It is well if attached to a piece of cork bark and suspended from the ceiling of the greenhouse or garden room. First wrap sphagnum moss around the roots, then use plastic-covered wire to bind the plant and moss to the bark. From then on periodic immersion of the plant and bark in a bucket of water seems to be all they require to succeed. In fact, Tillandsia usneoides (Spanish moss) will grow perfectly well without compost or moss, simply by draping it over any convenient support. The thread-like fOliage is silver-grey in colour and can add considerably to the interest and appearance of a plant collection.

T. cyanea is quite different. It has recurving green foliage, and in time the most exotic bracts appear, pink in colour. From the sides of these bracts petunia-blue flowers are produced in summer over a period of several weeks. To increase plants the clumps are teased apart and individual pieces are planted in peaty compbst and subsequently into compost similar to that suggested for bromeliads.

Giving a plant an interesting common name can make a deal of difference when the time comes for the nurseryman to dispose of it. This being so it is odd that the commercial grower does not give more space to producing the pick-a-back plant.

If you want a nice relaxing garden then you should consider buying some garden furniture to ensure your garden is stylish and comfortable. You can find garden furniture in a variety of shapes and sizes so you shouldn’t have a problem finding some that’ll suit your needs and tastes.

Garden furniture such as chairs, benches, tables and loungers make a garden stylish and very relaxing so you can enjoy it. There are plenty of options available, even for small gardens. Garden furniture is suitable for almost any garden size and shape.

A lot of people enjoy their gardens because they purchase garden furniture which means they can relax in the outdoors. The first thing you should consider is where you want your garden furniture. Patios or decking areas are ideal for tables and chairs.

Tables and chairs are the centre of entertainment in your garden so are an essential part of garden furniture. Deciding on tables and chairs for your garden can be hard. When it comes to garden furniture you’ll probably want something sleek.

Growing feather palms to a reasonable size is a long, slow process, so plants of specimen size are invariably expensive. The plants require a warm, light position in which to grow, preferably in a moist atmosphere. Water freely during the spring and summer months, and in moderation at other times. In the garden room, and indoors where it is practical, plants will benefit from having their leaves syringed with water during the summer months.

They are also smaller than those, and can be guaranteed to attract attention in almost any grouping of plants, however exotic the others may be. A moist support and warm conditions is again advised as this species is inclined to he a little temperamental if conditions are not to its liking.

Do this by spraying regularly for by leaning the plant over the support more heavily with a watering-can – if the plant is not tilted the surplus watermill run into the compost and make it much too wet. The aim when watering should be to keep the compost moist, but not permanently saturated.

Phalaenopsis are the most popular of the warm-growing orchids. They have thick, broad leaves, often attractively mottled in silver or grey. They are monopodial, without pseudobulbs; their leaves grow from a basal rhizome, and usually number between three and six at any time. Their roots are also attractive, being flattened, silvery grey and extensive. Often these roots grow outside the pot and adhere strongly to the bench. The flower-spikes – two or three a year on a mature plant – come from near the base, immediately above a lower leaf. There is no strict flowering season.

They are mainly pink and white, with yellow less frequently seen. The flowers will last for several weeks, and old flower spikes will produce more flowers if cut back to a ‘node’ along the stem.

Cymbidiums grow throughout the year and should be watered continually to keep the plants evenly moist at all times. Feeding can be greatly reduced or stopped altogether for the winter, when there is insufficient light to enable the plant to convert the feed. Feeding during the winter could be harmful to the roots.

Colouration can be found on orchids, in particular among the tall-growing, two-leaved Cattleya species known as the bifoliate cattleyas. Purple shows up clearly on new growth, but is gradually lost. It may appear on the leaf’s upper surface and on the new sheaths protecting the growing pseudobulb. Odontoglossum grande covers the undersides of its leaves with delicate brown flecking, and many other examples may be found.

This presents a flat appearance and does not form a rosette. There are many hundreds of different species within dozens of different genera, which are widely distributed from Africa through India, Asia, right across to the Philippines and Australasia.

With no enforced rest and no tilting stress to the plant, they become the most beautiful specimens under care, exhibiting their luxuriant clean foliage which is a joy in itself. The flowering of such plants comes as an extra bonus! The green-leaved species which originate from the far east can be grown in a cool, shady situation. The larger, more fleshy varieties from the Philippine Islands and Malaysian Peninsula require warmer conditions, also with good shade. Very few pests will attack these orchids, which are among the cleanest to grow.

