Anthurium

Characteristics:

The foliage is shiny and dark green, while the flowers are very showy. Available in reds, pinks, lavender, and whites, the flowers are heart shaped, and can last up to 8 weeks. Anthuriums require little care, and bloom almost continuously in good conditions. This blooming plant likes bright light and needs to dry out to the touch between watering, making good drainage essential. Even when they are not in bloom, they are a beautiful foliage plant.

To get continual blossoms, you will need to use a blooming plant food. Look for a food where the middle number is the largest of the three numbers, representing high phosphoric acid content. When the first number, representing Nitrogen, is the largest number, it is good foliage plant food, and the third number, representing Soluble Potash, is for stronger root development, which is a good transplanting food. Feed your Antherium every other month to ensure a healthy blooming plant. With the Anthurium, as with any houseplant, the more light, the more foliage, the more water, the more plant food.

One common problem with blooming plants is they seem to come with gnats. Gnats are the small black pesky flies that seem to fly up your nose and into your eyes! They like dark moist environments. I found the best way to avoid gnats is to keep your decorative containers cleaned out, and don't let water sit in the bottom. If your plants are directly planted in the containers, let them dry to the touch between watering.

Pruning:

Remove dead & unsightly foliage at base of plant. Remove any faded or brown flowers.

Arboricola Tree

Characteristics:

The tree form, or "standard," offers height; the bush form covers space. Leaves that turn black and drop off signals that the soil has stayed too moist. The tips of these plants will wrinkle if they have gotten too dry.

Pruning:

They grow wildly, but it is easy to keep them shaped by either tip pruning or removing whole stem sections. It is O.K. to get radical, it will grow back.

Cactus

Characteristics:

All cacti like bright light, sunshine. Soil needs to dry out between watering. Once it is dry, water it thoroughly so the moisture soaks the entire root ball to the bottom of the pot. Some cacti will use a surprising amount of water in the spring and summer and use hardly anything at all during months with less daylight and cooler nights. In some cases these plants can go an entire winter without using water. When it is difficult to stick your finger in the soil, there are other methods to determine when to water. One is by squeezing the top of the plant, if it is soft and pliable the plant has used it's stored water and needs to be watered again. With this method it is important to know how this same piece of foliage feels when it does not need water. The second method is, if this is possible, stick your finger in the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot. If the soil is bone dry here, you can be sure there is no moisture left in the soil. The third method, if you are very familiar with your cacti, is water it routinely every month to six weeks (This method is the riskiest). Keep in mind that these plants will be potted in a sandy soil, unlike most of your other houseplants. Sand is powdery when dry and holds together when moist.

Pests to watch for are mealy bug and scale. Both try to hide. Mealy bug is a white cottony pest. Scale is a bit more camouflaged. Scale locates itself around the thorns and can seem like part of the plant, but it can be scraped off with your thumbnail. Treat the pest by spraying with oil soap, or diluted alcohol. Because cacti have so few leaves you can also use a scrub brush and physically remove the pest.

Pruning:

Remove any rotting stalks. These in the beginning look black and feel soft and in the later stages they are hard and crunchy, sort of petrified. Cacti can be pruned back but they scar easily so make your cut at an unnoticeable angle inward and out of sight. Branches will not emerge from the sight where the cut is made. Cacti grow slowly.

Areca Palm

Characteristics:

Arecas do not age well. When new they have an upright appearance, but with time the new fronds become heavy and bent, and the plant spreads out. The foliage becomes spotted and the tips of the fronds turn brown.

If the soil dries out completely, the plant wilts dramatically. When watered it will stand back up, but several of the fronds will then turn yellow. Check regularly for spider mite, especially where there is heat and air circulation. This plant requires a lot of attention to keep looking nice.

Pruning:

Remove whole fronds as they yellow. Arecas are sensitive to salts and minerals in their water and show a spotting like freckles on their foliage. When damage on the fronds becomes predominant, cut these fronds off as well. From our experience it is normal for palms to have brown tips on their leaves, similar to how our hair gets dry at the ends. These can be trimmed off.

