you should be able to extend the plant’s lifespan by a wide margin.

The second most common cause of death in plants is too much or too little sun. Sunlight is required by plants to be able to photosynthesize. Photosynthesis, combined with the nutrients of water and soil, is how a plant thrives. If you provide a plant with too much sun, the leaves will be damaged. Burnt leaves are cannot photosynthesize properly, which ends in their death. Starvation occurs when a plant is not given enough sun.

Once you have addressed water and sunlight, the next aspect that you should learn about is your plant’s dirt. Without proper dirt, your plant cannot live. By fertilizing the soil, you can ensure the roots of your plant has access to all things required to keep your plant alive and well.

There may be other aspects at play if your plants are still dying. Things like bottled water may be the cause of plant death, as some variants strip the water of all nutrients, which your plants need to survive. Another common cause of plant death is the exposure to pets or children. Pets and children can damage the leaves, which can result in plant fatality.

Even if you have always thought you have a black thumb, it is not impossible to become experienced in how to keep plants living!

Find out more on ribbed bars and steel bars

Hi..I was wondering if someone could tell me what vegetable plants are easiest to grow for containers.I do not have the room for a full size garden this year but would like to be able to grow some vegetables this year.Thanks

Every tree, every plant, has a spirit. People may say that the plant has no mind. I tell them that the plant is alive & conscious. A plant may not talk, but there is a spirit in it that is conscious, that sees everything, which is the soul of the plant, its essence, what makes it alive. The channels through which the water & sap move are the veins of the spirit.

Pablo Amaringo, Ayahuasca Visions

The first and possibly the most important key in developing your relationship with the Plant Spirit (and what really helps to ‘open the door’ ie. makes the connection work), is a benign attitude and to have good intentions and feelings towards the plant.

The plant consciousness or spirit, communicates with us when we are in relaxed, gentle trance-like, or dream state. So the person, who holds the desire to commune with the plant, needs to know how to move into an altered state.

Moving into an altered state of consciousness can be achieved gently, for example by going out in forests, woodlands, or a park; and walk at a slow and steady pace. Gradually the rhythm of this slow and steady movement will bring you into an altered or heightened state of awareness. When you feel or sense this subtle shift, lift up your eyes and look around. Allow yourself to be drawn to whatever tree, bush, or plant attracts your attention; you may experience this attraction as akin to a little ‘tug’.

Now go and sit with the plant. Use all your sensory and tactile faculties to engage with the plant.

Visual – Study the shape and form of the plant. Maybe the plant grows alone or is in a cluster. Look at the form of the leaves; look at the spaces (the forms within the forms) between the leaves and branches. The latter is part of a practice called gazing, which offers a way to perceive patterns outside the consensually agreed shapes and forms.

Smell – Our olfactory nerves go directly into the region of the brain called the limbic system. The limbic system is also called our ‘primitive’ brain, as its structure is below the linguistic and ‘higher’ functions of the cerebral cortex. The limbic system is the location of our primal (primate) emotions, and primal needs. The sense of smell is our only sense which has this access to our primal or unconscious mind. Breath in the fragrance of the plant, allow any feelings, memories, images, and associations to arise and experienced.

Tactile – our sense of touch. Gently move your hand towards the plant, maybe you can discern a movement, or sense a connection between the respective fields of energy, yours and that of the plant. Touch the plant, leaves or bark with your fingers. It is possible that you may sense the flow of energy within the plant, into the earth, and up into the sky.

Taste – Place a very small piece of the plant against your tongue and gently taste it. The taste may be acrid, bitter, hot, sweet, sour, or sharp. The taste may attract, be neutral, or repel you. This tasting will give you an indication of its character or ‘personality’. Exercise caution with this practice as there are poisonous plants, do not eat or swallow the plant!