Odontoglossums are one of the most popular genera of orchids in cultivation. They are compact plants – usually requiring only a 4-in pot – with large flowers up to 4 in (10 cm) across, and a dozen or more on a spray.

The leaves are long, up to 2 ft (60 cm) and about 1-2 in (2.5-5 cm) wide. The flower spikes are stout and can grow up to 3 or 4 ft (90 -120 cm) carrying a dozen or more heavily textured flowers 4 in across. These last in perfection for up to eight weeks. They are produced in the late summer and grow throughout the winter to bloom any time from November to May, with the majority flowering in the spring. A large plant may produce up to six flower spikes.

Also from this base from inside one of these lower leaves, comes the flower spike. They have varying flowering seasons, and the flower spike is produced upon completion of the season’s pseudobulb. Usually no more than one or two spikes can be expected in a season. The flowers have sepals and petals of equal size, the lip nicely balanced with colourings different from the rest of the flower.

The dendrobiums comprise an enormous genus and their growth is extremely varied to suit all environments. A somewhat unusual species is D. cunninghami, which is adapted to the temperate conditions of New Zealand.

Thus the leaves become all important; if these were to be lost the plant would find it very difficult to survive long enough to regrow from the stem. Although beautifully adapted to prevent overheating, this plant would suffer severely from cold, and could not withstand exposure to frost. It is known, however, that some terete-leaved orchids are capable of withstanding frost, and some often do, in their natural environment. Brassavola nodosa is such a plant.

These beautiful orchids do not adapt to cultivation and tend to die even with specialised culture within a few years. Culture in a bell jar is often successful for a while. There are numerous miniature orchids found throughout the world -which deserve more attention. They are every bit as beautiful as their Larger counterparts although a magnifying glass is helpful to see this.

Before you begin any garden, you have to make sure you have the right supplies. If you start digging up your yard and find out that you need a garden hoe to do this and a trowel to do that and you dont have those tools, you will be stuck with an ugly yard and nothing to do. Before you start anything, you need to be prepared.

In order to figure out what you need, go through the steps of the gardening process and figure out what is necessary for each step. First, you need to cultivate the plot and prepare the soil. In order to do this, you will need a tiller. A tiller is motorized and easily breaks up the ground before you. They are very efficient and easy to use, but can be expensive.

If a tiller is just too expensive for you, you can use several other cheaper tools instead. A shovel is an absolute necessity. Especially if you have tough land, you will need a pickax to help you break up the grass and get through the large clumps. A garden hoe will help you with the remaining smaller clumps.

The keen plantsman is likely to encounter a number of Polyscias, which belong to the Araliaceae family. All these are better suited to greenhouse cultivation rather than indoors, so ilk garden room is a possibility. Polyscias Imlfiniriana, and in particular the improved form P. b. Pinocchio, is one of the best, the improved form having creamy-yellow leaves. In time it will attain a height of 10 ft. or more when confined td a pot, but this will take a number of years.

Cuttings a few inches in length root very easily in standard house plant compost if placed in a warm propagating unit, several cuttings to each pot. When they have rooted and obviously begun to grow the growing points of each cutting should he removed. Grown in moderate light in a warm place they will give little trouble. Feed with a weak liquid fertiliser while in active growth.

The silvery grey Pilea cadierei was at one time the most popular but has now been superseded by the much more compact and attractive P. c. nana, which has smaller leaves of brighter appearance. The artillery plant, P. microphylla, gets its common name from the way seed pods ‘explode’ and scatter seed in all directions; other than this interesting facility it would seem to have little to recommend it for house decoration.

Very easy to grow, these saxifrages make excellent hanging-basket plants, and are best made up as self baskets so that the young plantlets can be seen to better advantage when they cascade down. The common name is derived from the fact that the plant forms masses of young, plantlets in much the same way as strawberries, and can be propagated very simply by removing well-developed young plants and potting them up individually. General care presents few problems, as these plants do perfectly well in most environments where other plants are being grown.

The variegated form Sasifraga sarinentosa tricolor is much less vigorous, requiring more careful handling, and will certainly need the higher temperatures indicated above. It will also do better if confined to small pots, as growth is not sufficiently active to justify planting them in hanging baskets as suggested above for the green form.

A moist moss support for plants to climb and get their roots into will greatly improve their performance. Potting compost should be peaty- in its composition and the inclusion of a little good leafmould will be an advantage if it can be obtained.