#Shrubby evening Primrose

[faguscarolinensis]

Oenothera serrulata 'Prairie Lode' / 'Prairie Lode' Halfshrub Sundrop at the JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC

[plantcare]

What are the most suitable blooming house plants experts choose?

Top 10 indoor flower plants

African violet

African violets are among the easiest to grow flowering houseplants. They bloom year-round with little effort. Choose from hundreds of varieties and forms, some with variegated foliage or ruffled or white-edged blooms. African violet likes warm conditions and filtered sunlight. Avoid getting water on the fuzzy leaves; cold water causes unsightly brown spots. African violet is one of the most preferred plant by interior plant design experts.

Peace Lily

The peace lily is an easy-care plant that tolerates low light and low humidity. Flowers consist of a showy spoon-shaped white spathe and spike of creamy white flowers. Bloom is heaviest in summer, but many varieties bloom throughout the year. The glossy, lance-shaped leaves are attractive even when the plant has no blooms.

Hibiscus

Tropical hibiscus is the ultimate plant for creating a touch of the tropics. It forms huge blooms, up to 8 inches in diameter, on a shrubby upright plant that you can train to grow as a tree. Individual blossoms last only a day or two, but plants bloom freely from late spring through fall and occasionally through winter. Keep the soil uniformly moist and give the plant as much indoor light as possible to keep it blooming.

Oxalis

Oxalis bears triangular, clover-like purple leaves and an almost constant show of pink or white blooms. Look for varieties that have plain green foliage with or without silvery accents. Oxalis grows from small bulbils in the soil; you can divide these any time the plant becomes crowded in its pot.

Anthurium

Anthuriums bloom in festive shades of pink, red, lavender, or white, and last for two months or more. They also make a long-lasting cut flower if you can bear to cut them. Anthurium needs a medium to bright light to bloom well but can be grown as a foliage plant with less light.

Jasmine

There are many types of jasmine. Many-flowered jasmine, polyanthus, and Arabian jasmine are two of the easiest to grow; just give them plenty of light and moisture. They'll all bear fragrant pink to white blooms on vining plants.

Flowering Maple

Crepe-paper-like blooms in shades of red, pink, orange, or yellow dangle among leaves like festive lanterns. Many varieties have splotched or variegated foliage for extra interest. Grow the plant upright as a tree, prune it back to keep it shrubby, or even grow it in a hanging basket. Its common name comes from the leaves, which resemble those of a maple tree.

Kaffir Lily

Kaffir lily is also commonly called clivia. As a houseplant, it usually blooms in winter with clusters of up to 20 reddish-orange or yellow tubular flowers. Clivia blooms only when it has been exposed to cool, dry conditions, so give it lower temperatures in winter and keep it on the dry side. With its deep green strap-like leaves aligned in a single plane, the plant is attractive even when not in bloom.

Streptocarpus

Also called Cape primrose, Streptocarpus blooms almost continuously if given the right conditions. Most of the hundreds of hybrid varieties available bear trusses of pink, white, purple, or red flowers, often with contrasting white or yellow throats. Except for providing cooler winter temperatures, treat it as you would its cousin, African violet.

Calamondin Orange

This hybrid between a mandarin orange and kumquat bears fragrant white blossoms in late winter or spring. The wonderfully fragrant flowers develop into showy 1-inch-diameter orange fruits on a shrubby plant with glossy green foliage. Fruits can remain on the plant for many weeks.

  Whether it is an office or a home Interior plants and flowers always bring extreme joy and a soothing atmosphere for you. Plant Care Specialists, Fort Lauderdale has 20 years of experience in this field assuring the greatest results of interior plant maintenance service, Fort Lauderdale. We provide the best interior plant maintenance in Hollywood, FL, to make your plants truly flourish and thrive. We expertise in floral designs and blooming and are providing the most reasonable charge and bring quick results. If you wish to add your home and office a new look with nature’s greatest gifts, then contact our team of experts and consume the best interior plant care service Fort Lauderdale.

Contact Details :

Plantcare Specialist

 Contact Number: 954-371-2042 

Email ID: plantcarespecialist@gmail.com

 Address: 2801 NW 6th Avenue Wilton Manors, FL 33311

[marilynrosegrows]

Plant Talk explained...

Ever been to a garden centre and been daunted by the descriptions so much its put you off buying that super cool plant? Fear no more... here’s the crack down on “Horticultural terms”... 

