Home And Garden

The cordyline plant is a showy specimen, known for its tropical or dessert appearance and variety of bright colors, of foliage rather than flowers. Much like a palm, the long leaves have spiky tips. This evergreen can be used both indoors and out. One of the best for a garden in colder climes is cordyline australis. Oddly, it is not from Australia but New Zealand, although the plant is widely grown in Australia and all over the world. Other varieties of the cordyline plant can be grown indoors in any region, and are a widely known house plant, especially the cordyline fruitcosa or Ti plant. The Cordyline australis includes the cabbage tree, red star, red sensation, New Zealand cabbage palm, and dracaena australis.  It is often sold under the name dracaena, but that plant is actually from Africa and thrives predominately in warm climates. The stiff looking cordyline australis is similar in appearance to a Yucca tree.  The fronds may be bronzy red, bronze and pink combinati...

The Date palm (scientific name Phoenix dactylifera), also known as the Medjool palm is a tall, beautiful and majestic tree that is known for its edible sweet fruits, the dates. The tree belongs to the Arecaceae family and the genus Phoenix. The Date palm produces true real dates. It is the second most known and most useful palm tree in the world after the  Coconut palm tree . The Phoenix Dactylifera is one of the world’s oldest trees. It has been grown for thousands of years in hot, dry, desert regions throughout the world. It is an important multi­purpose tree in the Middle East, Asia and North Africa. The Date palm tree is a holy symbol. It was historically mentioned in the Bible, the Koran and other religious books. Many cultures are based on this tree. It has been called “the tree of life”.  The real Date palm can provide all life necessities: food, medicine, shelter, fuel, building materials and  materials for weaving and basket ma...

The Cycas revoluta, commonly known as the Sago Palm is one of the oldest species of plants that exist. They appeared on the earth during the Paleozoic Era from 350 to 250 million years ago, before the flowering plants appeared. They were dominant plants in the Mesozoic Era and coexisted with dinosaurs. For this reason these plants are sometimes referred to as “living fossils”,  and the Mesozoic Era is referred to as the “Age of Cycads”. Today the oldest types of plants are becoming increasingly endangered in the wild. However, they continue to exist on this planet. The Sago palm is actually a cycad not really a palm tree. This ancient plant is a member of the Cycadaceae family. Because of its palm-like appearance people call it a palm tree. The magnificent plant has a rough trunk and a crown of large pinnate, fern-like leaves. Most plants reach four to six feet in height. Some species can reach up to 20 feet in height. The unique characteristic of the Cycas is its reproductive str...

Phoenix Roebelenii (Pygmy Palm) is one of the most commonly used types of palm trees. It is a dwarf of Phoenix family. This type is related to the standart date trees, but they don’t produce real dates. Gracefully in appearance, they are planted as ornamentals and create exotic and tropical atmosphere for any landscapes. The compact trees look very nice by poolsides, patios, shopping mallscapes, office entrances and entry ways. Also the Pygmy Palm could be a perfect indoor container plant. They are very  adaptable plants for container growing. They remove all indoor air pollutants especially xylene. These species can be planted in groups of three or more or as a singe specimen. When they grow in clumps, the trunks curve gracefully away from the center of the clump. In nature, they are usually single-trunked, in cultivation muliples are produced often. Phoenix Roebelenii is native to Southeast Asia, where it grows in clearings or along riverbanks. Then they were imported ...

If you often drink mint tea or use mint in your recipes, consider growing your own mint plants instead of always buying a plant or tea bag at the supermarket. There's really nothing difficult to it. Below I wrote a "mint growing"-guide explaining all the steps you need to follow. The growing process itself advances quite quickly and it is a joy to watch your own mint plants grow in such a short time. However, it takes some time before you have a mint plant that is large enough to set tea with. Therefore it is good idea to grow several plants at a time and don't take leaves for your mint tea before your plants have grown large enough. Otherwise, you will quickly run out of mint leaves. Here are the steps you need to follow in order to grow your own mint plant: Buy yourself a mint plant This may seem weird, but the best thing to start from is an already grown mint plant; this will be the mother plant for your home grown mint plants. You can buy one at your local gr...

The yucca plant is a popular indoor and outdoor plant. One problem in caring for yucca plants that indoor owners have that outdoor owners generally do not is that indoor plants can grow too tall. They need to be trimmed back. Pruning a yucca may look harsh, but it is an excellent way to not only keep your yucca plant manageable but propagate the plant. Yucca plants – care and pruning With yucca plants, care and pruning are easy. When your yucca plant becomes too tall for the space it is in, gently remove it from the pot. Determine where the halfway mark is on the trunk or a point where you wish to be pruning a yucca that is above the halfway point. Using a saw or a sharp pair of loppers, cut the trunk in half. Repot the bottom, rooted end of the trunk. Water well and then you are done with your pruning. While the plants are recovering, continue caring for the yucca plants as you normally would. In a short time, the plant will produce new leaves. It will recover to look as good as...

