Indoor Plant Tips

Want a beautiful fall flower arrangement?

Want to save money on cut flowers and therapy? Now is a great time of year to become a hunter -gatherer. Just grab a big basket or a plastic leaf bag, a pair of substantial cutters and your gloves. Wear a long sleeve shirt and long pants. Dust your shoes and socks with sulphur and you can avoid chiggers. Take a ride in the country or a ride around town. There a many vacant fields in town. I have found that a little common sense and respect goes a long way in choosing a vacant lot or field in which to gather a few stems. You will find asters, maximillan sunflowers, salt cedar, golden rod ,yellow green horse apples, pine cones, leaves in oranges yellows and brown and many grasses. Do you know anybody who has pyracntha (with its' beautiful orange berries), nandinas with mahogany leaves or maybe you have a purple lorapetalum that could use a little pruning? Miscanthus and muhly grass are in full bloom now.

Your mission into the wild completed, you now have the makings of a beautiful arrangement for your table, entry ,front porch or patio.

Sharon A. Martin

Tillandsia -The Magician

Tillandsias are plants that can survive years on nothing more than air and a good soak once a week plus 2 or 3 mistings if the atmosphere is very dry. Give them bright light. No direct sun, it will dry the plant and give it such a sun burn. Bonus - Tillandsias bloom neon purple, hot pink, bright red and yellow flashed with orange. Tillandsias are the display magician. Hang them from monofilament, glue them to a piece of wood(use hot glue), drop one in a martini glass, lay an assortment on a pretty dish or on rustic gravel in a a small box .You could just line up a few on the window sill in the kitchen or bath.

Tillandsias may be thin and spiky or have wide silver leaves that curl this way and that. You can find teeny tiny ones or Tillandsias big enough to fill a Stetson hat. The style of your arrangement is limited only by your imagination and your level of craftiness. For inspiration fill a box with decorative ‘things’ such as jute twine, monofilament , rocks, moss, sea shells, mirror discs, tiny terra cotta pots and on and on. Here at Green’s Produce and Plants we have a great selection of Tillandsias, moss, grape vines, sea shells and orchid baskets. Come visit . We love to play show and tell. Sharon A. Martin, Nursery mgr.

Indoor Air Quality Level Orange

Most folks are indoors 65% to 90% of the time. Indoor air can be ten times worse than outdoors.The carpet on the floor,the paint on the wall,facial tissue, paper towels,permanent pressed clothes, detergent, pollutants are everywhere.If the air quality in your home is level orange, breathe easier. You can own your own oxygen machine. Buy a house plant. One green,full leafy plant in a 6” container will help clean the air in a 10’ by 10’ space. NASA says, 1800 sq. ft. of interior space can have air quality improved with a verity of 15 to 18 plants in 6” to 8” containers. Research has found that hedra ivy vines hung in a damp , moldy space removed 60% of air borne mold. Below is a list of plants that will help clean, humidify and release oxygen into the air in your space.

Many of plants can be found at Green’s Produce and Plants:

Suggested reading: Dr. Wolverton ‘s "How to Grow Fresh Air".  I just love that title.

Sharon A . Martin

Terrariums
Everything old is new again.

In Victorian times creating terrarium gardens was a craft to pass the time.

It became a relaxing hobby in the 1970's. Today with zero lot line, apartment living and town homes decreasing the size of gardening space, container gardening indoors and out has become a creative and calming way of gardening . Sparkling glass containers are both useful and artful vessels for gardening indoors. The possibilities for terrarium containers is endless.

The wardian case with the look of a mini greenhouse, a traditional bell jar, a curve apothecary jar or a sleek contemporary cylinder. Look around the house. Do you have a cake plate with a glass cover? How about a mason jar,a martini glass or maybe the former home of the beta fighting fish. The best plant for a closed container is one that loves high humidity and moist soil. You can put might near anything in an open container. OH! Blasphemy! Fakes ? There are some great looking permanent succulents that look so real you have to touch them to know.

Try some of these ideas; an orchid in a tall elegant cylinder, build a nature scape with living moss, a pine cone, a small branch and a ceramic critter ( frog, turtle, bird) under a bell jar, an air plant in a hanging glass ball or drop one in a martini glass. What do you think, three different faux succulents nestled in gravel in a brandy snifter? Want to let the kids do a terrarium garden? Cut the bottom from a two liter soda bottle. There are so many ways to create a terrarium garden.

Come and browse through our wonderful selection of glass containers. We love to play show and tell.

Sharon A. Martin