Chinese Evergreen

Characteristics:

Chinese evergreen, or aglaonema, is a versatile low light, low growing, durable plant. They are produced in many different varieties. The foliage is either silvery green with some dark green or the reverse, mostly dark green with light green streaks.

Take precautions to keep the plant in temperatures above 55°. Chinese evergreens get a mottled brown spotting on the leaves when they have gotten too cold. The damage is irreversible. These plants will have stunted new growth and rotten stalks if the soil is kept too moist. The plant will loose lower yellow leaves if the soil is too dry.

Pruning:

Remove discolored lower leaves. Pull off greenish blooms unless you enjoy their look (Be sure to remove them when they die). We recommend cutting the stalks periodically to keep the plant leafy and full. The center new growth can be pulled out to maintain the stalk's compact growth.

China Doll

Characteristics:

These plants are pretty and delicate looking, they have a compact shape to begin with but with time they stretch out and become leggy.

Watering must be very consistent. Yellow brittle leaves indicate under watering, blackish tips on green leaves indicate over watering. If the environment of this plant remains constant, water regularly every week, or every other week, depending on how the topsoil feels.

Pruning:

If a bushy appearance is desired keep new growth pinched out.

Corn Plant

Characteristics:

These are low light plants that offer height, while keeping to a narrow space. Plants are sold with canes grouped in a pot varying in height. At the top of the canes emerge green foliage that looks like a corn stalk. The foliage varies in color from solid green to light green, with green stripes.

The roots are close to the canes so water around each one. Because the water use is different for each cane, check around the whole pot. A sign of dehydration is wrinkling on the green stem where it joins the cane. Continual dehydration leaves you with crinkled withered foliage, and possibly Cane Rot. Over watering encourages spots on the new growth and yellow hallows around the very tips of the leaves.

Because of the shallow and small root system, the canes will become top heavy and lean over. To support the cane wedge a small object between the cane and the growing pot to secure the plant and keep it up right and stable. Do not lift these plants by their canes, this can cause damage to the root system.

Pruning:

To control height and maintain the existing shape, pull out the very center new growth of the plant.

Croton

Characteristics:

These are one of the most eye-catching plants, with leaf colors of yellow, pink, red, and orange. They will wilt if the soil completely dries out. Crisp crunchy leaf ends indicate soil is staying too moist. Crotons are available in many different leaf colors and leaf shapes.

Pruning:

Cut off the top of the stem, back to the joining leaf or axil. This keeps them bushy.

Dumb Cane

Characteristics:

The leaves break easily, so high traffic areas are not recommended. These plants are also called "dumb canes" because eating them irritates the throat and vocal cords. They are considered poisonous to small children and animals if eaten in quantity. They are grown in many different varieties.

Pruning:

Foliage and stalk of the Dieffenbachia need full sun in order to keep the plant from becoming top heavy and in need support. Most of the time these plants are tied up and hung up like puppets. They must be trained to support themselves. Cut cane down to visually appealing level or pull out the very center new growth. Be aware if all foliage is removed, the plant will use less water, so be sure and check the soil before watering. A healthy plant will soon put out new growth where it has been topped out. The top section of the plant that the foliage is on can either be rooted in the pot the original plant is in, or rooted in water.

Candelabra Tree

Characteristics:

Euphorbias are often mistaken for cacti because of their columnar shape and spines. They are succulents like cacti but also, usually, have leaves. Some of the common names for the Euphorbias are Candelabra Tree or Good Luck Cacti. If the soil is kept too dry, leaf production is limited.

Pruning:

There are two common types of Euphorbia, woody stemmed plants like poinsettias and crown of thorns, and the smooth cacti - like Euphorbias. It is hard to make cuts on the cacti-like Euphorbia, but the woody varieties can easily be cut or pinched back. All Euphorbias have a milky sap, which irritates sensitive skin.

Chinese Fan Palm

Characteristics:

The leaves (fronds) of this palm are distinctively fan-shaped, they radiate from a furry center trunk and occupy a lot of space. Fan palms do well in atriums, sunrooms, and big windows. They are low growing when young. Only an extremely mature plant grows tall enough to have a large trunk.

Pruning:

Remove lower discolored leaves. You may also want to trim the ends if they have brown tips.

