Peperomia (radiator plant) is one of the two large genera of the family Piperaceae. Most of them are compact, small perennial epiphytes.
Peperomia is a bushy upright plant that is a popular houseplant. It typically grows on thick erect stems to 1 foot tall. Waxy, elliptic-obovate thick dark green leaves are 1-6 inches long. Small greenish-white flowers are borne on spikes up to 5 inches long. Many variegated cultivars with leaves that are mottled with cream, gray or gold, have been developed. Peperomia is native to southern Florida and the Caribbean.
These plants are usually propagated by seeds. They are also commercially propagated by cuttings. Peperomia cuttings root easily. Propagation by cuttings is the quickest and easiest method to propagate.
Plants can be divided at potting time. They are removed and separated into smaller pieces, each with a few roots attached. Leaf or stem cuttings can also be taken in the spring or summer. The lower leaves of the shoots are removed and a cut is made below the bottom node (joint). They are then laid on a bench for an hour or two to allow a protective callus tissue to form over the cuts. They are then inserted in a propagating case with bottom heat of 70–75 degrees F.
It is best not to seal the top completely, as the plants are semi-succulent in nature and excessive humidity is detrimental. When enough roots have formed, cuttings can be planted in 3-inch pots or in hanging baskets. (Source: Wikipedia)
Hey there! Super duper excited to share that we have finally finalized our logo! And here’s it! Too many thoughts.. too many emotions… I want to share all of it… but first… what do you think of it? Comment and let me know…
I didn’t know what values meant and what we stood for, till a few months back, when I had redesigned my website. I wanted to convey what this brand, what this organization stood for. What we do and why we do it and lastly, how we do it.
So when it came to logo, things were a bit simpler as I knew what I wanted to convey. So that everyone knows if it is for them or not. Like first thing, the name, I didn’t want to be an initial like RG or something. So now that we had decided on using the entire name – REEMA’S GARDEN. I achieved 3 things with this:
1. With the name it is evident that we are talking about an individual driven organization and the individual being Reema. 2. Garden – so it’s pretty obvious it would be something about or related to gardening. 3. And that it is simple. Nothing fancy. Not a website/blog/organization/individual wherein you have to think twice before approaching. We are APPROACHABLE.
So those were the three things that the name conveys (or so I think). Then came the part wherein I had to decide if I wanted to use the tag line and then decided not to go for it. I also decided not to use any graphics or images (like a leaf or sapling) in the name. That was a hard call to make, but I decided it to be that way.
Now comes the main part, without tagline and images or any type of graphics how do we convey what we stand for, which is, your journey as a gardener or Gardening experience. There began the real intense brainstorming session. So far, it was about choosing this or that and about eliminating all the unnecessary elements. Which we had done successfully so far. But now, how do you convey the Gardening Experience – and I was repeating just one thing again and again “from the dust you came, to the dust you shall return.” Holds true for everything. But also defines the Gardening Journey the best! So we started – The color of the dust – Dark brown (almost black) – So there came the color for alphabet R. Then we had to show a transition, or rather a transformation, to the yellowish-green color of new leaves, to dark green color of the perfectly mature leaves – to again the pale yellow- green of the withering leaf – to the dried brown leaf – and back it goes into the soil to become humus of dark brown (or black) color. And that is how we decided to show the journey of a leaf – of a garden – of a life – of us!
I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think, in the comment section below.
I have never really loved any plant the way I have loved Allamanda. (Don’t take that statement too seriously. I say that for almost all the plants.) But allamandas are one of the most beautiful plants you’ll ever come across. Allamandas are also called as Golden trumpet vine. They are available in both vine and bush varieties. I had the the vine for a few years. Currently I have a bush variety Allamanda.
Allamanda Cathartica is a tropical twining vine, native to Brazil, with deeply veined, whorled leaves and large, trumpet shaped bright yellow flowers. Prickly seed pods follow the flowers with winged seeds that fly about when the pod dries and breaks open. The Allamanda vine is a fast growing rampant vine that always looks better with training and pruning. It flowers almost all year. The plant has milky sap and is considered poisonous; all parts are highly cathartic (hence the botanical name).
