How to Grow and Care for Mexican Fan Palms Washingtonia robusta
06.12.2023 - 15:35 / finegardening.com
Many succulents, including cacti, can survive outdoors where winters are cold. These long-lived plants bring four seasons of living sculpture to a sunny, well-drained garden, and they offer up striking flowers to a variety of pollinators during the growing season. Recently, cacti and succulents have reigned supreme as houseplants, leading to a renewed passion for indoor gardening.
Two main reasons for their popularity are their uniquely appealing architectural shapes and symmetry, and the fact that they can thrive with little water or care. But these striking water-wise plants aren’t just for sunny windowsills or people who live in the desert. The following options are undemanding as long as you meet their basic needs, and they are perfect for xeric landscapes where drought is a concern.
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The term succulent is not a botanical classification; rather, it is used to describe any plant that stores a lot of moisture in swollen stems and/or leaves. Cacti are a particular type of succulent. They belong to a botanical family, Cactaceae, that is comprised of related species of plants with succulent stems and generally no foliage. In many cactus species, the foliage has evolved and been modified into spines. Most cactus species inhabit dry -regions in the wild, where their spines help to shade them from -intense sun, prevent desiccation, and provide protection from hungry and thirsty foraging animals.
‘Snow Leopard’ Whipple’s cholla has unique white spines that are striking up close or from afar
Name: Cylindropuntia × multigeniculata ‘Snow Leopard’ syn. Cylindropuntia whipplei ‘Snow Leopard’
Zones: 5–9
Size: 1 to 4 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide
Conditions
How to Grow and Care for Mexican Fan Palms Washingtonia robusta
Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) trees produce delicious fruit in summer and growing your own means the fruit can be enjoyed when they are sweet and meltingly ripe, unlike shop-bought fruit, which must be harvested early to be transported while firm. Apricot trees can be grown successfully outside in warmer parts of the UK, notably the south-east of England. Elsewhere, because the beautiful pink blossom is borne in early spring and is therefore liable to frost damage, only grow apricots in large pots and keep under cover for the colder months. When planted in the right conditions, an apricot tree should start producing fruit within two or three years and live for decades.
Some people are particular about the garden tools they use. Others take it less seriously and are content with the cheapest things they can find. I’m somewhere in the middle. I’m not one to waste money on overpriced brands, but I do want durable tools that last a good while. Just as important, they need to do the job and be up for the conditions under which I’ll be using them.
How to Grow and Care for Friendship Plants Pilea involucrata
Stock flower (Matthiola incana), also known as gilly flower or hoary stock, is a hardy biennial plant that brings splashes of colour and a sweet and spicy fragrance to a cottage or informal garden. With clusters of blooms forming a frilly spire of petals and soft narrow green-grey leaves, it also makes a long-lasting cut flower. The species is native to southern Europe and has purple flowers, but many single- and double-flowered cultivars have been developed in a range of colours, from white and yellow through every shade of pink, to red and purple. Stocks attract pollinating insects to the garden.
As we look toward 2024 together, we're wondering what will be in store for the interior design world. While it’s impossible to predict the future, keeping a keen eye on trends is all part of the job for interior designers and home decor experts.
These Tiny Mini Succulents are super low-maintenance, making them perfect for beginners and seasoned gardeners. You can also grow them in tea or coffee cups!
How to Grow and Care for Philodendron ‘Brasil’ Philodendron hederaceum ‘Brasil’
Last week Kathy Sandel shared her former garden in Calabasas, California, and today we’re back visiting her current garden in Sacramento:
I have stored my seeds in many ways—in jars, in plastic storage containers, in used bubble mailers, in cute “binder” gift books, in Ziploc bags. Keeping seeds organized can be a challenge, especially when you grow an extensive vegetable garden. There’s the question of how to organize and categorize. But did you know that your seed storage conditions can also affect the viability and germination rate of your seeds? In this article, I’m going to share some tips on how to keep seeds and container options for storing them.
I often hear folks say that they hate heaths (Erica spp. and cvs., Zones 5–8) and heathers (Calluna vulgaris and cvs., Zones 5–8), their earlier blooming cousins. The most common complaints are the woody, leggy shape they develop (mostly after years of neglect) and how they outgrow the space they’ve been provided rather quickly. The same people who complain about heaths and heathers admit they have no knowledge of how to care for them (Learn all about caring for heaths and heathers here). But while these plants do need certain conditions and annual care, they are not divas.
Rhipsalis is a low-maintenance, hanging house plant that’s perfect for beginners. Although it has no prickles, it’s a cactus and known as the mistletoe cactus. This may be because the tiny, white flowers that appear along its stems through winter into spring are followed by small, white or pale-pink berries or because its spineless foliage looks a little like mistletoe.