How do your indoor office plants grow?

Our plantscapes of N.E. clients within the sourounding Boston, MA and Rte 128 area are incubators for green plant growth.

Growth is certainly one of the most striking phenomena observable in any plant ecosystem or just in your office plants alone!

Meristems is the cell division, enlargement-elongation, and specialization of green plant cells of your indoor office plants, that is also called growth. But how does this work? Why do your plant cells divide, enlarge-elongate, and differentiate?

Genetics and growth hormones are what make your interior office plants grow and stay healthy.

At PDI Plants that is our job to keep these complicated biochemical processes functioning correctly within your office plants.

Plantscape Designs Inc. uses "Bio Pots"For our monthly orchid programs.

Why does Plantscape Designs Inc. use "Bio Pots" with its monthly orchid programs?

PDI uses "Bio Pots"with its monthly orchid programs because they look sleek, modern and are biodegradable.

"Bio Pots" are made with renewable bamboo fibers and are biodegradable . Once damaged or disposed of, they are easily decomposed , environmentally friendly.

These containers come in all colors of the rainbow useful in many of our Boston cityscapes.

Plantscape Designs Inc. uses these pots in all of our N.E. Plantscape locations.

Why use terra cotta or plastic grow pots in Woburn ,MA?

Why use terra cotta or plastic grow pots with your indoor office plants?

The difference between terra cotta and plastic grow pots for your indoor office green plants is the rate of evaporation of water from either of your terra cotta or plastic pots.

If your office plants are grown in terra cotta pots, your rate of evaporation will be much greater than if your potted green plants were potted in plastic. The reason is terra cotta pots are porous for water to evaporate threw, plastic pots are not.

Plastc pots tend to keep the water in the soil of the potted plants in longer, requiring you to water your office green plants less frequently.

Plantscape Designs Inc services the New England foliage of the 128RTE and Woburn, MA areas.

Why use Starbucks coffee grounds in your indoor office plants soil?

Many consumers are unaware of the fact that by-products from the kitchen make excellent additions to compost,” said Ginny Black, communications chairperson of the United States Composting Council. “Coffee grounds are rich in nutrients and beneficial for any backyard compost effort. The U.S. Composting council applauds Starbucks for their environmentally responsible donation and encourages consumers to take advantage of this generous opportunity.”

PDI plants is currently mixing used starbucks coffee grounds in our customers office plant soils.

By doing this coffee mixture, organic nutrients (alot of nitogen, magnesium potassium, some phosphorous , Calcium and Micronutrients) are added to the potted soils as well. Naturally normalizing the ph of the plant's soil.

At Plantscape Designs Inc. we are encouraging all interior landscapers and business office personnel to blend sparingly coffee grounds into their indoor office plant soils. Too much might chemically burn your indoor office plants.

To begin composting at home, Black recommends gardeners fill a wooden or plastic bin with a mixture of leaves and other yard trimmings and then mix in coffee grounds and kitchen scraps (no animal products). To help the pile decompose faster, it is important to make sure that the materials are moist (like a wrung-out sponge) but not soggy. Aerating the pile by mixing and turning also encourages the composting process. Compost is ready for the garden when it has fully decomposed into a dark rich soil-like material. A half-inch to an inch of compost on top of the soil feeds plants, prevents plant diseases, suppresses weeds and conserves water.

The proper amount of coffee grounds to be used depends on soil condition and what is being grown in a garden. Contact a local gardening expert to learn what is best for your region. Or call us at PDI for indoor office plant soil testing.

Plantscape Designs Inc. service the Boston, Ma and 128 RTE, Ma. business communities.

Gas exchange between your indoor plant's leafs and your office environment.

The leaf , exposed to the open air, exchanges not only gases with this air but also heat by molecular collisions on its surface.

The carbon dioxide taken up in photosynthesis and released by respiration, the oxygen moving in a opposite direction out of the leaves; water vapor, volatile organic and other materials moving in and out and energy being exchanged in various forms is what is going on inside your office tropical plants.

These gases such as water vapor, oxygen and fragrances are emitted into your offices as a health benefit to you and your staff. PDI currently services Cambridge, MA officescapes.

Why go vertical with your indoor office plants and containers?

Why go vertical with your indoor office plants and containers?

First, vertical is the "in" design look for modern contemporary offices today. Vertical takes up less office space in smaller workplaces.

Second, sleeker, trimmer linear design has a different eye appeal then past 80', 90's and early 2000's jungle look.

Third, architecturally the new narrow containers are more suitable for your newer constructed offices today, focusing on the shape and finishes of the planters as part of the office furniture design.

A nicer neater look with fewer more stately presented office plants. PDI uses this design in Waltham , MA cityscapes.

Spring is here!

Spring is here! Your N.E. interior officescapes can now have spring flowers early right through the winter. PDI interior landscapers in the Boston area have dozens of species and colors of those flowering plants for your reception desk now. Delivery is always included as well as a designer container framing your bright and festive live flowering accents . Call us for your weekly, bi-monthly or monthly flowering programs needed in your receptions and conference room. Add some color add some life! Yes we do office plant care service in the Boston MA area.

