Genus Leatherman Pruner - Great Gift

Every landscaper, nurseryman and serious gardener needs a professional grade tool for pruning and trimming plants around the garden.

Felco clippers have always been choice to carry on my belt. However, I’m always open to new tools that make the job easier. Another tool always close by on my belt has been the popular “Leatherman” a multi purpose tool for lots of jobs which come up while working in the landscape.

A new tool to consider from the Leatherman Tool Group is the “Genus” professional grade pruner. What makes this tool worth looking at? First, the Leatherman makes a quality product. The Genus adds to the pruner an everyday tool for the busy and serious outdoor plant enthusiast a full set of stainless-steel tools. These tools include:

• A Bottle Opener
• Phillips Screwdriver
• Sprinkler Head Adjustment tool / Flat Screwdriver
• Saw

The complete pruner is balanced, resistant to corrosion, heat treated and durable. Supplied with extra blades, spring, nylon case and a diamond-coated file.

Check out the Genus Pruner from Leatherman – it will make a great gift that will be remembered all year round.

Cold or Frozen House Plants - Now What?

Recently, we’ve received some questions on house plants which stayed outside in the cold and what to do? The questions go something like this!

Question: “My Ficus tree or Dracanea got really cold when I forgot to bring the plant indoors. The leaves turned brown and now it’s losing all its leaves, is it dead? Can the houseplant be saved?”

Answer: Plants drop leaves for a reason, it could be protection, seasonal, or it’s flat out dying. House plants such as a Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily) may get some burned leaves depending on the length of time the plant was exposed to the cold. It may grow back. It may just take some time.

When plants are exposed to cold temperatures many times you’ll notice that the leaves are very dark and discolored. It may also show blackened tips such as the case with Dracaena Massangeana or oily leaves like on Aglaonemas.

What is happening with these plant leaves? Cell collapse.

Think of what happens when you get sunburned - skin begins to peal because the cells have been destroyed… Plants shed their leaves.

There you are with a plant that has lost all of its leaves and the branches, canes or tips aren’t looking very good - what do you do?

• First, be realistic - Does the plant look too far gone?
• Second - if you think you want to give it a try or a re-grow, it may be time to pull out the clippers.

Take a look at the bark as on a Ficus tree, is it black, shriveled or separated from the trunk? (it’s most likely beyond help) Don’t look just at the top but down at the base.

Next start high and scrap the bark. If you find brown at all keep moving lower until you find green, believe me you’ll know when you find it.

When you find an area of green - cut off everything above it, on that stem or branch. When you get done going over this you may have a plant that stands a chance of coming back.

Remember, not only was the foliage, branches and stems exposed to the cold - so were the roots. No matter how hard you try the plant may not survive. The root damage may be so severe that you’ll be fighting an uphill battle.

Now after you’ve performed all this surgery, don’t start pouring water and fertilizer on the plant. Maintain regular plant care. You’ll most likely need to reduce the quantity and frequency of watering.

I know many people can become attached to their plants and they want to try and do everything they can to recover their
treasure. After most indoor house plants suffer exposure to extreme cold temperatures you’ll find it very difficult in regrowing the plant to it’s old stature - even under optimal growing conditions.

The quantity of effort you’ll put into saving plants that suffered extreme cold damage may be better suited to replacing and caring for a new ones - just my thoughts. But learn from this lesson. Keep houseplants indoors all year long.

Landscape Color - Adenium Hot Pink

Color is always an attraction in the landscape. Patios, gardens, decks and front yard entrances all use color as a focal point and to put on some fabulous displays.

The Adenium known commonly the “Desert Rose” is one flowering plants which has grown of the years in popularity as a potted colorful addition to the landscape. The most commonly grown variety is Adenium obesum featuring bright pink flowers and a unique swollen base.

A new addition to this outstanding color rich landscape plant is - Adenium ‘Hot Pink’!

This special hybrid of ‘Hot Pink’ is a vigorous grower which is free branching and a much faster growing plant than its popular sibling.

Adenium obesum is normally produced from seed, this makes the plant a big variable on what the end plant my look like. Adenium ‘Hot Pink’ is grown from virus tested stock producing cutting with not only hybrid vigor but consistency. ‘Hot Pink’ is almost red and will make a big splash in a patioscaping project.

Pony Tail in the Landscape

Over the Thanksgiving holiday I was visiting friends and family. It wasn’t long before I was outside walking around in the garden checking out the plants growing in the landscape.

There were some wonderful beds of bromeliads growing on the ground and climbing the trees. One of the first things to grab my eye was a great looking ponytail palm growing in the landscape.

Here’s more on the pony tail palm care

Flamingo Flower For Indoor Color

The flamingo flower or more correctly the Anthurium is a close relative of the Peace lily. The growing conditions and needs indoor are very similar. Probably the biggest difference is in the lighting requirements.

Most house plant owners buy an Anthurium as a flowering plant. In order for the Flamingo flower to give you more blooms it will need more light than a peace lilly.

A west facing window with bright yet indirect light is a great formula for keeping an Anthurium in regular flower.

New varieties of Anthuriums continue to be introduced for home use. Large flowers to small colorful heart shaped red, dark pink, and everything in between slowly turn green as the get older.

Learn more an the colorful indoor Anthurium plant.

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