Dracaena

Characteristics:

The name dracaena incorporates a broad variety of plants. In this entry we will talk about the care of the most common variety, the marginata or dragon plant. They usually have a lot of woody stalk showing and are grown upright with the foliage or head just at the top. They can be anywhere from two feet to twenty feet tall. More expensive plants have had their stems weighted down during production growing to make curves and bends in the stalks. They can resemble a candelabra. The leaves are dark green with a dark red margin around the outer edge. Marginata tips are mainly foliage with a small amount of stalk showing.

Over watering - pale, dwarfed new growth, brown tipping, rotting, stinky stalks (remove these immediately).

Under watering - bright yellow lower leaves, droopy heads, wrinkled stalks.

Pruning:

Cut the cane to desired level or pull out only center new growth if you want a subtle prune job and want to maintain the same height. The ends of the foliage will sometimes brown indicating over watering. These can be trimmed to the shape of the original leaf or blunt cut.

False Aralias

Characteristics:

The most common names in this family are: false aralea, ming, and balfour. Their leaf shapes range from parsley like, to long thin and blackish, to crinkle, to round and smooth. Jokingly called "marijuana plant" because of it's similarity to the real thing. The false aralia seems more available in stores, but it is hard to keep looking good. The ming and balfour look delicate but are very sturdy.

Pruning:

Most aralias stay compact. If they become sparse, and you want a bushier plant, cut back the top growth to the next joining leaf, the axil.

Ficus Tree / Fig Tree

Characteristics:

Keep the soil watered, but let the top two inches of soil dry out. Letting the soil become extremely dry will result in dry, and yellow, leaf drop. New green, leaves dropping off can be a sign of over watering. When this occurs the plant is in trouble, make sure it is using the water you give it.

Pruning:

These plants, when new, have a tendency to drop a noticeable amount of leaves. Don't panic, this is due to the trees being grown in ideal conditions, they are adjusting to your environment. The leaf loss may occur over several months. Pick up fallen leaves and remove yellow ones still on the plant. Cut off dead and dry twigs. This helps light to penetrate to the inside foliage, to promote growth on the inside.

Fiddle Leaf Fig

Characteristics:

The leaves are wide and stiff, and shaped like the body of a fiddle. They can be bought in bush or tree form. If this plant is in too low a light situation the branches become elongated and new growth is dwarfed. Over watering results in edges of leaves becoming brown. Plant will droop and lose yellow leaves if under watered.

Pruning:

The woody stalk can be cut to promote bushier growth. Remove new leaves if discoloration appears, repeat until growth is normal.

Ivy

Characteristics:

Hanging Ivies are elegant and rich looking, easy to grow, and they age gracefully. Keep an eye out for spider mite. If you catch the pest and spray early your ivy will stay healthy looking. We emphasize early pest detection because mites do extensive damage in little time.

Pruning:

They can be trained to cover shapes with their vines, but they need constant clipping directing. We prefer our ivies hanging or over a ledge. They need regular trimming to keep their shape. Cuttings can be easily rooted in water.

Janet Craig

Characteristics:

Janet Craig's are noted for their dark green glossy leaves and their tolerance for low light. Like many other members of the dracena family they like slightly dry soil. With dry soil their leaves lose their gloss and become cupped. Soil kept too moist promotes brown and yellow spots on the inner new growth. After a few years, these plants will acquire what we call age spots. Fluoride in the water is a main cause of this problem. Once these spots appear the condition is irreversible.

Pruning:

Cut stalk before the Janet Craig gets top heavy and loses its upright position. When the inner growth gets brown and yellow spots, gently split the leaf with your finger nail and tear the leaf in half to where it joins the main stalk, removing the entire leaf.

Kentia Palm

Characteristics:

These plants do not have a multitude of fronds - the few they produce create an elegant airy look. The fronds themselves are long and finger-like, and bend downward gracefully. They last for many years and are durable, though like most palms cannot tolerate severe dryness or continual over watering.

Spotting on the upper leaves can sometimes mean it is in too bright a light, or there is an excess of certain chemicals in the water (fluoride). These plants are well worth the investment.

Pruning:

Remove lower leaves as they discolor. If due to incorrect watering, the tips of the leaves become brown. If this happens, trim to the shape of the leaf.

