Fertilizing tips for your house plants vary according to the individual plant’s need, home or greenhouse environment, and the season of the year. Key elements that house plants require are nitrogen, phosphorus (P) and potassium or potash (K). With few exceptions, tropical plants are low constant feeders, meaning using a water soluble fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro™, Schultz™ […]
Archive for the ‘watering tips’ Category
Lipstick Plant (Vine) – Lovely Flowering House Plant
Nothing brightens up a room more than a flowering plant. One of my favorites is lipstick plant or lipstick vine (Aeschynanthus spp.), a close relative of the African violet. The green leaf form A. radicans is very popular with shiny dark green leaves and orange, pink, purple flowering varieties. Lipstick plant is a free bloomer, […]
Anise (Illicium) Shrubs Coming To Mid-South Gardens
There is lots of interest in this shrub group. Anise shrubs (Illicium spp.) are fast growing, evergreen shrubs (USDA zones 7 to 10). They exhibit a multi-stemmed, upright, compact growth habit. The green foliage of Florida anise (I. floridanum) is quite attractive and aromatic, smelling similar to anise spice when crushed. Their shiny, leathery leaves are […]
New ‘Chastity’ Ornamental Pear
Before you totally give up on ornamental pear trees (Pyrus calleryana) as invasive, a decision that I would never argue against, take a look at the new Chastity pear. NEW! NEW! NEW! on the market is Chastity pear, a triploid hybrid that is both very ornamental and highly infertile (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). Chastity™ Pear was specifically […]
Black Gum (Tupelo) Tree
Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) or tupelo tree is a native to Eastern North America (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). It is native from the New England states southward into Florida and west to Eastern Texas. Seedlings of this wonderful woodland and landscape tree start off slowly, but will mature to heights of 50 to 60 feet […]
Inkberry Holly Substitute For Boxwood
Ilex glabra ‘Densa’ Inkberry holly (Ilex glabra), also called gallberry, is a slow-growing broadleaf evergreen shrub (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). It grows to 5-8 feet tall and can spread by root suckers and form colonies. Inkberry is native from the eastern coast of Canada south to Florida, west to Louisiana. The shrub is at home in sandy […]
Ultra Dwarf Korean Fir
Korean fir (Abies koreana) is slow-growing compact fir species with a mature height between 15 to 30 feet tall and 6 to 15 feet wide. Its tiny needles are ½- to 1- inch long, green on top and two white stripes on the underside. It bears 2-3 inches long erect purple cones almost annually that […]

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