Wild Allamanda (Pentalinon luteum) is a perennial vine-like shrub with yellow Allamanda like flowers. Wild Allamanda are just recently gaining recognition. The flower color is almost neon yellow throughout. Grows as a vine-like shrub when it is young. Left to it own devices, it develops into a sprawling vine climbing over nearby shrubs, trees and other structures. Flowers are about 2-3 inches across, produced year-round on stem tips, although the plant is not covered with flowers like the Allamanda. There are usually some flowers on the plant all year long. As with most plants of Oleander family, all parts of Wild Allamandas are poisonous if ingested. Handling plant may cause skin irritation.
Here are a few frequently asked questions about allamanda:
It is known for its yellow flowers though they are available in few other colors. I would say, go for the yellow ones. They are very very easy to care for and maintain and bloom almost throughout the year. Makes them a must have. I personally prefer the bush ones as compared to the vines. I found the vines a bit difficult to train when compared with other vines like jasmines.
For those of you who don’t know what Navaratri is, Navaratri is a Hindu festival that spans nine nights (and ten days) and is celebrated every year in the autumn. It is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Indian cultural sphere. Theoretically, there are four seasonal Navaratri. However, in practice, it is the post-monsoon autumn festival called Sharada Navaratri that is the most observed in the honor of the divine feminine Devi (Durga). The festival is celebrated in the bright half of the Hindu calendar month Ashvin, which typically falls in the Gregorian months of September and October. (Source Wikipedia)
Talking and discussing about religious festivals has been awkward for me because I am a plant girl. I talk about plants, nature, gardening, agriculture, horticulture, etc. I haven’t spoken much about religion. But then I came across something great. Why don’t we speak about the part where nature and religion meet? So here’s what we decided do, we decided to talk about different trees and plants that have mythological and religious significance. So here’s what we got for you! Just scroll –
Want to start with Indoor Gardening but wondering where to start? Spider Plant is a great way to begin with indoor gardening.
Chlorophytum comosum, often called spider plant but also known as airplane plant, St. Bernard’s lily, spider ivy, ribbon plant and hen and chickens is a species of perennial flowering plant.
The spider plant is considered one of the most adaptable of houseplants and the easiest to grow. It is native to tropical and southern Africa, but has become naturalized in other parts of the world. This plant can grow in a wide range of conditions and suffers from few problems, other than brown tips. Here are a few frequently asked questions about spider plant.
Spider plants are easy to grow, being able to thrive in a wide range of conditions. They will tolerate temperatures down to 2 °C (35 °F), but grow best at temperatures between 18 °C (65 °F) and 32 °C (90 °F).
The spider plant is so named because of its spider-like plants, or spiderettes, which dangle down from the mother plant like spiders on a web. Available in green or variegated varieties, these spiderettes often start out as small white flowers.
The NASA Clean Air Study determined that this plant was effective at removing common household air toxins formaldehyde and xylene.
Hello there! How are you? I can’t tell you how many times I have been bombarded with questions about Garden accessories and décor! I have received numerous messages in person and in social media asking about where they can get the growbags and planters and artificial grass from! While amazon has been the most common answer, I realized that amazon has too many brands & products and it is very confusing and overwhelming for most of the shoppers! There began my quest for a dedicated online store for Garden accessories! And I came across Gardenetix.
In my efforts to know more about Gardenetix, I reached out to Ramya Sekaran, founder of Gardenetix. I asked her how did she come across this idea to have an online store for Gardening. Being a passionate gardener and businesswoman myself I was very keen on knowing her story. Here’s what she had to say:
I have always wanted to give colour to my unused space in my home by planting beautiful indoor plants and table top plants. But my lifestyle couldn’t afford enough time for maintenance since I had to do work from home, manage business, balance work-life, taking care of daily needs, safe shopping, etc.
Now it’s time for us to think that it’s not wise to let a good crisis go waste. I decided to give my gardening hobby a new venture. I utilized my morning time which otherwise would go in traveling to office. I started finding places to bring in new plants and variety of planters. Voila!!! I’m a proud gardener now! I grow my own veggies, flowers and herbs in my terrace and Balcony.
What started as a hobby, turned to be a passion and mission! It started to be a stress buster and felt light. Owning my small kitchen or terrace garden made me proud and happy. Every day I felt satisfied after watering my plants, checking for pests, pruning, saying hi to new blossoms, posting pictures in social media, interacting with experts over various forums and overall it became a new way of life.
The shop for selling garden needs supply was then transformed to online platform and hence “Gardenetix” was created. It is now a platform for all types of garden needs like planters, grow bags, outdoor curtains, shade nets, indoor plants and so on.
