Africa, being the second largest continent is the home to many of our plant friends. It's land mass covers one-fifth of the world's land surface, with the equator bisecting the continent at almost exactly midpoint. Its geographical location and its enormity make it a vast wonderland for plants. With 22,469 miles of coastline, the world's largest [...]
From a tropical plant's point of view, winter is just an all-around bad thing. It is cold, far beyond what a tropical plant prefers. It is dark for too long within each twenty-four hour day. The heated indoor air is too dry, lacking needed humidity for proper growth. And, the air is stagnant, there are no [...]
An old myth that re-surfaces every year at this time is that poinsettias are poisonous. You will undoubtedly be asked, at least once, about this old wives tale. Here's the truth straight from the experts at Paul Ecke Ranch; "The widespread tradition that poinsettias are poisonous is a misconception." An extensive study was done by [...]
Chamaedorea Falcifera Plants that have weak, leggy growth or sparsely spaced leaves produce new vigorous growth if cut back hard to a healthy bud or leaf node. (This means that cut back that tall thin Chamaedorea and it will push up new growth from the base. This also means you should cut back those [...]
The Aspidistra elatior...commonly known as the Cast Iron Plant is a hard-working, long-living plant for dark spaces. Aspidistra was given the common name for its ability to withstand all kinds of abuse. It is a plant that has been used in the interior environment for centuries. Every kind of interior condition from low light, to over [...]
The 14" character marginata arrives at the wholesaler on a Friday afternoon. The plant is unsleeved and thrust roughly in amongst other Dracaena marginatas. Anticipating a hot weekend, a worker hurriedly splashes water in all the containers. The media already wet from the grower, now becomes saturated. Water drips on foliage from hanging irrigation tubing. The [...]
Top dressing is essential for plants that are double-potted. Covering the grow pot is the finishing touch that makes the planting look sharp and professional. And top dressing makes subsequent replacements easy and speedy. But to look good and stay within budget, you need to choose and install your top dressing wisely. Popular styles to choose [...]
Technicians ask us some pretty tough questions sometimes. As training consultants, managers of our own interiorscape business as well as servicing many of our own accounts weekly, we get asked questions that in order to answer involve some experience and history in the industry. Solutions to problems that seem like everyday experiences to seasoned techs and [...]
Natal Mahogany This plant has a nice columnar shape with leaves that are similar in shape to a coffee plant, though not as glossy. This plant, whose Latin name is Trichelia dregeana is a member of the Meliaceae family. This is a family of woody trees and shrubs with 51 genera. Many, including Trichelia, [...]
As autumn arrives bringing gold, yellow, orange, and red hues in deciduous trees outdoors, we need to reflect the season in our indoor color displays. Indoors there are many great plants to use for seasonal plantings highlighting fall colors as our theme: orange or yellow Kalanchoes, crotons, peppers, orange Guzmania bromeliads, Jerusalem cherry, and of course [...]