Description Silk floss tree is an awkwardly branched 30-60 ft (9.1-18.3 m) tree with pale green leaves palmately divided into 5-7 pointed leaflets. The young trees start out growing fast, straight, and narrow, then slowly develop broadly spreading umbrella canopies as they age. The bulbous green trunk is covered with big blunt warty triangular spines and turns gray as the tree gets older. Silk floss trees typically drop their leaves just before they put on their spectacular autumn display of five-petaled flowers. The petals vary from pale pink to rose to purple or burgundy at the tips and grade into ivory with brownish spots or blotches at the base. The flowers are followed by pear shaped capsules filled with many seeds embedded in silky white floss.  Chorisia  taxonomy has not been refined and the flowers of this "species" are extremely variable, so there is a good chance that several different species and/or hybrids thereof are lumped under the name  C. speciosa . L...

M agnificent flowering plants featuring blossoms in white, pink, red, purple, or yellow. Magnolia trees are diverse in leaf shape and plant form, and they include both evergreen and deciduous sorts. They aren’t usually munched by deer. The following text classifies magnolias by general type; the chart lists species, hybrids, and selections alphabetically. New magnolias seem to appear almost hourly, but most garden centers carry only a few. To track down a prized selection, you’ll probably need to hunt through mail-order catalogs. Magnolia Tree Types Whether evergreen or deciduous, most magnolias have large, striking blossoms composed of petal-like segments. A few are grown for use as foliage plants. Evergreen magnolias.  To many people, the word “magnolia” is synonymous with our native Magnolia grandiflora, the classic Southern magnolia with large, glossy leaves and huge, fragrant white blossoms―the state flower of Mississippi and Louisiana. Few trees can match it for year-round ...

Pansies are one of the earliest flowering plants, blooming right alongside your spring bulbs. These members of the violet family herald in the new garden season with a wide variety of bright, brilliant colors. They include almost all colors of the rainbow including black, and many bi-colors. There are so many combinations of these profuse bloomers that we don't' think any two are alike! Pansies are popular, easy, and fun to grow. Fill an area or entire bed with Pansies for a striking spring effect! They also are great in windowsills and containers. Propagation: Pansy are grown from seeds. Pansy plants like full to partial sun. Pansies can be directly seeded into your flower garden or seeded indoors for transplanting later. For spring blooms, you need to start your Pansies in pots and containers indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost. Sow  Pansy seeds early in the season and cover lightly with 1/8" soil. Water thoroughly once. They germinate slowly. ...

A   lawn mower   is a   machine   that uses a revolving blade or blades to cut a   lawn   at an even length. A   lawn mower   is a   machine   that uses a revolving blade or blades to cut a   lawn   at an even length. Lawn mowers employing a blade that   rotates   about a   vertical axis   are known as   rotary   mowers, while those employing a blade assembly that rotates about a   horizontal axis   are known as   cylinder   or   reel   mowers. Many different designs have been made, each suited to a particular purpose. The smallest types, pushed by a   human, are suitable for small residential lawns and   gardens, while larger, self-contained, ride-on mowers are suitable for large lawns, and the largest, multi-gang mowers pulled behind a   tractor, are designed for large expanses of grass such as   golf courses   and municipal C...

Topdressing the lawn is the process of adding a fine layer of ‘home mixed quality soil’ to the lawn surface. Top dressing benefits the lawn as it builds up the quality of the soil over a period of time, - sandy soils will be able to retain moisture better and so the lawn will be more resistant to drought, clay soils will drain better thus improving root development. Another benefit of top dressing the lawn is that it will help to even out any lumps and bumps that are present on an uneven lawn, filling in any small hollows that may develop. Top dressing also stimulates the grass to produce new shoots and so results in denser grass cover which helps combat the onset of weed and moss infestation. Top dressing is carried out routinely by professional greenkeepers to ensure a top quality finish. If you want a really top quality lawn that can meet professional standards then you should top dress your lawn annually. What topdressing mixture should I use? First you need to make your topdressi...

Cacti are some of nature's most beautiful and exotic plants. Most cacti are native to the desert and arid regions, but most species can grow anywhere with a little accommodation. A cactus garden can liven up your yard and give your home an original look. PLANNING YOUR GARDEN: The first step in making a cactus garden is, of course, to plan it out. Scout out a location in your yard for your garden. The optimal place for a cactus garden is on hill, because this allows the garden bed to easily drain. You can still make a cactus garden if your yard is flat, you will just have to do more digging. When you decide where you want your cactus garden, decide what size and shape you want. Use your imagination and be creative; you can have a circle, square, rectangle, semicircle, triangle, whatever you desire. Then mark the border of the garden onto the ground before you begin, this will make the digging much easier. DIGGING, THE DIRTY PART: Now for the digging. If your garden is going to be o...