Houseplants – Garden Bite

Click on the link below to listen to today’s Garden Bite: Debunking NASA study on air-cleaning plants Over 30 years ago, in 1989, NASA scientist Bill Wolverton claimed that household plants could provide a “promising” solution to indoor air pollution. Decades later that report is doused with cold water. And for the record, not from me but from those WELL above my pay grade! Including the Ame...

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Is Shamrock a real plant? “Top of the mornin’ to ya!”  and Happy St. Patty’s Day!  I may be slightly Irish but I am all American, as those phrases really are! But it IS St. Patrick’s day and that makes me think of Shamrocks and all things green.  It was the Celtic druids who started the shamrock on its path to Irish glory! Th...

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Air plants trend for 2023 Last week I talked about the latest popular plants including Strings of plants and succulents and cacti, so great for the office. Air Plants have been trending for a while and remain very popular in 2023. Their Latin name is Tillandsia and they are native to South and Central America with about 500 species...

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Succulents vs Cacti  Yesterday I talked about the popularity of the succulent, Strings of plants. Cactus are also very popular as they are excellent home or office plants. What’s the difference between a succulent and a cactus? There is a saying, “all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti”. Cacti are simply a subca...

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Strings of plants  In the world of succulents, strings of them have gained significant popularity both among plant aficionados and home decorators! I just saw a String of Bananas. I have to admit, they look like tiny green bananas, full and hanging down. So what ARE they? String Plants are adorable smallish plants that grow very we...

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Lighting for plants Yesterday I talked a little about the light spectrum for houseplants.  If you’re trying to get a houseplant to flower, ideally you’ll give it the full spectrum of light. While you can achieve that with a combination of warm/soft bulbs and the cool/white bulbs you may consider LED lights.  According to a 2016 stu...

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: How to kill a houseplant Why would I tell you how to kill a houseplant? I’m supposed to love plants… I tell you so you don’t… kill them! This time of year I get a lot of questions about houseplants.  Why are the leaves brown, yellow or limp?  Why is my plant crunchy?  I’ve decided to share with you a list of...

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Giving your leaves a bath I’ve talked about this topic before but it does bear repeating, especially in winter. Our leaves get really dusty over time. That layer of “gunk”, be it dust or even airborne grease from cooking, creates a layer that inhibits plants from doing what we want them to do. Especially in Winter...

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Bottom watering houseplants  Watering is always an issue with houseplants. The vast majority of people overwater their plants. It’s our first reaction if a plant doesn’t look like we think it should. Oh, give it more water. More times that not, that isn’t the problem. Stick your finger into the soil about first knuckle deep. If it’...

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Mesmerizing caladiums I was perusing topics for today when I came across a caladium that screams Christmas! Since this IS Christmas week, I really wanted to share it. Heart to Heart “Mesmerized’ by Proven Winners is SO festive with various shades of greens and reds along with splashes of white in each leaf. This is definitely your...