Vines For gardeners who live in THE CENTRAL STATES

WINTERCREEPER – There are two varieties of this broad leaved vine or ground cover worthy of attention. The first is the purple-leaf wintercreeper, Euonymus Fortunei colorata, whose foliage has a purple cast; the second, the big-leaf wintercreeper, Euonymus Fortunei vegetus, noted for its attractive bright green rounded foliage and bitter sweet like fruit in fall. Both are tolerant of most any soil, prefer a north or east exposure and cling to walls or trees by root-like holdfasts reaching up 25 feet or more. As ground covers they grow a foot or so tall. The nice thing about them is that they will grow in shade and can stand root competition from trees. Regrettably they cannot be recommended for the coldest or the warmest parts of the region.

BALTIC IVY – The hardiest variety of English ivy, Hedem Helix baltica, will climb up walls or tree trunks 25 feet or more and also makes an interesting 3 to 5-inch-deep ground cover. It will grow in practically any soil and prefers a north or east exposure. The foliage is medium sized and prominently veined.

The only pruning necessary is light trimming of longer shoots. Cuttings made from these trimmings will not be difficult to root in warm, close conditions, but they will take a long time to make plants of any size. Given good heat and moist conditions it is also reasonably easy to germinate seed. The fruits are about the size of small tangerine oranges, but rather bitter tasting if you have sufficient oranges to spare they do make excellent marmalade.

Plants may be raised from seed sown in warm conditions, or from cuttings of side shoots inserted in a warm propagator at a temperature of not less than 22C. (72″F.). Clianthus ilampieri, the glory pea, requires special treatment and is very much a task for the experienced professional; having weak roots it must be grafted on to seedling stock of Colutea arborescens.

The common name gives a clue to Codiaeum; and it is indeed a plant of many colours that outshines every other species in foliage colouring. For years now we have been advised that codiacum is the proper name, but the old one of croton is still favourite with both nurseryman and general public.

Many plants have. their names changed, but the nurseryman who is responsible for the production of the vast majority is not always willing to accept the change. The kentia is a good example as we should more properly refer to this elegant palm as a howea.

These were popular plants at the turn of the century and have remained in the forefront as desirable indoor plants. Grown from seed sown in moist peat kept at a temperature in the region of 27 C. (80 F.), they take many years to reach maturity, so are expensive plants to purchase. For this reason they are not likely to become best sellers.

Cuttings of non-flowering shoots, or shoots that have had the flowers removed, may he rooted at almost any time; firm cuttings in peaty compost will present no problems if the standard propagating suggestions are followed. keep a watchful eve for red spider on the underside of leaves and treat accordingly.

It must also be planted out in the border in the garden room where prolific growth will he the order of the day. Normally luxuriant growth makes them unsuitable for the small garden room and, even in larger quarters, they will need quite severe and frequent pruning. Plants whose growth is too lush will often produce masses of leaves at the expense of flowers.

All over the world there must be millions of liens grown annually for indoor decoration, ranging from the tiny creeping fig, Ficus pumila, to majestic trees of F. benjamina and F. benghalensis. None of them flower when grown in pots, so the attraction is entirely in the foliage. Ficus elastica robusta is the now greatly improved ordinary rubber plant which is produced in vast quantities annually.

Allowing for the fact that they may prove problematical indoors they are still superb plants for the greenhouse, garden room, or for planting in the garden as temporary or permanent residents, depending on whether they are hardy or not. There are obviously ideal times for propagating cuttings but my experience is that when someone gives you a healthy cutting of a particularly good variety it will root at almost any time if the conditions are right: warm, lightly shaded and moist.

In the garden room it would he essential to provide a warm bed of moist peat in which to plunge the plant=pots. Provided the surroundings are shaded the` maximum tem- perature is unimportant. Propagate from stem cuttings with two to three leaves attached.

Food is an essential component in Mexican holidays and no self-respecting Mexican would celebrate one of his national holidays without enjoying the very best Mexican cuisine and Mexican drinks. One holiday that you might have heard about is Day of the Dead, which is on November 1 and 2. This holiday is when families get together to remember their dead loved ones.

Day of the Dead traditions include honoring the deceased by building altars and visiting graves with gifts such as the favorite Mexican foods and favorite Mexican drinks of the deceased.

