jacky
16th June 2008, 05:05 AM
Choice of Plants for Your Garden
There are literally hundreds of plants that you can grow in your indoor garden and consequently thousands of different ways in which they can be arranged. You can find a guide to this at most good nurseries. It will enable you to tell pretty much at a glance which plants fit into any given situation. If I can get a hold of one I will post it here!
The 5 main categories into which they have been divided are flowering plants, bulbs, foliage plants, and cacti and succulents.
Arrangements
Arranging living flowers, like cut-flower arrangement, is always a matter of personal taste there are no rules or restrictions except those imposed by the space available, and the needs of the particular plants you want to use. You can literally fill a room with plants or you can satisfy your urge for an indoor garden by growing a miniature jungle in a terrarium.
Every plant has its preferences as to light, humidity, soil, etc. These are the first factors to take into consideration before you decide what plants or seeds to buy. Analyze the space you plan to utilize. Is it a north window? Do you want a spot of green on the mantelpiece? On an occasional table? In the kitchen? The home you give your plants determines to a great extent which of the many varieties you can use. Some plants need a good deal of direct sunlight, while others will grow and sometimes prosper for years in a spot that is never exposed to direct rays.
If foliage plants, vines and succulents are the bread and butter of the indoor garden, flowering plants are the caviar and champagne.
The beauty and satisfaction you will get in your from you flowering indoor plants in your own home are worth ten times their cost. As a general rule, flowering plants are harder to cultivate than the average foliage plant of whatever species, but the rewards are comparably greater. African Violets, Begonias and Geraniums. These are the most popular flowering all-round house plants available on the market and they will all grow under other-than-greenhouse conditions.
Often we will see a flowering plant in a flower shop or in the house of a friend and feel that we should be able to do the same at home, only to meet with dismal failure. The chances are when this happens that the plant we have seen has been grown to maturity in a greenhouse where it had the advantage of ideal conditions. We cannot duplicate these conditions at home and so we start with a number of limitations. The best thing for us to do is to realize these limitations and to work within them. There are plenty of flowering plants that can and will adapt to home conditions. These are the plants to grow.
I know more about Bergonias so I guess we will start here!!
[/URL] [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Begonia-IMG_0089sm.jpg"] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Begonia_1.jpg)
Begonias
There are so many species and varieties of Begonia that a nearly complete and certainly varied garden could be grown using these plants alone. There are over five hundred separate varieties ranging through the spectrum in color and in size and shape from low growing specimens to hanging, vine-like plants. They are among the most versatile of all flowering plants to grow and next to the African Violet the most popular.
Description. Since Begonias are grown in so many different sizes and shapes it is difficult to give a simple overall description of the species that makes any real sense. If you can get a hold of a nursery catalogue you should be able to find numerous varieties!!
Growing conditions. Begonias, like African Violets, are tropical in origin and therefore demand an atmosphere which is humid rather than dry. The ideal temperature is roughly 15° to 20° during the daytime and not lower than 10° at night. Fifteen degrees is obviously cooler than most people like to keep their homes, but this need not be a problem if the Begonia plants are well humidified and kept away from spots directly next to excessive heat. Like all other plants, the Begonia will fade and die if exposed constantly to even the most minute amount of manufactured gas. If your plants begin to wilt and die, one of the first things to do is to check all gas appliances. Chances are you'll find the culprit.
Begonias may be watered either from the top or the bottom and the leaves should be sprayed with water at room temperature at least once a week. This tends to increase the humidity around the plant and also helps keep the foliage free of dust and insects.
In the spring, after all chance of frost is past, your Begonias should be moved outdoors with most of your other plants. They are not happy in drafty surroundings either indoors or out so be sure to plunge the pots in a spot which is at least partially sheltered from the wind. It should also to be partially shaded as the plants don't like direct sun outdoors any more than they do inside.
Soil. This plant will tolerate a wide variety of soils, but as always a specifically prepared commercially packaged soil will do the best job for you and save you considerable time and trouble. For Begonias it should not be too tightly packed as the roots need aeration. Pots should have good drainage.
Plant food. The time of the year in which Begonia plant goes through its period of maximum growth varies with the variety of the plant being grown. This period is easy to spot, of course, and during this interval your plant should receive heavy doses of plant food, as it will need it to grow. Both plant food and water should be cut down sharply during the season in which the plant is dormant. Then when it begins to grow new shoots and leaves it is time to report to a larger container. Always follow directions on the label of the plant-food container and never overfeed or you may burn the roots.