What is the difference between Hardi cacti and tropical cacti?

Are your indoor office plants hardi cacti or tropical cacti?

There is a big difference between the two if you want to water them correctly.

Hardi cacti like the opuntia species humifusa (-45 degrees F) is native to the eastern United States; its pads ( upper photo) are bright green and its flowers are vivid yellow.

Similarly widespread but found in the West is Opuntia polyacantha ( plains prickly pear, hardy to - 25 F) . Opuntia fragilis ( to -35 F) grows throughout Canada and the West into Mexico.

You must water their sandy soil lightly.

Tropical cacti ( lower photo) are native to the rain forest regions. These prefer high humidity, warmth and rich soil. Most are epiphytes ( air plants that use trees for support but do not derive nourishment from them). You must water these foliage office plants more frequently.

Epiphyllums ( orchid cacti) produce impressive flowers in late spring.

Flowers of popular Schlumbergera truncata, from Brazil, appear in mid winter, hence the common name Christmas ( or holiday) cactus.

PDI uses both these species of cacti in our interior and exterior green foliage designs in the Andover, MA office buildings.

Why use Crassulas in your N.E.plantscapes Andover, MA?

What are Crassulas? Crassulas are succulents. There are numerous species and cultivars of Crassulas. The two main forms are jadelike and stacked. Crassulas are semi arid plants , not cacti but close to it.

The plant to left is a representive of stacked species and he plant to the right a cultivar of the jadelike type.

Crassulas ,like jade plants love the sun and high light south exposure office windows.

The texture of these indoor plants is thick and hard unlike your typical tropical indoor office plants.

Jades have thick stems and form mounding, branching shrubs that can be pruned into small trees and used for bonsai.

Flowers appear midwinter through spring, borne in clusters that may be massed so profusely the plant appears blanketed with snow. The common jade ( Crassula ovata) has thumbsized, oval green leaves edged in red. Siver dollar jade (Crassula arborescens) has red edged silvery gray leaves .

PDI currently uses these foliage indoor plants at our Andover, Ma locations.

Why use river rocks in your interior landscape designs?

Why use river rocks in your interior landscape designs, because river rocks give your indoor office plants a more contemporary finished look. Gray dried spanish moss or wood chips gives your office foliage a natural softer look design .

River rocks are certainly more expensive for your Boston cityscape office designs, however, in the long run it is less expensive to use because there is no need to constantly replace these once live plant dressings of spanish moss or wood chips that need to be replace over a period of time. PDI is currently using river rock dressings in Waltham, MA Lexington, Ma and Woburn, Ma.

why use orthigalums in your interior office work place?

What are orthigalums (star of bethlehems)?

The chincherinchee is also known as Ornithogalum. The Greeks used the term "bird's milk" ornithos (bird) and gala (milk) to describe something incredible, hence one of their common names is “Wonder Flower” or "Star of Bethlehem". The South Africans know them as "tjenkenrientjee" which is where the odd English name chincherinchee comes from. Sometimes are called a "florist's nightmare" because they have such a long vase life. They can easily last a whole month, and it will be a while before anyone has a need to return to the florist.Their flowers, bell and star-shaped, are showy and sometimes very fragrant . They bloom individually in circles carried at the top of leafless stems, and usually white but also yellow and orange.The best known is Ornithogalum thyrsoides. Ornithogalum umbellatum has larger star-shaped white flowers and narrow leaves. This variety's most eye-catching feature is the beautiful green stripe on each flower.

Ornithogalum thyrsoides is native to South Africa and the Ornithogalum umbellatum is native to the Mediterranean, and all varieties are available all year round. They belong to the Liliaceae (lily) family and grow from bulbs. PDI uses these flowers in our weekly flower programs in our N.E plantscapes.

Speaking of Light and your indoor office plants.

As the days grow longer and your interior office plants produce new growth, they can become unruly and miss shaped. This is the perfect time for Plantscape Designs of N.E. to prune and shape your plants. In the spring giving them a heavy pruning, they have a summer of long days to recover and push out lots of new foliage. This will make your plants more shapely and beautiful. Many of our clients' ficus trees are perfect candidates for such pruning and shaping in the Cambridge - Boston areas. This is just another green plant solution by PDIPlants Boston.

It's Not Always About Flowers With Interior Office Plant Design

When we think of adding a colorful accent to our indoor office plants we often think about cut flowers or a flowering potted plant. Actually there is another option. Tropical foliage plants that have beautiful colored leaves. If your office has the right conditions, bright light and warm temperature, there is an unlimited selection of plants that have colorful foliage and variegated leaves. Crotons, Cordyline, Rex begonias, Stromanthe are just a few that can brighten your office with some color. We use many of these on locations in the Boston metro area. Colored leafy botanicals have unlimited plant possiblities.