I cannot tell you how much I can relate to this story! It was as if she was narrating my story! So now I wanted to know more! I know, too many exclamations for a sentence, but that’s how much I am in awe listening to Ramya’s story. I further asked her about why gardening accessories? Here’s what she had to say:
Creating a balcony garden is fun and interesting. Most of us live in urban side where we couldn’t afford a yard space for making green spaces. Yet we have started making our balcony into small garden spaces where we sit and relax. We have started bringing in grass floors, planters, furnishings which adds colour to our Balcony spaces.
Hanging gardens, traditional gardens, private park space, comfy corner, the modern green balcony, vertical garden, modern-tradition blended colour balcony, railing garden space what not? We have built all types of garden in our houses as per our creativity.
A balcony garden can be created by upcycled products, hand made articles, eco friendly products, wooden, Terracotta, plastic, ceramic, iron and steel articles.
A small home décor brings elegance to the space. By this we have transformed our neglected corners, overhead spaces into interesting cozy Zen corners.
Inspired by the aspirations of urban gardeners, we have built a store for you to purchase articles which bring dramatic transformation to your fabulous gardens.
Now, isn’t that amazing!! In these pandemic times, when all you hear about is doom and gloom, how businesses are rapidly shutting down, Ramya’s story is really inspires us to look at the bright side! As they say, where there is a will, there is way!!
Visit her store at www.gardenetix.com to shop for all things gardening to make your gorgeous garden space feel light and airy.
One of the prettiest flowers to dot your garden, passion flowers are actually a type of vine flowers. These flowers are ideal for growing along your garden’s fences or trellis. For flower lovers, it is delightful to see Passion flowers in all their vibrant hues of purple, bright pink, red, yellow and green. What makes passion flowers standout is their lovely fragrance. The pretty flowers emanate a soft odour thereby adding a soothing touch to the surroundings.
Here’s everything you wanted to know about passion flower. From their sunlight requirement to their fertilization! Just scroll through!
So now that you know all that there is to know about about them, let’s get started with potting! Here’s a fun video on potting the plant 😉
Now you must be wondering why am I so keen on having this plant.. That is because, you get to witness something as incredible as this!!
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Croton is an extensive flowering plant genus in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. The plants of this genus were described and introduced to Europeans by Georg Eberhard Rumphius. The common names for this genus are rushfoil and croton, but the latter also refers to Codiaeum variegatum. The generic name comes from the Greek κρότος (krótos), which means “tick” and refers to the shape of the seeds of certain species.
Croton plants can grow up to ten feet high, but dwarf varieties exist that are much shorter. Customarily, the croton plant does not exceed three feet in height. The plant is usually very full, however, as the large leaves cluster together to create volume.
Croton plants are popular because of their stunning colors. Many assume that to add color outside of green to a garden, one must add flowers. But that’s not true. Croton plants offer a colorful, non-flower option that can be planted outdoors (if the conditions are right) or indoors to brighten up a room.
The croton plant originated in a tropical environment, so it favors a warm, humid environment. The soil in which the croton is planted should remain moist but not constantly wet during spring and summer when the plant is growing. Feel the soil and if it is dry to the touch, it may be time for watering. In a dry environment, the croton may require misting to maintain healthy leaf growth.
Much like with other plants, watering croton plants can be a delicate science. The croton plant requires frequent watering, but be sure not to over-water. Too much water can cause root rot, but too little water can dry the humidity-loving plant out. You can use new croton foliage as an indicator of water needs, as it will begin to wilt when thirsty.
Begonia semperflorens are commonly known as Wax Begonia, Fibrous Begonia, Bedding Begonia or Perpetual Begonia. It is the leaf coloration which attracts many people to Wax Begonia. The bronze-leaved Begonias are better suited to full sun locations and plants will flower from spring. These kinds are seen more often in the warmer regions of India.The single or double flowers are available in various shades of red, pink or white.
Begonias do best in direct sunlight for 4-5 hours and then indirect sunlight. If they come with a pot, do not re-pot it immediately. Repot it after a month or two. They need continuous supply of organic compost. So keep adding compost every month or two. Do not over-water the plants. Check the top soil before watering. So let’s be clear here – Begonias need care and attention. You have to keep a watch on the plant to know if it’s alright. Water, sunlight & compost have to be in perfect mix.
Design Tip: Due to their beautiful & colorful leaves, you can pair Begonias with any plant.