Neanthebella

Characteristics:

This plant is also called a parlor palm. It stays thick and green with little light and attention. Over watering is evident with yellowing and brown tips on the fronds. When soil becomes too dry the lower leaves turn yellow.

Pruning:

As with most palms, remove the old discolored and dead fronds at the bottom of the plant. There can be leaf loss when the plant is acclimating due to low light and lack of humidity. If this happens the small inner leaves dry up and die. Remove them. Pruning to maintain the shape is not needed with this low growing compact palm.

Norfolk Island Pine

Characteristics:

Norfolk pines have distinctively flat branches and short soft needles. They enjoy humid environments. With age, and lack of humidity, the needles along the trunk will fall off. Dead, lower branches, are a sign that the plant has been dehydrated. The dry needles will not come back. These plants do best with consistency stay on a watering schedule. Over watering results in sporadic bright yellow needle clusters that come off very easily, and don't come back. Check to see if the plant is standing in lots of water.

Pruning:

They grow upward, their trunk thickens and the pine bows increase in size. It is not recommended to cut their growing tips off. Its symmetrical shape would be destroyed. The only maintenance pruning to be done is removal of dead lower branches.

Peace Lily

Characteristics:

Peace lilies come in many varieties, from small delicate leafed plants to ones with giant elongated leaves. They can all produce a white bloom. It is not a good idea to let the foliage droop severely between watering on a consistent basis. Once these plants droop and then are watered, they stand back up, but because of the strain on the plant a few of the lower leaves will turn yellow and must be removed. This is due to root system damage, and as a result you will have to keep the soil moister. Try watering a peace lily thoroughly and then let the soil at the top dry out to the touch (about two inches down).

Pruning:

Remove dead and discolored leaves. Cut or pull off dead flowers. Trim edges of the leaves as needed. We recommend trimming to the shape of the leaf.

Philodendron

Characteristics:

Philodendrons come in a multitude of varieties, with all sorts of leaf shapes and colors, most philos can be grown in low light. Some grow in a bush form like the selloum. Some varieties are trained to grow on a pole to create a slender upright shaped plant. These pole plants must be continuously pruned to keep the vines on the pole. If the pole is wooden it will eventually rot, causing the plant to lean over. Styrofoam poles will break if you're not careful.

Pruning:

These fast growing plants have vining tendencies. Most people prefer a full, leafy looking plant, so it is important to trim back new growth on the vine tips. This keeps the plant full and helps prevent the plant from looking stringy.

Phoenix Palm

Characteristics:

They have a light, airy, tropical look. They stay compact, within their space. Watch out for the sharp thorns in the center of the plant. If these palms are under watered they will droop, and become a lighter green. Be careful not to continuously dehydrate, they will not fully regain their light, airy shape. Constant over watering will result in blackish yellow tips, on old growth first, and then new growth. Once the new growth is damaged, it will be difficult to get this plant healthy again. If phoenix are located in a hot, drafty area, watch for Spider Mite, they spread rapidly.

Pruning:

Cut off lower leaves as the tips of the fronds become discolored. This highlights the trunk.

Ponytail Palm

Characteristics:

The ponytail palm takes its name from its resemblance to hair cascadeing out of a ponytail. It's also called a "bottle palm" because its trunk becomes a bottle like bulb at soil level. Because of its massive size the plants are mostly root-bound. While they can store water in their bulb, and use their water slowly, they probably don't have a lot of soil in their pot. If the roots become too dry the lower leaves turn brown or yellow and the plant looks a little ashy.

These are durable high light plants. They take up a lot of room and the leaf edges are rather sharp.

Pruning:

Remove discolored lower leaves. Do not trim brown off the ends. Brown is normal and more cutting will produce more brown, plus a jagged edge.

Rhapis Palm

Characteristics:

Ladyfinger or Raphis Palm, as they are called have very shiny dark leaves. Their fronds stretch out like fingers on a hand from an upright furry trunk.

They like their soil to stay moist. Drying the soil severely can cause the foliage to turn gray, brown and crunchy. If the soil becomes too moist, the soil can encourage root rot and damage will eventually show up in the foliage with brown tips, spotting on the new growth and entire parts of the plant turning brown.