Descriptive terms: 

Deciduous: simply means the plant sheds it leaves at a certain season (usually autumn/winter). Prompted by environmental factors such as day length, light intensity or temperature. 

i.e. Corylus avellana (Hazel), Quercus robur (Common / English Oak) or Syringa vulgarias (Lilac) 

Evergreen: bearing its leaves all year round (perfect for keeping the garden looking alive during the winter months). They retain their foliage for more than one growing season. 

i.e. Salvia officinalis (Common Sage), Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine) or Ilex aquilfolium (Common Holly)

Semi-Evergreen: plants keep some of their leaves for more than one season. The amount retained is dependent on weather conditions. 

i.e. Lonicera fragratissma (Winter shrubby honeysuckle)

Tender: vulnerable to frost damage and will not thrive in low temperatures. These are usually best indoors. 

i.e. Solanum lycopersicum (Tomato), Cymbidium (Boat Orchid) or Pelagonium ‘Lord Brute’ (Houseplant geranium) 

Half-hardy: frost intolerant but able to withstand lower temperatures than a tender plant - these are usually bedding plants. 

i.e. Tagetes patula (French marigold) or Lobelia erinus (trailing lobelia 'Cambridge Blue')

Hardy: able to stand ‘normal’ conditions in the UK without protection. Mostly, hardy plants are sown directly outside. However, sometimes hardy plants are raised indoors and therefore will need a period of acclimatisation to the outside. This is called “Hardening off” - when the plant is gradually exposed to lower temperatures to develop a change in the cell membrane. 

i.e. Calendula officinalis (Pot / English marigold) or Nigella damascena (Love-in-a-mist) 

Herbaceous: the upper plant parts die down to the roots at the end of a growing season - during the winter season the roots often act as a winter store to provide  rapid growth the following Spring. 

i.e. Iris germanica (Bearded Iris) or Anemone japonica (Japanese anemone)

Woody: kind of an obvious one... stems and trunks are hard and thickened rather than soft and pliable. 

Life-cycles: 

Ephemeral: has more than 1 life cycle in a 12 month period 

i.e. Cardamine hirsuta (Hairy bittercress) or Stellaria media (Chickweed)

Annual: the plant completes its life cycle within 12 months 

i.e. Lathyrus odoratus (Sweet pea) or Cosmos sulphureus (Yellow Cosmos)

Biennial: completes its life cycle within 1 - 2 years 

i.e. Oenothera biennis (Evening primrose) or Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove)  

Daucus carota (Carrot - a biennial but usually treated as an annual for vegetable production) 

Perennial: completes its life cycle in more than 2 years 

[phynxrizng]

FAERY LORE

Faery Lore Lore / Faery Types / Elemental Faeries / Attract Faeries / Faery Garden / Garden Dedication

 Lore Beltane is the time when nature comes alive and the Spirits of Nature are most active. It is the time when faeries are most likely to be seen. Faery folk, or the fae, are an ancient race of people who lived in the British Isles long before the Celts or the Anglo-Saxons arrived. They are believed to have descended from the Tuatha De Danann (the tribe of the goddess Dana), a magickal race who flew into Ireland in ships descending from the clouds on Beltane. They came from the four great magickal cities -- Falias, Gorias, Finias and Murias -- and brought with them the four great treasures; the Lia Fail (Stone of Destiny), the sword of Lugh, a magic spear, and the cauldron of the Dagda.

It was from these cities that the Tuatha De Dananns learned all their knowledge, skills and magick. Indeed the De Dananns were said to be unmatched in their knowledge and beauty. From them, comes the vast majority of Gods and Goddesses of the Irish Pantheon.

The enchanted dimension of Faery has existed side by side with our human one for thousands of years. It is said that there was once a time when the human and Faery worlds were one. But legend tells that our human ancestors became trapped in the physical world. They became less and less aware of what was hidden just beyond their physical sight, and the vision of the Faery became lost to them.

Types of Faeries Types of Faeries

where to find them

what they do

Faeries, Elves

Forests, faery hill and rings, fields and wild places, flower gardens

Dance and play. Know the magickal secrets of herbs, stones, and animals. See the future.

Gnomes, Trolls, Dwarves

Caves and mines, under bridges, hollow hills

Know the location of precious gems and metals, and how to forge and form them.

Brownies, Kobolds

Homes and cottages

Help and protect the family. Do chores by night.

This chart is from Ancient Ways by Pauline Campanelli and is not a comprehensive listing.

