Office Plant TIps & Ideas

Plant of the Month – African Violet (Saintpaulia)

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This immensely popular flowering houseplant, the African Violet, is native to Tanzania and Kenya. Because its natural habitat is rapidly disappearing due to clearing of land for agriculture, the conservation status of most species is listed as near-threatened. Several species are endangered.
There are 6-10 different species of African Violet, but most of the commercially grown plants are cultivars (horticultural varieties) of one particular species. African Violets can range in size from 6cm to over 20, and the flower colours ...

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Winter dormancy and interior tropical plants

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The period of winter dormancy in outdoor plants, shrubs, and trees is easy to see and is taken for granted with the changing of seasons. But what about interior tropical plants? We receive questions all the time about whether tropical office and house plants are actually dormant in the winter. Based on what we see and experience in our plantscapes, tropical plants do not enter a true winter dormancy period in an interior environment.
What exactly is dormancy? Dormancy is ...

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Plant of the Month – Boston Fern (Nephrolepsis exaltata)

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Although not commonly used as a tropical office plant, the Boston Fern is definitely a favourite among plant lovers. It has delicate arching fronds with light green coloured leaves. This plant is best displayed as a hanging plant to show off its full foliage and fronds that can grow to a length of up to 3ft. It does best in medium, indirect light. A north or east window works well. The leaves will burn easily if placed in direct intense ...

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Plant of the Month – Arrowhead Vine (Syngonium podophyllum)

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Syngonium podophyllum or Arrowhead vine is a fast growing, trailing or climbing tropical plant. It is a very common office and house plant and is often used in hanging baskets. ‘White Butterfly’ is the most common variety. The leaves are an elegant pale green colour with a creamy coloured centre. Recently new cultivars have become available. ‘Neon’ has delicate pink coloured leaves, and ‘Mango Allusion’ has leaves with green and pink tones.
Although this tropical plant is quite easy to ...

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Plant of the month – Fishtail Palm (Caryota mitis)

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The Fishtail palm is a very unique looking palm with leaves that strongly resemble the fins and tail of a fish. It is not commonly found in interior plantscapes, but can be a great plant for large bright spaces. This palm is native to southeast Asia, China and India. Some species can grow to heights of 25-30 meters! Tropical plant growers will sell these as large potted plants 12-15 ft in height designed for bright atriums. The Fishtail palm is ...

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Plant of the Month – Lipstick Plant (Aeschynanthus pulcher)

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The Lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus pulcher) is a popular tropical plant often used in office plantscapes. It makes a great table-top or hanging plant as the stems grow quickly and will trail down the sides of the container.
It has small dark green fleshy leaves and when the conditions are right, will produce a very unique pink or red flower. When the flower first appears, it looks just like lipstick emerging from a tube.
Native to Malaysia and South America, this ...

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Sub-irrigation system for watering tropical plants

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Your interior landscape contractor has recommended a sub-irrigation system for your new tropical office plants. What is this and is it necessary?
A sub-irrigation system allows a plant to take up as much water as it needs. It removes some of the guesswork from trying to decide how much water a plant requires. Although it seems this should be straightforward, there are many factors that affect this decision. A plant will never require the same amount of water every week. ...

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Plant of the Month- Selloum Philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum)

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Looking for a large showy plant to fill a bright corner of your home or office? The Selloum Philodendron may be a good option. This non-climbing member of the Philodendron family grows quickly and is relatively easy to maintain. In its native tropical habitat, Paraguay and Brazil, it can grow to heights of 15ft and be over 10ft in width. The leaves are large, often 12-24″ long and have many wavy deep lobes around the edges.
Outdoors it does ...

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Plant of the Month – Orchid

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The much-loved orchid is a member of the family Orchidaceae, the second largest family of flowering plants, consisting of over 20,000 species! In addition, commercial producers of orchids have developed over 100,000 horticultural varieties.

The species that people are most familiar with is Phalaenopsis, pictured on the right. The number of spectacular colours and patterns that are available in this species is endless. Deep purples, mottled white and purple, yellows with delicate pink centers, and pinks of every shade, to name ...

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Plant of the Month – Money Tree (Pachira aquatica)

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The Money Tree or Money Plant is probably the most common novelty tropical plant available. Throughout the offices we service, we see this plant almost daily. It is definitely a favourite as a desktop plant. People often have stories about how long they have had them, and how they seem to survive just about anything. They are available for purchase everywhere; corner stores, fruit markets, florists and almost all grocery stores. Money Trees are usually grown with an eye-catching braided ...

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