The Gardners Path

Orchids, also known as Orchidaceae, are one of the most beautiful flowers around due to their large, long-lasting blooms and crisp colors. They can be found in white, pink, magenta, purple, and yellow hues. Orchids symbolize fertility, elegance, and love. Orchids are some of the most commonly grown houseplants. Provided they have proper growing conditions, it isn’t difficult to learn how to take care of orchid plants. If you are new to the world of orchids, don't be afraid of them. Many orchids can be easy to grow if you take some time to learn what they need. One of the most popular types of orchids is the moth orchid or phalaenopsis. This variety blooms one to two times a year and the flowers last from two to three months. Other popular types of orchids are dendrobium and oncidium, which bloom one to two times a year and have flowers that last a little over a month. Orchid Growing Tips There are more than 20,000 types of orchids around the world, and their growth is dependant on ...

Growing tomatoes is a fun and rewarding task, resulting in masses of fresh, nutritious tomatoes that taste better than anything you can buy in the shops. Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable to grow in the home garden, and there’s nothing quite like sliced tomatoes on a sandwich when picked fresh from the garden. There are many different varieties of tomato to grow, including cherry, plum, and beefsteak, each with its own distinctive shaped fruit, flavor, and culinary use. Tomatoes are easy to grow and taste best when grown in full sun. Here we have compiled all of the articles with tomato growing tips; everything from the best way to plant tomatoes to information on exactly what do tomatoes need to grow. How To Grow Tomatoes At Home To grow tomatoes successfully, you need rich, fertile soil or peat-free potting compost, and a good sunny, sheltered spot. Water regularly and feed weekly with a high-potash fertilizer once the plants start to flower. Tomatoes Growing Types:  Tomato...

Dracaena marginata, more commonly known as a dragon tree, is an attractive plant with green sword-like, red-edged leaves. It makes a big impact as an indoor plant and well suited for offices and homes. They grow to be tall trees that aren't just visually stunning in a space, they also remove harmful chemicals from the air. Dracaena marginata plants can be used as table plants, but they are especially impressive as tall trees with multiple canes and hundreds of long, thin, green leaves trimmed in dark red. The canes are often thick, twisted, and woody, making them a desirable and expensive “specimen” plant. NASA lists a Dracaena marginata is an excellent plant for removing harmful chemicals from the air. Dracaena marginata is a low-maintenance plant that can last for years. It prefers a bright or lightly shaded spot but will also tolerate lower light levels. It likes moist compost but is tolerant of erratic watering. Wipe the leaves occasionally to keep them dust-free and shiny, pul...

Most of us know Chlorophytum comosum as the spider plant. The Curly Spider plant or Bonnie is a compact variety with curly, swirly leaves.  This Curly Spider Plant variety is a modern version of the traditional Spider Plant with a curvy twist. It is much more compact in size and, in our opinion, a little more designer for your collection. Chlorophytum comosum Bonnie has similar variegation to 'Vittatum' but with wonderfully curly leaves and yellow flowers rather than white. The Curly Spider plant (airplane plant), is a member of the family Asparagaceae and hails from southern Africa. In its native setting, it is a perennial plant, but it is grown as a houseplant in cooler climates. The spider plant flowers a small white flower that turns into plantlets (baby spider plants) that grow on the tips of the stem. These babies can be easily propagated to create new plants.   Size & Growth Bonnie is more compact than most Spider Plants and can grow to be 8″ inches tall with a...

 Oxalis Triangularis Overview Oxalis triangularis is often referred to as "purple shamrocks. Oxalis triangularis are not Irish natives; however – instead, they hail from Brazil. Oxalis is a variety of the wood sorrel group and is well known for being an invasive weed in most gardens. However, some types of Oxalis are perfectly well behaved and don't spread all over the places, such as the Oxalis Triangularis. Oxalis are excellent houseplants because they come in a range of colors and sizes. They are SO prolific that they are considered to be weeds to greenhouse growers and gardeners. Some would go through a dormant phase in the winter if they were kept as a houseplant.  The striking purple leaves stand out amongst green indoor plants, and it's also photophilic, which mean that the leaves open and close in response to light. At night the leaves fold down, and during the day, they will open up.  Flowering Many small trumpet-shaped blooms sitting over the leaves arrive durin...

Aphelandra squarrosa, known more commonly as the Zebra plant, is a tropical plant originally from Brazil. Typically grown indoors, it's lauded for its unique dark leaves that are striped with white veins, as well as its colorful flowers. The leaves are large and waxy in a base color of dark green with contrasting creamy white veins, making it easy to see where this plant. This attractive houseplant is grown for its unusual foliage, along with its striking flowers. It can be quite a challenge to encourage the flowers to bloom, (which usually happens in late summer or early autumn) but when they do they are a sight to behold in startling yellow. Like many tropical plants, the Zebra plant can be a challenge to grow indoors, especially in temperate areas. It requires a lot of moisture, warmth, and food to thrive, and indoor conditions are not always naturally conducive to the plant. Still, with the right care and attention, a Zebra plant can thrive for several months. Zebra Plant Care ...

The prayer plant is one of the most distinguishable tropicals, thanks to its beautiful decorative leaves. The popular tricolor variety has deep green, velvety leaves with yellow splotches down the midrib and arching red veins traveling to the leaf margins. A slow-grower, the prayer plant can eventually reach up to a foot in height indoors. The maranta leuconeura is also known as the prayer plant. Once evening descends, this low-growing Brazilian native has a habit of raising its leaves to an upright position and folding them as if in prayer. It can thrive outdoors only in the U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 11 and 12, so it’s typically cultivated indoors. Prayer plant care isn’t difficult as long as you address its specific needs. As a tropical plant, it has distinct requirements for humidity, temperature, and water.   How to Grow a Prayer Plant The prayer plant tolerates low light conditions, it does best in bright, indirect sunlight. The prayer plant pre...

Air plants are a stunning and unique addition to any house plant collection! The name “air plant” is actually a bit misleading. Members of the Tillandsia genus are so-called not because they can thrive on air alone, but because they require no soil at all to grow. In fact, assuming that Tillandsia only needs air to survive is one of the most common mistakes we see in air plant care. When it comes to indoor plant care, air plants (Tillandsia) are supposed to be some of the easiest. For starters, they don’t even need soil, absorbing water and nutrients through scales on their leaves—in the wild they survive just hanging onto the bark of trees and whatnot, catching whatever bit of rain and bird poop that comes their way. But just like succulents and orchids, some people have trouble keeping them alive. Here are the best practices we recommend for air plant care. First, we’ll talk about how to care for air plants in general, and then we’ll talk about adaptations in air plant care for aquar...

Jade plants are succulent houseplants, which makes them fairly resilient and easy to grow indoors—plus, they’re long-lived. Jade plants were absolutely everywhere in the 1970s — they were the quintessential houseplant growing in hanging macramé planters. Now macramé is hot again and, thankfully, jade plants really never went away. That’s because they are some of the easiest houseplants to grow.  With their thick, woody stems and oval-shaped leaves, jade plants have a miniature, tree-like appearance that makes them very appealing for use as a decorative houseplant. They live for a very long time, often being passed down from generation to generation and reaching heights of three feet or more when grown indoors. Jade plants adapt well to the warm, dry conditions found in most homes. Many people enjoy growing jade plants in their homes and offices, and they are considered to be symbols of good luck. But you do not need to be lucky to learn what the proper care and maintenance of jade ...