Pruning:

New fronds come out from the center of the trunk. Trim off lower leaves as they age and become discolored. If new growth is dead, the whole trunk needs to be cut out, because it has rotted, and the leaves will all eventually become dry and crunchy.

Sago Palm

Characteristics:

Sago's and their counterparts in the cycad family have very sturdy, almost plastic like leaves. They are closely related to the ancient plants that lived on earth during prehistoric times. Their growth comes out from the center like other palms. Growth is very slow.

Pruning:

The lower and older fronds usually yellow and die off as the plant ages. Most palms only support a certain number of fronds. When they reach their quota, a new one replaces an old discolored one.

Sansevieria

Characteristics:

This is an excellent plant for low light, high traffic situations. Its leaves are stiff and sturdy without being sharp. There are several color choices, dark green, green with yellow edging, pale green, light yellow and light green.

Periodically it is necessary to add soil. This helps to support the plant.

Over watering a sanseviera produces slimy, drippy leaves. Pull these out immediately. Under watering is shown by leaves that lean and wrinkle. Continual under watering results in permanent root damage.

Pruning:

If the spear-like leaves fall over, cut-off at soil level, don't stake them up.

Schefflera

Characteristics:

New varieties of the Schefflera are being created to resist bugs and to grow full and stay compact. Some of these different varieties are called Amate and Diana.

The Arboricola and Schefflera have many similar Characteristics as far as appearance goes. Both plants have leaves set out on brackets in an umbrella shape.

Pruning:

If this plant is placed in high light it should stay full and more compact, if it is placed in lower light they have a tendency to stretch out. If this occurs remove the new growth to encourage new growth at bottom.

Spider Plant

Characteristics:

The more root-bound these plants are, the more babies they produce. The more babies on the plant, the more water the plant uses. Remove the offshoots and put in water or soil; it will mature into a new plant soon.

Spider plants are commonly variegated with a white stripe in the middle, but can come with a reverse stripe, or solid green leaf. This is one hardy plant. Most problems arise from over watering. You will start getting black tips with a yellow halo, then whole black lower leaves. So, they need to be dry between watering. Keep an eye on the foliage it becomes pale and droopy when it's ready for water. The root system is large and tuberous, and can store water longer than most hanging plants.

Pruning:

As the offshoots mature, they should be removed from the main plant. The bigger the babies get, the more strain they put on the mother plant. They can be cut off and put directly in moist soil or just put in water. Their roots are already formed, so starting another plant is extremely easy. To remove babies trim the stem off both the mother and the baby. It looks better if there are no stubs showing.

Warneckei

Characteristics:

Warneckei are sold both in short bushy and tall cane forms. They grow slow so try to get the height you want right off the bat. Brown and yellow edges on the new growth usually signals that the plant's soil is too moist. Solid yellow or brown lower leaves signal dehydration. Water heavier or more frequently.

Pruning:

Remove whole leaves if they become spotted. Either cut the leaf at the stalk, or gently pull off the whole leaf. Periodically these plants will develop black tips on the end of the leaf. Trim off to the natural shape of the leaf. To maintain height, remove the center new growth, they can also be cut down to any desired height. Several new heads will pop out within about two months.

Yucca

Characteristics:

Their foliage is sharp and spear like; watch your eyes the leaf edges are even sharper than the point. Don't be deceived.

They are durable plants and can tolerate being dry. Over watering will show as a brown tip with a yellow halo. Under watering is indicated in shriveled stalks (not woody trunk), and solid yellow and brown leaves. These are usually the lower leaves.

Pruning:

If these plants are grown in direct sunlight, they will stay compact and their stalks will be able to support the weight of their foliage. The less light they get, the more the stalks and foliage will stretch to the light source. Sometimes this stretched foliage will break off.

As yuccas age, we have found black splotches appear randomly on the foliage. Where it is possible trim the black parts off or remove the whole leaf altogether. If the whole head becomes unsightly, cut it down to a suitable height, and wait for the new heads to grow - usually three or four new heads will appear. Be careful not to over water now. Less foliage means less water.