Saturday, January 24, 2015

Sansevieria Sensation.

Happy Saturday my fellow plant enthusiasts! This month of January has passed on by very quickly and I cannot believe that February is just around the corner! It is still winter and a good way to spruce up your indoor areas in your home or office is to bring vibrant plants! I did acquire some plants at Lowes as you can see in my previous post and I did happen to get another. This plant is a Sansevieria Trifasciata Zeylanica or Mother in Laws Tongue plant. I normally would get the variegated variety with the yellow borders but I wanted to get another variety this time :) and I am very satisfied with what I brought home. A little while ago I did find this plant at my local grocery store, I wasn't even planning to buy a plant but when I saw the display, I could not resist! This plant was only $2.00 and it is very healthy! There are new stalks forming which will eventually grow into tall plants. Mother in law's tongues are excellent for improving indoor air quality in your home by removing unnatural compounds left behind from products and common household items. I have heard that these plants grow very slow, but from my experience, they grow relatively fast. These are great for studio apartments to add some decorative modern elements. I will post an update on this plant every few weeks to keep track of the progress. If you have any questions about my houseplants or general concerns about care, feel free to leave a comment below. Thank you all for reading and have a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

New-ness is Upon Us!

Hello all, happy 2015!! I hope that you all have enjoyed the first half of January. I did want to present to you two new plants that I recently acquired at Lowes, of course from the clearance shelf. The first plant that caught my attention was a Calathea Rosea Picta plant which is very closely related to prayer plants (marantacae); and this plant also retain the ability to open the leaves during the day and to close them at night. This is a very interesting plant! I am very amused with the leaf's multicolor design elements and the deep purple on the undersides are gorgeous! This plant only cost $1.50 which is an amazing deal for an amazing plant!
The next plant is a Dracaena Deremensis 'Lemon Surprise.' In the past I have had the plain lemon lime variety but never this kind. I absolutely love how looking overhead of this plant, creates a swirling effect which is very unique and cool! This dracaena was only $1.50 as well.
Both of these plants do have potential to flourish. There is some brown and crispy foliage but they should be able to bypass them. I love doing plant rescues, which give a plant of any kind a second chance at life of being very healthy in a loving home! I hope that all of you will have a fantastic Wednesday! Thank you for reading, and look forward to more posts this week! :)

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Getting Ready for Better Things.

Hello everyone, Happy New Years Eve! Today is the official last day of the year of 2014 which has passed by so quickly. The new year is only a few hours away here on the eastern coast of the United States which is very exciting. I will stay awake until after midnight tonight to count down into 2015! Let 2015 bring many new adventures as well as good times to us all. I hope that you all will have a wonderful new year! I am currently enjoying the view of my kitchen window with the lights that I put up a few weeks ago. I will continue with more journeys into the plant world starting in January 2015, thank you all for reading an have a very safe and enjoyful time as you celebrate!

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Christmas Around my Neighborhood

Hey everybody! Happy Christmas Eve!! There is officially only a few more hours until Christmas day!! I would like to share some Christmas decor that I've found interesting around my neighborhood. In the first photo, there's a very festive wreath on my neighbor's door. I like how it stands out because I haven't seen any others like it. The second photo is a decorated patio area; I really am liking the lights on the shrubs and also the railing! I hope that everyone will have a fantastic Christmas 2014 and create many memorable times that you will not forget!!

Phalaenopsis Orchids

Happy Wednesday everyone, it sure has been very cold and cloudy outside lately. I hope that everyone is enjoying the Christmas season! I would like to share with you an update on two orchids, one that I acquired back in May and another in which I acquired in August. Here is a photo of the two plants; the orchid that is in the purple planter is the one that I bought in May of 2014 at a discounted price at Lowes. It did have some dead buds and then it gradually sprouted out a bud which successfully bloomed and then it later dried up and fell off which is pretty much normal. The orchid that is in the blue planter was acquired in August of 2014 when it had some very beautiful blooms on it. I've also found this one discounted at Lowes. The buds gradually dried up as well. On both of the orchids, the green leaves did grow a lot during the warmer months. Hopefully during the next growing season, both of them will develop more blooms! I am now a lover of orchids! At first I completely disliked orchids because I thought that they were very difficult to maintain but my perception changed since I've had these two. Here's my first two orchid successes!! Woohoo!! As of now their growth rate has slowed down because it is officially winter now so they're resting and will enjoy the rest of the holiday season. Well here's to the countdown to Christmas, it's only one day away! I hope that everyone have a fantastic Wednesday and thank you so much for reading! :)

Monday, December 22, 2014

My Christmas Spirit for 2014

Hello all! I am deeply sorry for not posting at all for the past 6 months! I've been super busy in the last few months but I wanted to share with you my Christmas tree that I recently purchased:

it is very beautiful indeed! It is a Norfolk island pine which can be grown as a houseplant year round. I found this at my local Lowes home improvement store for 50% off of its original price. It is very healthy as well with no dried out branches. I did add some multi-color lights which makes the tree look incredible. Here's another view of the tree:

The plant is sitting in front of a west/ northwest facing window in my living room. It does bring a lot of Christmas spirit after all! I also decorated my kitchen window with lights:

I really love the way how the kitchen and living room have a compelling glow to it with the presence of the lights! For the past few days the weather here in North Carolina has been very cloudy, cold, and rainy which is my favorite. I hope that all of you will have a Merry Christmas for this year of 2014; I will try my best to post more frequently going into the upcoming new year. If you have any questions and/ or comments feel free to leave one below. Thank you all for reading!!

Saturday, June 21, 2014

More Things Going On

Happy Summer Solstice also known as the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. Lots of progress has been made in my indoor garden. My Peace Lily or 'Spathiphyllum' is starting to bloom:
This plant has come a long way since I rescued it from Lowes about 3 weeks ago. I'm very excited about when the flowers will open. Here's another photo of the peace lily:
When the plant needs to be watered, the leaves wilt a little bit. I like the spathe of the flower and the concept that the flower represents a peace flag that give this plant the name Peace Lily. Another plant that is showing more progress is the umbrella plant or 'Schefflera Arboricola':
I gave this plant a watering today and I occasionally spray the foliage of this plant to keep dust particles away. Sorry about some of the blurry spots in this photo. This plant is very happy, I love to see when small baby leaves appear and gradually over time they get bigger. New growth has been appearing more often and I will keep you posted on this plant. The last plant but most certainly not least plant that I'll be sharing for today is the Boston Fern or 'Nephrolepis Exalta':
I also gave this plant a soaking today and I mist this plant just about everyday because humidity levels in my home are considerably low. New growth appears every week on this plant. Soon when it gets larger I would like to place it in a hanging basket. The plant is now much larger than when I first bought it. I will keep you posted on all 3 of these plants. Thank you everyone for stopping by on my site and reading. Have a great summer 2014!