In my top three favorite spring flowers is Scilla siberica – Siberian squill. It even has blue pollen ! Thank you Nora Goosen ! And since my favorite color is blue (cerulean blue and especially a sky blue) this spring flowering bulb rules ! Looking from afar at planter full of Scilla is like looking […]
THE SHAPE OF LEAVES
What is a leaf? A leaf is the main organ attached to the stem. It is specialized for photosynthesis. Over time, it has evolved into a plethora of different shapes, sizes and characteristics. These vary considerably depending largely on their adaptation to climate. Leaves have also adapted to the available sunlight, presence of grazing animals, […]
REPRODUCTION IN PRIMITIVE PLANTS
BRYOPHYTES (mosses) Umbrellas ! Thank you Wikipedia. When a bryophyte spore settles somewhere, it sprouts and grows into a gametophyte (the egg and sperm producing plant) – this is the stage we mostly see as green. They may be green and leafy, but usually small. Commonly called liverworts, their reproductive organs (eggs and sperm) are […]
MORPHOLOGY
What a plant looks like can give hints as to where it evolved and therefore where to place it in a garden! Focusing on the plants’ main characteristics will help you to make a better decision on compatibility with other plants, as well as cultural care. Hairs, glands, the wax on leaves and stems, the […]
VIVIPARY !
Vivipary means “giving live birth’ – which although we find this quite normal for us mammals – it looks strange when plants do it. Also known as phyllody, it describes a condition that occurs when the embryo within the seed breaks through the seed coat while still attached to the parent plant. It is quite […]
Oh No ! Spider mites !!
Thank you Utah Public Radio ! Summer arrived and so did the spider mites. Which by the way like both indoor and outdoor plants. Even plants that are toxic to us seem to succumb! Anything broad leaf, and in a warm, dry spot (garden or indoors), that has little to no air circulation is game. […]
The NYBG
Or for those in the know The New York Botanical Gardens – a truly magical place to get lost in or even find yourself in ! For me after working all week with plants – guess where you will often find me ( they have a bar and a great restaurant – did I mention […]
A Fungus Among Us
Scared ? You should be ! Root rot is one of the top reasons why people call me for help with their Indoor plants. They send me pictures of their plants in dire straits and looking stressed. Pictures like these: Thank you ourhouseplants.com! For these sick little specimens ! ! Their cause for […]
How do I water my indoor plants
Indoor plants are on a boom ! – we have never seen this level of interest in indoor plant scaping since the 1970″s. People are increasingly interested in bringing nature into their interior spaces. Plant Specialists started as an interior plant company in the 1970’s so we were here for that ! We offer […]
