Why use phoenix pots in your Boston, MA NE interiorscapes?

1. All kinds of colors thats why? These pots come in all colors and pantinas to blend with your indoor office interiors.

2. Phoenix is a moderately-priced container option. It is made from post-consumer materials (recycled office equipment and household items) and is now available in a broad range of cylinders, squares and tall squares, in 41 Low VOC Earth Forms Finishes. Whenever your clients have budget issues or are looking for environmentally-friendly products, you can always offer Phoenix as an alternative.

Plantscape Designs Inc designs with these pots extensively in our Boston, MA cityscapes.

How to use Stromanthe indoor office plants in your officescapes Boston, MA

Why colorful stromanthe "sanguinea triostar" in your indoor office environments?

1. Stromanthe sanguinea is mainly grown for its richly variegated foliage that comes in pink, dark pink or burgundy, white, and green colors. During spring time, sanguinea produces reddish-pink flowers.

2. In addition to the peerless multi-colored foliage many observant and experienced gardeners noticed that it has both nyctinastic (night) and heliotropic (sun) movements that are controlled at the swollen area near the base of the leaf.

3. At this portion, the pigments, Phytochrome triggers the night position of the leaves and the cryptochrome triggers the day movements.

4. Stromanthe sanguinea exhibits a clump-forming growth to about 3.5 feet making it an excellent container plant. It performs well as a landscape and garden patios plant and is loved by many as an office plant in well lite lobbies.

Plantscape Designs Inc uses these colorful plants in your lobbies and atriums to soften the polished river rock used in planters today Cambridge, MA.

Plants for inside outside atriums for your office buildings

The interior atrium (left) of this Boston office building has a simple but effective softening calming and welcoming design.

Seasonal bromeliads are changed every two months. Reds , oranges, pinks , yellows, burgundies, whites and even peaches are applied in this indoor atrium with the planting of Black bamboo, phyllostachys nigra, all year round.

Bamboo are grasses that are both economical and esthetically pleasing for use on your properties.

The exterior atrium (right)also has a simple botanical design using clustered "river birches" betula. Out door seasonal flowers are used sparingly such as hardy mums, coleuses, flowering annuals and sometimes flowering perennials.

At Plantscape Designs Inc we service both inside and outside atriums with our award winning weekly plant care service in the Boston, MA business communities.

What and why are "Bromeliad Bouquets"for your office reception?

Bromeliad Bouquets are a grouping of potted assorted bromeliads. Plantscape uses these economical long lasting flowering plants on many of your reception desks welcoming your clients in Boston, MA.

What are bromeliads?

1. Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) is a family of monocot flowering plants of around 3,170 species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana.

2. Pitcairnia feliciana is one of the basal families within the Poales and is unique because it is the only family within the order that has septal nectaries and inferior ovaries. These inferior ovaries characterize the Bromelioideae, a subfamily of the Bromeliaceae.

3. The family includes both epiphytes, such as Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), and terrestrial species, such as the pineapple (Ananas comosus). Many bromeliads are able to store water in a "tank" formed by their tightly-overlapping leaf bases.

4. However, the family is diverse enough to include the tank bromeliads, grey-leaved epiphytic Tillandsia species that gather water only from leaf structures called trichomes, and a large number of desert-dwelling succulents.

5. The largest bromeliad is Puya raimondii, which reaches 3–4 m tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike 9–10 m tall, and the smallest is probably Spanish moss.

6. Bromeliads are one of the more recent plant groups to have emerged. The greatest number of primitive species reside in the Andean highlands of South America.

7. Humans have been using bromeliads for thousands of years. The Incas, Aztecs, Maya and others used them for food, protection, fiber and ceremony, just as they are still used today.

8. European interest began when Spanish conquistadors returned with pineapple, which became so popular as an exotic food that the image of the pineapple was adapted into European art and sculpture. In 1776, the species Guzmania lingulata was introduced to Europe, causing a sensation among gardeners unfamiliar to such a plant. In 1828, Aechmea fasciata was brought to Europe, followed by Vriesea splendens in 1840. These transplants were successful enough that they are still among the most widely grown bromeliad varieties.

9. In the 1800s, breeders in Belgium, France and the Netherlands started hybridizing plants for wholesale trade. Many exotic varieties were produced up until World War I, which halted breeding programs and led to the loss of some species. The plants experienced a resurgence of popularity after World War II. Since then, Dutch, Belgian and North American nurseries have largely expanded bromeliad production.

At Plantscape Designs Inc we currently use all color bromeliads in our weekly and monthly flowering programs in Boston, MA interiorscapes.

Phototropism whats that?

1.Phototropism is directional growth in which

the direction of growth is determined by the direction of the light source.

2. In other words, it is the growth and response to a light stimulus. Phototropism is most often observed in plants.

3.The cells on the plant that are farthest from the light have a chemical called auxin that reacts when phototropism occurs. This causes the plant to have elongated cells on the farthest side from the light.

4.Phototropism is one of the many plant tropisms or movements which respond to external stimuli. Growth towards a light source is a positive phototropism, while growth away from light is called negative phototropism.