When you have completed these practices (which form part of the Amazonian plant apprenticeship ‘plant diet’) take some time to meditate or embark on a shamanic journey to encounter the spirit or consciousness of the plant you have been working with. To quote the Amazonian Shipibo maestro Guillermo Arevalo regarding the plant spirits, “They are beings, which have their own forms or they can be like human beings with faces and bodies. When the spirit accepts the dieter, and the dieter has the will, the spirit grants them energy. The path to knowledge opens, the healing takes place, as case may be”.

Howard G. Charing May 2007.

I live in Tennessee and we had nice warm weather so I planted some shrubs and flowers. We then had a big freeze and I woke up to my leaves wilted on my plants and my flowers dead. I have had other shubs out there for over a year. My question is even though the leaves wilted off of my shrubs, are the plants dead, or will they sprout new leaves. It’s been about a month since the freeze and my plants look the same. Do I just need to pull them up and plant new shrubs or will they come back?

Easy-Care Water Garden Plants
Price:
Easy-Care Water Garden Plants
Product Description
Water gardens are often the most beautiful gardens around any home. The blending of water and earth creates a harmonious balance that relaxes the body and mind as it inspires the soul. Yet water gardens can be intimidating, too. At first glance they may seem to be complicated places filled with unfamiliar plants with unusual needs. Happily, aquatic plants can be simpler to care for than they first appear. This bulletin tells you everything you need to know to select and care for water plants with minimum fuss and maintenance. Whether you want delicate floating plants, exotic water lilies, or carnivorous bog dwellers, you’ll find here suitable choices for your taste and climate conditions. The beautiful yet undemanding aquatic plants featured in this bulletin are sure to brighten your spirits as well as your garden for years to come.
Easy-Care Water Garden Plants

Easy-Care Water Garden Plants

The introduction of office plants into modern office buildings has grown significantly in recent years with many companies employing the services of professional office plant and office plant maintenance suppliers. Whilst most interior landscaping companies will provide advice and assistance when it comes to picking the right plants for your office, is may also be useful to try and understand a little more about the types of plants you may soon have in your offices.

The Dracaena species are a very important group of plants when it comes to making business premises ‘green’ in both an environmental and aesthetical manner. There are approximately 40 different types or sub-species of Dracaena although only around 8 of these are typically used indoors. Due to their versatile nature the Dracaena species have become very popular within interior landscaping and are amongst the top ten most popular office plants to date.

One reason for the Dracaena’s increased popularity is that most Dracaena sub-species are capable of surviving in dimly lit office environments. The Dracaena family as a whole have also been credited for their ability to help reduce or remove the potentially harmful toxic gases or Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that pollute indoor environments.

During the research for his book “Eco Friendly House Plants” (1996) Dr. Bill Wolverton found that members of the Dracaena family were in fact among the most useful home and indoor office plants when it came to reducing the levels of indoor VOC’s. Among the plants tested one plant in particular, the Dracaena Janet Craig, proved to be excellent for actively removing trichloroethylene from the air.

The Dracaena Janet Craig is a beautiful office plant with wide dark green foliage and can make a perfect addition to any contemporary office building. The Dracaena Janet Craig’s ability to survive and grow in low light and dry conditions is perhaps the reason why it is now one of, if not the, most popular Dracaena plants for offices.

Like its older sister the Dracaena Compacta is a very robust and can tolerate dimly lit environments. The Compacta is a slow growing plant and often looks very architectural making it an ideal option for reception areas or modern office areas where design and architecture are integral to the style and finish of the building. Another two members of the Dracaena family that do their bit for office plants everywhere are the Dracaena Marginata and the Dracaena Massangeana.

Perhaps the most impressive and colourful of the family is the Marginata which has a distinct red or purple coloured stripe around the edge of its leaves. Sometimes referred to as the Madagascan Dragon Tree or Red-Edge Dracaena, the Marginata is a popular choice when it comes to office plants as it is particularly good at removing levels of formaldehyde indoors.

