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Showing posts from January, 2014

Houseplant Care Fittonia

Fittonia Plant If you walk into your neighborhood greenhouse or house plant retailer and you see a Fittonia plant , you will want to have it in your collection of indoor plants. It is an attractive, creeping plant with either red, pink or white veins throughout the leaf and hairy stems. Mosaic Plant, Nerve Plant or Painted Net Leaf are some other common names for Fittonia . The larger leaf varieties can be difficult to grow and require a warm, humid environment. The dwarf variety, Fittonia argyroneura nana, is less demanding and may have a better chance at surviving the average household conditions. Houseplant questions or problem? Read more about Fittonia and houseplants and their care...

Houseplant Care - Schefflera Arboricola

Arboricola is a common houseplant and is sometimes referred to as an 'Umbrella Plant'. The Schefflera Arboricola and Amate are the two types most commonly used as interior houseplants. They are most often grown in a bush form but sometimes can be found in a standard or braided trunk form. Pictured to the right is the Schefflera Arboricola. Arboricola is also known as Dwarf Umbrella tree or Parasol Plant. In some plant information it is named as Heptapleurum arboricola but it is usually sold as Schefflera arboricola. Schefflera is best in bright, indirect light but can be acclimated to medium light placements. Very low light is not recommended. Read more about Schefflera Arboricola plants and their care...

Ferns As Houseplants - This Is The Best Fern

Birds Nest Fern Ferns have been popular houseplants for centuries even though some of them can be difficult to maintain in normal household conditions. There are many varieties from which to choose. Most ferns will do well in bright indirect light and require a regular schedule of watering and care. They will need more attention than most houseplants. One of the easiest ferns to care for as a houseplant is the Birds Nest Fern or Asplenium Nidus. It is more likely to let you get away with a few mistakes than many other ferns. An added attraction is the leaflets that often fall from other ferns, creating quite a mess, are not present on Birds Nest Fern. A great looking, easy care fern that doesn't make a mess on the floor! You can't beat that. Read more about Birds Nest Fern houseplants and their care... 

Water and Light = Houseplant Health

Healthy Houseplant If you want your houseplants looking great, you need to know that the available light and how you water your  indoor plants relative to that lighting is more important than any other factor. Forget the fertilizers , the re-potting, pinching and pruning and concentrate on learning how to water your plants properly . This alone, if done right, will make more difference than anything else you can do for your houseplants. Watering indoor plants correctly can be tricky. Improper watering is the main cause of death with indoor plants. Usually this would be from over-watering but if you are not caring for your plants on a regular schedule, under-watering can be a problem. Advice that give you watering intervals, amount of water, etc. are really not reliable. Having cared for thousands of plants as a Plant Lady, I know that the only way to determine if a plant needs water is to check the moisture level in the soil at regular intervals. Every plant is different

Happy Healthy Pets and Houseplants Too!

Houseplant Eater! Meow! Being an animal lover as well as a plant lover, as many people are, I thought it would be helpful to add this link for those with pets.  The ASPCA list of toxic and non-toxic plants ...I also put a link to the list on the homepage of my website  Plant And Flower Info.com  for future reference, if needed. A few emails have come to me with questions about pets and pets that eat houseplants. I have had many animals and plants, all in the same house, for many years and have not had too many problems. The houseplants usually seem to be the worse off if any close encounters do happen. They often end up on the floor with broken leaves and dirt everywhere! The cat somewhere nearby, licking his paw and giving me that, ' You need to tell your plants to quit jumping off the windowsill' look! I always make my best effort to keep houseplants out of the reach of pets. That can be difficult, especially with cats, as they seem to be able to get just about anywh

Healthy Roots Healthy Houseplants

Healthy Houseplant When caring for your indoor potted plants it is helpful to have a basic knowledge of plant functions. This can aid in determining what is needed to help keep your houseplants green, growing and gorgeous. The root system is an important part, really the most important part, of the functioning of your indoor houseplants. Unlike an exterior landscape plant, your potted plants rely on you to provide the correct amount of water to the root system. The leaves, stems and flowers are the most obvious parts of a plant. They are above the soil level and it is what we see when we look at a plant. I have been in the interior plant care industry for a few decades and have cared for and maintained thousands of interior plants in almost any kind of environment that you can imagine and I know that the most important part of any plant is the root system. The way that your plant looks above ground is determined by the health of the root system, the part of a plant that

Indoor Tropical Palm Plants

Palm - Rhapis excelsa Palms make great indoor plants and they bring the essence of the tropics to any interior decor, adding a lush, green feel to the environment. Bamboo Palms, Neanthe Bella and Areca Palms are some of the more often used interior palms. The Parlour Palm, or Neanthe Bella Palm, has been used an an indoor plant for centuries and is quite adaptable to the conditions in the home. Most palms are easy to care for once they have acclimated to the home environment and should make a fantastic addition to your houseplant collection. Different palms have different growth habits and leaf types but one thing that is true of all palms is that the growth point is at the tip of each stem.  Read more about indoor palm plants and their care...

Orchids Flowers Plants - Photo Submissions

Purple Orchids Submit Photos of Tropical Plants and Flowers First of all, Happy New Year to everyone... I have recently posted a  pictures of Orchids  page to my website. I would love to have pictures that others have taken to add to the gallery. If any readers have some favorite Orchid pictures or even houseplant pictures that they would allow me to post to my  plant pictures page , I would love to have them. You can email information and upload photos by visiting my website  www.PlantAndFlowerInfo.com  and going to the contact page. Please note that pictures must be under a certain size or they will not upload. Information about your plants type, variety, etc. will help in adding a page and picture description. And your name, website link information if you would like that to be included. I hope to see some great Orchid and houseplant photographs... A great way to add a touch of color to your home is to use elegant and beautiful Orchids. Phalaenopsis Orchids are quite