5. Most plant shoots exhibit positive phototropism, while roots usually exhibit negative phototropism, although gravitropism may play a larger role in root behavior and growth. Some vine shoot tips exhibit negative phototropism, which allows them to grow towards dark, solid objects and climb them.

6. Phototropism is enabled by auxins.

7.Auxins are plant hormones that have many functions. In this respect, auxins are responsible for expelling protons (by activating proton pumps) which decreases pH in the cells on the dark side of the plant. This acidification of the cell wall region activates enzymes known as expansins which break bonds in the cell wall structure, making the cell walls less rigid.

8. In addition, the acidic environment causes disruption of hydrogen bonds in the cellulose that makes up the cell wall. The decrease in cell wall strength causes cells to swell, exerting the mechanical pressure that drives phototropic movement.

The above photos are examples of a ZZ plants bending toward the lighted window. Our technician had to rotate it 360 degrees to correct the phototrophic bending of this indoor office plant in Boston, MA. This will evenually correct itself and straighten out.

Why use pothos plants in your interior landscape?

Pothos : Epipremnum aureum

1. Light Level: High

2. Water Level: Medium

Pothos is a very common foliage plant. Planterra uses mostly ‘Jade,’ ‘Marble Queen,’ ‘Neon,’ and ‘Golden’ varieties. They look great in hanging baskets, tabletop bowls, and as ground cover. With the proper care, they are durable, long-lasting plants.

3. Country of Origin

Southeast Asia

4. Maintenance Tips

With variegated varieties, leaf color will fade if light is too low.

Do not allow plant to sit in a saucer of water. Does very well with sippers or capillary mats.

Prune often to maintain fluffy, rounded shape growing from the center of the planter.

5. Pests and Problems

Rhizoctonia is a fungal pathogen which causes a disease with symptoms characterized as a root rot as well as an aerial blight. The entire plant and soil surface may be effected by rusty-colored minute filaments (the fungal body).

Scherotium rolfsi, also known as Southern blight, is a white cotton-like fungus, complete with an spore-like objects, on the soil surface and the stem at the soil line. The stem rots and the plant collapses.

6. Mealybug, scale, mites and Thrips.

At Plantscape Designs Inc. Boston, MA. ,we use biological predatory "cryps" Crytosantous to eradicate white fussy mealybugs . Parasitic "lace wings" are used to eliminate scale. Finally predatory mites are used to combat spider mites that feed off your indoor office plant pothos.

Why Does Plantscape Designs Use Warnikis, Neanthe Bella Palms and ZZ Plants?

Fresh Warnikis, ZZ Plants and Neanthe Bella Palms have arrived at our Route 128 warehouse. These low light loving plants soften your office work place cubicles and open areas. The options are unlimited.

Warneckii, Lemon-Lime

Dracaena deremensis

Light Level: Medium

Water Level: Medium

Dracaena deremensis cv. ‘Warneckii’ has stiff, tapered leaves with gray, green and white stripes. ‘Lemon Lime’ is a ‘Warneckii’ cultivar with more yellow and green stripes.

Country of Origin

Africa and Asia

Maintenance Tips

When D. deremensis fertility is too low or when the plant is over watered, it may develop weak color and narrow strappy leaves. Lack of phosphorus can cause a severe dieback in the middle and older foliage. Iron deficiency is common and results in severe interveinal chlorosis.

If you gently grab the third leaf back from the growing tip during the middle of the day and hold it lightly in your hand, you may be able to feel the leaf’s heat. If you can, it probably means the light and temperature are too high. You can mist the plant to reduce its temperature and move it away from the light or heat source.

These plants do well when kept on the dry side. You will find they are often in Hawaiian lava rock potting media, which helps prevent root rot. Do not allow these plants to sit in water.

D. deremensis ‘Warneckii‘ prefer low to medium light.

ZZ Plants :

The Zamioculcas is definitely a -"What’s Up" plant. It fits just about every need of what a new indoor plant introduction should be.

Handles low light

Low water use

Tough under indoor conditions

Handles neglect well

The ZZ has been around for decades.

It is a member of the Aroid family along with the philodendron, spathiphyllum and aglaonema. You would never know it though the cardboard palm, is another Aroid.

The base of the plant stalks are swollen from which the stem host dark green, naturally shiny leaves. It’s easy to think that the plant has had leaf shine put on it. Remember, we don’t recommend leaf shine.

One rule that almost all of the BEST indoor plants have is – they grow slow. The ZZ is no exception. It is easy to propagate but develops slowly. Most of the plants are grown from leaf cuttings just as you would a jade plant.

Plants are grown in 4 inch up through 14 inch pots. Large plants can reach 3 feet in height and I have seen a very old plant of 4 foot. The average height of most of the plants grown is about 16 – 28 inches, and the plant can have a wide spread on it. It works well as an accent plant in areas where it can"spread its wings".

Neanthe Belle is discussed in another article in more detail in our PDI BLOG.

At Plantscape all three above 3' plants can be used under your indoor office logos, artwork or company information photos to highlight their importance.