Elemental Faeries The idea of calling the elements into our circles is a carry over from the days when the faeries were asked to participate in our magick. But elemental faeries are not merely the four alchemical elements of earth, air, fire, and water. We do them and ourselves a great disservice when we merely call them to witness our circles. These faeries have personality and individuality. They are fully sentient beings with feelings and rights. Think of that the next time you call them to your circle. It will greatly enhance your experience. Elemental faeries can, and often will, aid human work, ritual, and magick if approached properly.



The artwork to the left is "The Pathseekerr" by Renee Yates

Faery

Direction, Element

What they do

Gnomes North, Earth Givers of material gain and stability. The rulers of the forest. Protectors of outdoor circles and groves. Seen as "Little People" or green light. Sylphs East, Air Givers of wishes, knowledge and dreams. Delicate beings with beautiful wings. Protectors of magickal applications. Seen as "faeries" or white light. Salamanders South, Fire Givers of passion and creativity. The rulers of fields and fire. Protectors hearth, home, or business. Seen as dragons, lizards, or blue flames. Undines West, Water Givers of love and friendship. The rulers of all water. Protectors of the gates of death and karma. Seen as merpeople, sirens or bright pink lights. Attracting Faeries

Beltane and Midsummer are two particularly good times to contact the Faery world. The Faery spirit is the great force of energy moving through all things, empowering our magick.

The fae are shy creatures, made so by years of mistreatment and misunderstanding by humans. They are jealous of the physical world which contain the living, breathing, trees and plant life they so love and have so carefully reproduced in their own world. Our callous treatment of nature infuriates them.

You must work first to win their trust. Plant a faery garden as a refuge for the little folk. Leave a corner of it wild and uncultivated. Leaving out gifts of food and treasures for them is a good first step. They love ground ginger, barley, sweets, cream, and anything that glitters. Also clean water, butter, wine, honey, and bread. Never toss out faery libations like you would food for wild animals. They consider this very disrespectful. Make up a little basket of your offerings and leave them on your step, in your garden, or under a tree. Favorite faery stones are tiger's eye, peridot, jade, lava, fluorite, and especially emerald. Don't expect these gifts to disappear, as faeries are able to extract the spiritual essence of our physical gifts to them (so be sure to leave them in love and with deep respect.) You will, however, have to replace these gifts often in order to keep the faery folk hanging around.

The Faery Garden Whatever you do to bring life to your garden will bring faeries as well. First of all, plant plants that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. This will also attract the fae. So put up hummingbird feeders, bird feeders, bird baths, bird houses, even bat houses. Small fountains, ponds, faery statues, or waterfalls are all good.



Here's a short list of plants that attract faeries to your garden:

Common yarrow, Achillea millefolium New York aster, Aster novi-belgii Shasta daisy, Chrysanthemum maximum Western giant hyssop or horsemint, Agastache occidentalis French lavender, Lavendula dentata Rosemary, Rosemarinus officinalis Thyme, Thymus Fountain butterfly bush, Buddleia alternifolia Orange-eye butterfly bush, summer lilac, Buddleia davidii Shrubby cinquefoil, Potentilla fruitiosa Common garden petunia, Petunia hybrida Verbenas, vervains, Verbena Pincushion flowers, Scabiosa caucasica Cosmos, Cosmos bipinnatus Common zinnia, Zinnia elegans

They also love the following plants and trees:

foxglove, primrose, ragwort, cowslips, pansies, bluebells, clover (3-leaf, not 4-leaf), St. John's wort, hazel, rowan, blackthorn, oak, willow, elder, birch, alder, apple, ash, and especially toadstools.

Dedicating the Faery Garden Once the garden is started, you might want to ritually dedicate it as a Faery garden sanctuary. Begin by walking the around the garden with an athame pointed at its boundaries (much like casting a circle). Then sprinkle the perimeter of the garden with a branch of fir dipped in salted spring water. Finally, walk the boundaries of the garden with a lighted incense stick. (It can be left to burn in the ground when you finish.) Then with a wand of hazel, slowly walk around the garden greeting each plant with words like:

Spirits of the (insert plant name), I welcome your presence in the garden.

Feel your love flow from your heart, down your wand, and out the end of the wand. Be sure to welcome all plants, stones, and trees. (Nature spirits are easily offended.) Conclude your ritual with these words:

In the name of the Goddess and the God, I declare this garden a sanctuary For the spirits of nature And the children of the Gods.

