Home And Garden

Latin Name: Adenium obesum Common Name: Desert Rose , African Succulents Plant family: Apocynaceae (the dogbane family) Indoor/Home/Office Cultivation Information Light requirement: Bright sunlight. Adenium will not flower under low light conditions. Soil preference: Rich, organic peat or bark-based, bagged potting soil. Water requirement: Water regularly but do not allow soil to become waterlogged. Drought tolerant: Yes. Fertilizer requirements: Apply a low dose of liquid fertilizer according to manufacturer label recommendations weekly during summer growing season. Salt tolerant: Some salt tolerance. Temperature preference: Hot, tropical 75°F–95°F. Chill tolerant (55°F–35°F): Yes, but leaf yellowing and leaf drop may occur. Freeze tolerant (below 32°F): No. During cold winter months, withhold water from Adenium and let the plant rest for 3–4 months. All leaves and flowers will drop, but that is part of their natural cycle. DO NOT let them freeze. When temperat...

Botanical Name: Zamioculcas zamiifolia ZZ Plant has become increasingly popular in recent years and I believe it deserves all the attention it’s been getting. The Aroid family has given us more dependable house plants than any other group and Zamioculcas zamiifolia is no exception. This is a worthwhile house plant to add to your collection. ZZ makes a great room accent and practically thrives on neglect. This easy-going house plant is forgiving if you forget to water, tolerates low light, and rarely needs fertilized. Want more? It also seems to shrug off pests. Growing from rhizomes, it has thick, upright stems bearing narrow, dark-green glossy leaves. Keep the leaves clean by gently wiping them with a damp cloth. Don’t use leaf shine products, which can damage the plant. Small, insignificant flowers — consisting of a spadix surrounded by a spathe — may appear at the base of plants in summer, although ZZs rarely flower indoors. A slow-grower indoors, ZZ plant rarely needs...

Common Names: Chinaberry, bead tree, Persian lilac, pride-of-India Family: Meliaceae (mahogany Family) Description Chinaberry is a fast-growing, short-lived tree with a rounded crown that reaches about 50 ft (15.2 m) tall with a 20 ft (6.1 m) spread. The bark is reddish brown, becoming fissured on mature trees. The deciduous leaves are bipinnate (twice feather-like) and 1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) long. The individual leaflets, each about 2 in (5.1 cm) long and less than half as wide, are pointed at the tips and have toothed edges. In spring and early summer, Chinaberry produces masses of purplish, fragrant, star shaped flowers, each about 3/4 in (1.9 cm) in diameter, that arch or droop in 8 in (2.4 cm) panicles. They are followed by clusters of spherical, yellow fruits about 3/4 in (1.9 cm) in diameter that persist on the trees even after the leaves have fallen. Texas umbrella Chinaberry or Texas umbrella tree (M. azedarach cv. ‘Umbraculiformis’) produces upward-arching branches and droopi...

Savvy indoor gardeners know themselves and their limitations. Do you forget to water and feed your houseplants? Can you only offer low-light conditions? Is your indoor air dry? If this sounds like you and your home environment, low maintenance houseplants are your best choice. The following plants tend to do well in most situations, and they are generally easy to find at nurseries and home supply stores. Keep in mind that though they can withstand abuse, they all prefer a little TLC when time permits. And all plants, even cactus, need some water to survive. Aglaonema  ( Chinese evergreen ): This slow-growing tropical is grown for its graceful, oblong leaves. It is one of the best plants for low-light conditions and will survive on infrequent watering. Chinese evergreen even likes to be somewhat root-bound, so repotting is only necessary every two to three years. Aspidistra elatior  (cast-iron plant): As its common name implies, this houseplant can withstand a great dea...

Common Name : Madagascan Palm Despite it’s common name of Madagascan Palm (or a Pachy to its fans) the Pachypodium is actually a succulent and therefore more closely related to cacti than palms. Pachypodium lamerei, the Madagascan Palm. Not really a palm but a stem succulentIt hails from Madagascar and because it has leaves growing around the crown this combination gives rise to the common name of Madagascan Palm. it looks a bit like a dieting pineapple (yes, you did read that right) we’re going to agree. It may not be the most popular plant to stumble across in the average nursery or garden shop, but for anyone who likes a quirky easy going indoor succulent this could be your perfect match. The swollen stem grows upwards with the leaves surrounding the crown gradually falling and then growing new ones as it ages. All parts of Pachypodium contain a latex sap which is poisonous, although even if you do have pets this may not be a total deal breaker because the plant protects...

Common Name : Arrow Head , Goose Foot Plant Syngonium podophyllum or the Goosefoot Plant is a simple but elegant and versatile houseplant. On our scale of Easy, Intermediate or Difficult, we ranked it Intermediate. Syngonium is a great looking houseplant which needs only modest careIt’s actually “Easy” to look after in most homes, however because it has a unruly nature and tendency to creep quietly around your home (if allowed), it needs a certain amount of maintenance and pruning that other plants ordinarily don’t. This is needed to keep Syngonium indoors looking great and to avoid the ugly flop effect, also because all parts of the plant are poisonous you really do want to know where all parts of the plant are growing and creeping around, especially if you have curious children or hungry pets around. So let’s get down to business and lay down the plus points of this interesting plant. Firstly, it ranked in Dr Wolverton’s top 50 houseplants to clean the air. Secondly it...

Cylindrical Snake Plant is an African succulent that makes a carefree house plant. Round leaves with a dark-green striped pattern give this eye-catching succulent its common name. Pointed leaf tips give it another name, Spear Plant. (Watch out for those points — they are sharp!) The gray-green tubular leaves grow in a rosette and are about an inch thick. Long, creamy white flower spikes may appear on mature plants. If you’re lucky enough to get the blooms, you’ll love their beautiful fragrance. This relative of Mother-in-Law’s Tongue is just as easy to grow, but has a fresh, bold style all its own. You’ll enjoy this striking accent among your indoor plant collection. Its easy-going nature and tolerance of dry air and soil also make it a reliable office plant. Any problems with growing Sansevieria are usually related to watering. Allow the soil to dry out between waterings. If in doubt, keep it on the dry side. The only things that will kill this plant is soggy soil and prolon...