The Dracaena Massangeana is less tolerate to colder climates but more than compensates for this through its wonderful yellow and green coloured foliage. Like the Dracaena Janet Craig this office plant is very effective when it comes to the removal of toxins that can be found in indoor climates.

The vibrant yellow leaves of the Dracaena Golden Coast make it an excellent office plant for both planted office displays or as a feature to break up large otherwise unused areas of an office building or showroom. This office plant fits in very nicely with the Dracaena Steudnerii, another Janet Craig lookalike with slightly paler green foliage.

Other key members of the Dracaena family include the yellow striped Dracaena Lemon and Lime and the Dracaena Rikki an extremely popular tapered lime green and green specimen which makes a vibrant addition to any office, home or even roof terrace.

When positioned in a business plant display all of the Dracaena species compliment each other in some way, for instance, the vivid yellow foliage of the Dracaena Golden Coast compliments the very dark green foliage of the Dracaena Janet Craig when used in planted office displays together.

There are many other species of plants that are suitable for indoor climates but the Dracaena species is a favourite that will continue to bring a touch of green and whole lot of other benefits to office buildings for years to come.

I want to start gardening but I am not so sure what is best for the climate here in Arizona.

March 2010 Features

Great Plants for spring rock gardens

Rock gardens became popular during the Victorian era and have been a feature of countless garden designs ever since. Traditionally they would have contained plants gathered from the mountainous regions of the world: that’s why they are called alpines. This means that they are pretty tough and well adapted to poor soil, cold weather and even drought.

These are often more compact varieties that have adapted to the thinner soil, harsher weathers and greater altitudes of the Alps and similar habitats.

Look out for a range of alpine plants from specialist nurseries and at the garden centre. Bulbs such as crocus, iris, dwarf narcissi and grape hyacinths will all be available in flower at the garden centre in pots. Buy them now and plant them into spaces within the rockery for instant effect. Feed them after flowering as the leaves die down and they will reflower year after year.

Perennials with a mat or compact low growing cushioned shaped growth are ideal for rock gardens. Look out for saxifrages such as the very pale pink flowered Saxifraga ‘Jenkinsiae’, varieties of sandwort such as the white flowered Arenaria montana, the rich pink flowered thrift – Armeria juniperifolia ‘Bevan’s Variety’, the alpine snowbell (Soldanella alpina) with frilly mauve pink flowers and the pure, rich blue flowered spring gentian (Gentiana verna).

Other plants that are easy to grow and create maximum impact include aubrietia and campanula species. These are low growing and often have a trailing habit making them a good choice to plant on the top of walls or in window boxes and hanging baskets.

Soil matters

Alpine plants demand good soil drainage mimicking the conditions that they would naturally grow in. If your soil is heavy clay or prone to waterlogging you can grow these delightful plants in pots, containers or troughs. It is essential to cover the bottom of the planter with a thick layer of well draining gravel. Plant into a loam based compost and mulch over the top of the compost with horticultural grit. Raise the planter up on pot feet or bricks to ensure good drainage. If very heavy rain or snow threatens some plants may benefit from a canopy over them to protect them from the worst of the weather, alternatively they could be moved in the shelter of a cold frame or greenhouse until the worst of the weather has passed. Some gardeners are so hooked on growing alpines that they have a greenhouse completely dedicated to them. Take a trip out to Kew Gardens or Wisley where you will find Alpine Houses with some of the most exquisite miniature plants you have ever seen. But be warned alpines are addictive and once you are hooked you may find you fill more than just a rockery with this delightful garden gems. For those who have the bug there is even an alpine garden society (www.alpinegardensociety.net).

Besides Home Depot and Lowe’s where can I find a variety of outdoor plants. Elephant plants and the big ones that favors palms. I need help finding the right place in Baltimore.

Are there any good websites or books that discuss plants that use the most CO2? And is there a significant difference from plant to plant? I’m looking for planting options for my property.