A key to having handsome houseplants that are healthy and vigorous, plants that enhance their surroundings, is to choose from among those known to be comparatively care-free. By Barbara Perry Lawton [This article was first published in The Gateway Gardener January/February 2011 issue.] A key to having handsome houseplants that are healthy and vigorous, plants that enhance their surroundings, is
» Read more
I like to use indoor foliage to provide the fall seasonal color. (This article was first published in the Gateway Gardener November 2010 issue.) By Ellen Barredo I find the calendar once again flipped open to the month of November and again the yearly thought crosses my mind …Decorate for the Harvest. With the kids long grown I seldom haul
» Read more
(This article was first published in The Gateway Gardener October 2012) Text and Photos by Ellen Barredo You ask…What is Kokedama? Well Kokedama is the Japanese art form of enclosing a plant’s root mass in moss. Kokedama means “moss ball”. This trend is growing and can be quite fun. A current spin off of the Kokedama trend is String Gardening.
» Read moreBy Ellen Barredo (This article was first published in a shortened form in The Gateway Gardener March 2012 issue) Houseplants, our Green Heroes, work tirelessly purifying our home and office environments removing common pollutants and continuously releasing oxygen and moisture into our homes and offices. Houseplants improve our lives, naturally cleansing the very air we breathe. A recent news report
» Read more
January and February are top months to purchase blooming orchids of all types. But buyer beware! Don’t be tempted by the “Just add ice” plants found in groceries and mass merchant stores. The ice watering method may reduce the store’s loss but is not best for the plant. Plus, “grab n go” orchids’ sitting around by drafty doorways in winter
» Read more
Ferns can be striking specimens in the home and work beautifully when displayed with poinsettias for the Holiday Season. By Ellen Barredo (This article was first published in The Gateway Gardener December 2009 issue) When you first see a fern, it is graceful and delicate experience. The fronds from species to species are unique in size, texture, and color. They
» Read more
This article appears in the June 2011 issue of The Gateway Gardener magazine on stands now. By Ellen Barredo Early this winter, my local supplier of tropical plants, Rich, called with an interesting story about Miracle Fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum. While touring a Florida supplier Rich and his daughter Danielle encountered a greenhouse that contained potted Miracle Fruit with small red
» Read more
By Ellen Barredo (This article was first published in the March 2006 issue of The Gateway Gardener.) My first experience with Oxalis occurred on the 25-minute walk to ele- mentary school. The sidewalk I traveled passed by many big, beautiful houses sur- rounded by gardens of all descriptions. Although these gardens were full of blooming flowers, the lawns were typically
» Read moreBy Barbara Perry Lawton (This article was first published in The Gateway Gardener January/February 2009 issue) Take a close look at your houseplants. Are they looking healthy and vigorous? If not, this is an ideal time to do some judicious pruning. Throw away that swan-necked African violet. Pitch the stringy old philodendron. If some are reclaimable with a hefty bit
» Read moreBy Ellen Barredo (This article was first published in The Gateway Gardener January/February 2009 issue.) Historically, the craft of topiary found it origins in Roman times and it was very popular with the Victorians. Here is a simple step-by-step guide to creating your own heart-shaped topiary.
» Read more