There are literally hundreds of plants that you can grow in your indoor garden and consequently thousands of different ways in which they can be arranged. You can find a guide to this at most good nurseries. It will enable you to tell pretty much at a glance which plants fit into any given situation. If I can get a hold of one I will post it here!
The 5 main categories into which they have been divided are flowering plants, bulbs, foliage plants, and cacti and succulents.
Arrangements
Arranging living flowers, like cut-flower arrangement, is always a matter of personal taste there are no rules or restrictions except those imposed by the space available, and the needs of the particular plants you want to use. You can literally fill a room with plants or you can satisfy your urge for an indoor garden by growing a miniature jungle in a terrarium.
Every plant has its preferences as to light, humidity, soil, etc. These are the first factors to take into consideration before you decide what plants or seeds to buy. Analyze the space you plan to utilize. Is it a north window? Do you want a spot of green on the mantelpiece? On an occasional table? In the kitchen? The home you give your plants determines to a great extent which of the many varieties you can use. Some plants need a good deal of direct sunlight, while others will grow and sometimes prosper for years in a spot that is never exposed to direct rays.
If foliage plants, vines and succulents are the bread and butter of the indoor garden, flowering plants are the caviar and champagne.
The beauty and satisfaction you will get in your from you flowering indoor plants in your own home are worth ten times their cost. As a general rule, flowering plants are harder to cultivate than the average foliage plant of whatever species, but the rewards are comparably greater. African Violets, Begonias and Geraniums. These are the most popular flowering all-round house plants available on the market and they will all grow under other-than-greenhouse conditions.
Often we will see a flowering plant in a flower shop or in the house of a friend and feel that we should be able to do the same at home, only to meet with dismal failure. The chances are when this happens that the plant we have seen has been grown to maturity in a greenhouse where it had the advantage of ideal conditions. We cannot duplicate these conditions at home and so we start with a number of limitations. The best thing for us to do is to realize these limitations and to work within them. There are plenty of flowering plants that can and will adapt to home conditions. These are the plants to grow.
I know more about Bergonias so I guess we will start here!!
[/URL] [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Begonia-IMG_0089sm.jpg"] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Begonia_1.jpg)
Begonias
There are so many species and varieties of Begonia that a nearly complete and certainly varied garden could be grown using these plants alone. There are over five hundred separate varieties ranging through the spectrum in color and in size and shape from low growing specimens to hanging, vine-like plants. They are among the most versatile of all flowering plants to grow and next to the African Violet the most popular.
Description. Since Begonias are grown in so many different sizes and shapes it is difficult to give a simple overall description of the species that makes any real sense. If you can get a hold of a nursery catalogue you should be able to find numerous varieties!!
Growing conditions. Begonias, like African Violets, are tropical in origin and therefore demand an atmosphere which is humid rather than dry. The ideal temperature is roughly 15° to 20° during the daytime and not lower than 10° at night. Fifteen degrees is obviously cooler than most people like to keep their homes, but this need not be a problem if the Begonia plants are well humidified and kept away from spots directly next to excessive heat. Like all other plants, the Begonia will fade and die if exposed constantly to even the most minute amount of manufactured gas. If your plants begin to wilt and die, one of the first things to do is to check all gas appliances. Chances are you'll find the culprit.
Begonias may be watered either from the top or the bottom and the leaves should be sprayed with water at room temperature at least once a week. This tends to increase the humidity around the plant and also helps keep the foliage free of dust and insects.
In the spring, after all chance of frost is past, your Begonias should be moved outdoors with most of your other plants. They are not happy in drafty surroundings either indoors or out so be sure to plunge the pots in a spot which is at least partially sheltered from the wind. It should also to be partially shaded as the plants don't like direct sun outdoors any more than they do inside.
Soil. This plant will tolerate a wide variety of soils, but as always a specifically prepared commercially packaged soil will do the best job for you and save you considerable time and trouble. For Begonias it should not be too tightly packed as the roots need aeration. Pots should have good drainage.
Plant food. The time of the year in which Begonia plant goes through its period of maximum growth varies with the variety of the plant being grown. This period is easy to spot, of course, and during this interval your plant should receive heavy doses of plant food, as it will need it to grow. Both plant food and water should be cut down sharply during the season in which the plant is dormant. Then when it begins to grow new shoots and leaves it is time to report to a larger container. Always follow directions on the label of the plant-food container and never overfeed or you may burn the roots.