When you are finished, leave a gift -- cookies, soda, ale, cream, or bright, shiny things like rings, beads, or stones. from Ancient Ways by Campanelli

Visit the Faery Garden, a delightful site dedicated to the faeries.

Source , earthwitchery.com

Reposted by, PHYNXRIZNG

[kevinscottgardens]

6 to 10 November 2017

It was a fun week because we went on a field trip to the Wellcome Collection. We spent an afternoon looking at manuscripts from as early as the 1400s on early herbal reference books.

We finished all the winter protection around the garden and have started planting spring bulbs.

We cleared the summary bed of its summer display and will start planting the spring display next week. I also finally put an add on Freecycle for those old labels and had a few emails the following day. I will have to follow-up next week.

Next week’s plant ident for the apprentices is on ferns:

Aspleniaceae Asplenium scolopendrium

Athyriaceae Athyrium filix-femina

Dicksoniaceae Balantium antarcticum (syn. Dicksonia antarctica)

Dryopteridaceae Dryopteris affinis

Dryopteridaceae Dryopteris filix-mas

Dryopteridaceae Polystichum setiferum

Hymenophyllaceae Trichomanes speciosum

Onocleaceae Onoclea sensibilis

Osmundaceae Osmunda regalis

Polypodiaceae Platycerium bifurcatum

I flew to Geneva Thursday after work to spend a long weekend with my friend Sergio. Friday night we went swimming; it was my first time swimming lengths in years. It felt great at the time, though today I’m a bit sore - that good gym sore feeling. I visited the Conservatory and Botanical Garden of the City of Geneva. I really liked the way they labelled their medicinal and useful plants. In the photo below, Lavandula angustifilia is useful in many ways: medicine, honey production, perfumes, weaving, in industry and the flower is the part used.

Their two Diospyros kaki trees were laden with beautiful fruit.

They only had a few things protected for the winter. Their structures were a bit more robust than those we built.

It was nice to spend time with Sergio exploring the city. We even managed a nice walk in the countryside before my flight Sunday. It was a very rejuvenating weekend. Then it was time to return to London.

Plant of the week

Gesneriaceae Streptocarpus saxorum Engl.

common name(s) - “false African violet”; “cape primrose” synonym(s) - none found conservation rating - least concern native to - Kenya, Tanzania location - Glasshouse 4, accession 2016-0373 leaves - evergreen, slender, hairy stems spread along the ground crowded with small, matt-green, softly hairy, fleshy, elliptic to ovate leaves that occur in whorls of three flowers - spring and summer, single or paired tubular flowers occur on slender stalks, arising from the upper leaf axils; very attractive with a white tube contrasting with lilac-mauve, violet-like lobes; three lower petal lobes are larger than the upper two; slender twisted seed pods are velvety when unripe, and as they dehisce they twist open longitudinally releasing many small fine seeds habit - small, semi-shrubby, stemmed, herbaceous plant forms mounds of about 50m to 80mm high; branches become slightly woody with age; young growth is quite flexible and naturally trails from a suspended container/pot habitat - found on rocks and cliff faces which are often exposed to the sun pests - caterpillars, leafhoppers, mealybugs, tarsonemid mites, thrips, vine weevil disease - fungal problems usually from over watering hardiness - to 1ºC (H2) soil - fertile, leafy, humus-rich soil that is moist and well drained; in nature they often thrive in very little soil so allow them to get quite dry between watering sun - part shade, sheltered propagation - sowing seed in spring; use a well drained medium that is not too coarse. Cover with a very thin covering of sand. Keep out of direct sun but in warmth. Germination usually takes 3-4 weeks, it is important to not allow the seedlings to dry out so water regularly with a fine spray. Plant the seedlings into small pots only once they are quite big and strong. Transplant again into bigger pots when the roots have filled the small pots; stem-tip cuttings taken at any time of year. A variety of mediums can be used as long as they are well drained. Sand, bark, palm fibre and polystyrene or vermiculite in different ratios are all suitable. Kirstenbosch uses 1 part bark:1 part polystyrene. Water the medium well and treat with a suitable fungicide before using. Plant several rooted cuttings per pot to create a full display; can also be divided as a method of increasing them, do this in early spring and repot to grow on. Mature plants can lose their vigour after three to five years. nomenclature - Gesneriaceae - named for Conrad von Gessner (26 March 1516 to 13 December 1565) a Swiss physician, naturalist, bibliographer, and philologist; Streptocarpus - twisted fruit; saxorum - stone, rock (for where it grows)