Cinco de Mayo is another famous holiday in Mexico. This is a regional holiday and especially close to the hearts of Mexicans living in Puebla because, Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican victory over the French in 1862, at the Battle of Puebla.

A lot of people are under the impression than Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day but that is another holiday altogether and it is on September 16. Mexicans would say that Independence Day is their most important national holiday.

Favorite Mexican Holiday Foods

You don’t add a home feature for nothing. Having a deck is definitely one of these. A home deck is an extra curricular activities place in the sanctuary of your home. You can have fun under the sun, given that you have a deck awning for a shade, get romantic as you sit back and relax, and also commune with nature. You can add planters and fill the sides of the deck with flowers and plants for your total satisfaction. You can even add a mechanical falls to set the mood. Lightings will also be valuable additions.

A home deck is definitely a good addition to your home. With a deck adjacent to your home, you can enjoy life at home more than you can imagine. This can even be a good extension of your home especially on parties or on simple occasions where you need a little more breathable space. If you don’t want to have the rest of your friends invading the privacy of your interiors, you can always use it as an escape when you hold late afternoon BBQs and entertainments.

The ‘easy’ tag must apply only to plants grown in the garden room or greenhouse, as the light conditions available indoors would present problems. In the light garden room they can he most impressive when in full colour; to achieve this it is important that plants should be kept very much on the dry side during the winter months when they are resting.

When new growth is evident, usually in February, the amount of water should be gradually increased and thereafter the compost should be kept moist but never permanently saturated until the plants begin to shed their leaves naturally towards the end of the summer.

Richly coloured bracts will give a much more effective show if growth is trained to a trellis or wire support in the shape of a fan. Plants should be hard pruned in February, the previous year’s growth being cut hack to an inch or two in length. Good light is all important as results are invariably poor in shaded conditions. Pests are not too troublesome, though mealy bug can he a problem, particularly when growth becomes matted and there is difficulty in making contact with the hugs when spraying.

It’s nice to get fresh flowers from someone who cares about you. But it’s even nicer if you know how to care for them. This will ensure that they last longer than expected and will also tell the giver that you value his or her investment.

Caring for flowers is like caring for babies minus the diapers. This short article will tell you how to do that and help you enjoy the beauty of flowers for a longer time.

First, make sure your “baby” is clean and well fed. Feed your flowers with enough clean water so they won’t die of thirst. If you received a lovely floral arrangement, your work is almost done. Simply keep the oasis foam wet and you’re okay.

If the flowers were delivered in a vase, see to it that all stems are in the water. If not, add more water and cut off a little portion of the stem.

“Should you get a bunch of cut flowers that are not in water, you’ll need to act quickly. Pull off any leaves that would be under water – they’ll just rot and breed bacteria. Then cut off about an inch from the bottom of each stem and get them into water,” said Herb Weisbaum of MSNBC.Com.

Planting a vegetable garden can be a very rewarding hobby as well as provide you with a healthy food source. Planning a vegetable garden gives you the chance to grow only the ones that you and your family love and it gives you the satisfaction of knowing that they are healthy and contain no pesticides or other harmful chemicals.

Sometimes people are turned off by vegetable gardens, arguing that they will be too difficult or time-consuming. In fact, it really can be simple and fun! If you follow some simple steps, you can create a great source for enjoyment and have healthy, delicious vegetables your family will enjoy eating.

You will want to pick a spot in an area that receives a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight daily for your vegetable garden. If you have a more shaded area, leafy plants like spinach and lettuce are better choices as they are more tolerant of shade.

There are many smaller and more compact varieties which do well as indoor plants and one has only to send to a specialist nursery for a list in order to make a selection. All will do well in a temperature in the region of 16C. (66F.), and require more or less standard house plant treatment. When plants become old and leggy, as they do in time, new plants may be raised from cuttings which will root fairly readily in close, warm conditions.

Plants can be raised from cuttings; we are usually advised to insert one cutting in a small pot, but better results will be obtained if four or five cuttings are inserted around the edge of the pot. A convenient way of raising them is to fill the pot with J.I.P.2 compost, make holes for the cuttings with a pencil and fill the holes with moist peat. The cuttings are then inserted in the peat in which they will root before finding their way into the compost, where they will grow very much better.