Thursday, December 26, 2013

Minimalist application of indoor office plants in your interiorscapes Waltham, MA.


1. Reception areas in your Boston officescape should welcome and invite your clients and employees to your place of work every day of the week.

2. A long lasting potted bromeliad or orchid flower for you reception desk or coffee table is both affordable and esthetically pleasing within your interior office plant environment..

3. The use of one or just two specimen tropical green plants in your Boston reception or setting is enough to create this ambient environment.

4. As shone above in one of our over 300 client locations. Visit our PDIPLANTSBlog.com for more info or call 781.279.0032

At Plantscape Designs Inc colorful Bromeliads and Orchids are used in our office interiorscape reception areas in Boston, MA.

Plantscape Designs Inc of Stoneham, MA services the following area cities and towns in Massachusetts:

  • Boston, MA
  • Cambridge, MA
  • Wakefield, MA
  • Woburn, MA
  • Peabody, MA
  • Wilmington, MA
  • Tewsbury, MA
  • Methuen, MA
  • Needham, MA
  • Andover, MA
  • Dedham, MA 

  • Andover, MA
  • Westboro, MA
  • Acton, MA
  • Westford, MA
  • Chelmsford, MA
  • Billerica, MA
  • Burlington,MA
  • Bedford, MA
  • Lexington, MA
  • Wellesly, MA
  • Watertown, MA
  • Lynnfield, MA
  • Danvers, MA
  • Saugus, MA
  • Beverly, MA
  • Salem, MA
  • Reading, MA
  • North Reading, MA
  • Marlboro, MA
  • Southboro, MA
  • Northboro, MA
  • Stoneham, MA

Monday, December 9, 2013

Using aloe plants within your interior office plant design, Waltham, MA

Growing an Aloe Vera (or most other Aloe species; there are more than 300 of them) is not a difficult matter, if a few basic rules are followed: 
1) If grown in a pot, allow the root ball plenty of room to grow; aloes are voracious growers, and having space to do so is necessary. When you (re)pot allow a growing area three to five times the size of the root ball. 
2) Use a well-draining soil. The number of soils Aloe Vera will grow in is quite large, but a basic cactus mix. You may wish to experiment with other soils, but one thing it needs is to be well draining, so even a home-made concoction of 1/3 sand, 1/3 soil, and 1/3 pumice/gravel is better than straight potting soil. Aloes don't like to be cold and wet. 
3) Pot up your aloe in soil up to the root ball. Use top dressing (gravel/pebbles) on top of the soil to give it a finished look, hold down the dirt, and reduce evaporation. Do not water a newly repotted aloe for a few days-this gives it a chance to get used to it's indoor office interior as well as allowing time for any roots that have broken to seal themselves.
4) Most aloes grow vegetatively from April-October so water regularly with that in mind. The rest of the year, watering twice a month is sufficient. Water when the soil is dry-rainwater is the best-so that may mean 2x a month, or once a week, or some combination thereof. Aloes are very forgiving-they can go a long time without water, but they grow best with it. 
If in doubt about watering, don't water. Also, remember #2 above-they shouldn't be cold and wet. Some aloes will withstand a freeze, but many will turn to mush, and we certainly don't want that. 
5) Fertilize from April through Septrember, 2x a month, with a low-nitrogen fertilizer, heavily diluted. I use Miracle-Gro 15-30-15, diluted about 1 to 5. 
6) Many aloes produce pups. When the pup is fully formed, detach it from the mother plant, let it callus over for a few days in a cool, dry area, and pot it up. If it has roots, pot as you would a regular aloe, allowing for the fact that it is smaller and should be in a suitably sized pot for it's size.
If it has no roots, let it callus over, place the cut/broken end ON the soil, and support it with top dressing. DO NOT WATER IT-it has no roots, so watering the soil will likely cause rot. Instead, mist it every few days. Roots should start forming within a month. When growth is evident, it can be watered. 
7) My Aloe Vera flowers in March/April, but yours may choose a different time. Aloe vera flowers are yellow, but others flower in hues of pink/red/orange/white/gray. They start as a spike that gradually gets larger and finally opens, lasting a long time. Aloe flowers are beacons for hummingbirds, so be prepared to be buzzed by these lovely creatures if your are amongst your aloes when they are flowering. 
Plantscape Designs Inc, places these healthy medicinal indoor plants in your Waltham, MA offices.

Plantscape Designs Inc of Stoneham, MA services the following area cities and towns in Massachusetts:

  • Boston, MA
  • Cambridge, MA
  • Wakefield, MA
  • Woburn, MA
  • Peabody, MA
  • Wilmington, MA
  • Tewsbury, MA
  • Methuen, MA
  • Needham, MA
  • Andover, MA
  • Dedham, MA 

  • Andover, MA
  • Westboro, MA
  • Acton, MA
  • Westford, MA
  • Chelmsford, MA
  • Billerica, MA
  • Burlington,MA
  • Bedford, MA
  • Lexington, MA
  • Wellesly, MA
  • Watertown, MA
  • Lynnfield, MA
  • Danvers, MA
  • Saugus, MA
  • Beverly, MA
  • Salem, MA
  • Reading, MA
  • North Reading, MA
  • Marlboro, MA
  • Southboro, MA
  • Northboro, MA
  • Stoneham, MA



Sunday, December 8, 2013

Biological Weapons are a safe way to eradicate Fungus Gnats Boston, MA


PDI PLANTS inc. has knowledge of and access to predators and parasites for combating insects and pest on your Boston office plants.

Biological Controls really work!

Fungus Gnats problems?

Small black Fungus Gnats flying in front of your computer screen like the specimen to the left ? Those annoying little pests! We can solve your problem with parasitic nematodes microscopic worms.

Yes, beneficial nematodes really do exist! These minuscule beneficials are barely visible to the naked eye as tiny threads. They attack only insects in moist soils or borer tunnels. Plants, earthworms and vertebrates are completely unaffected by these tiny beasts.
with your particular interior office plant needs.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Plantscape Designs Inc.Monthly Educational interior landscape Meetings, Woburn, MA

We at Plantscape Designs Inc. pride ourselves on initiating monthly educational meetings for our 20 employees both who work in our office and in the field.

1. Educational slide shows and lectures on proper caring of your interior office indoor plants, Woburn, MA. are conducted.

2. Discussions about employee concerns dealing with their interior office clients

3. New green plant care techniques in the field discussed.

4. Occasional botanical test identification of tropical Green plants by our manager horticulturalist with our techs.

5. Open discussion on our interior office customers designs needs.

6. Introduction of new green indoor plants and living potted flower arrangements are discussed as well.

At PDI we educate our employees and consult with our interior office clients, not sell them.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Plantscape Designs uses Cattleyas orchids in our interiorlandscaped offices, Boston , MA


The Corsage Cattleyas Orchid also used in our PDIplant designs interior offices in Boston, MA.




1. Cattleyas are among the most commonly grown orchids, and their culture is often used as the basis for comparison with other types of orchids.  Like most other cultivated orchids, cattleyas are epiphytes, or air plants.  They have well-developed water-storage organs (called pseudobulbs) and large, fleshy roots.  They should be potted in a porous, free-draining medium.  The most commonly used are fir bark, shredded tree-fern fiber, various types of rock, processed coconut fiber and lately, mixes based on peat moss and perlite.  Keep out of cold, dry air while in bloom.

2. Light
Sufficient light is important for healthy growth and flower production.
Provide  Bright light, some sun.  In the home, an east, west or lightly-shaded south window.  In a greenhouse, about 30 to 50 percent full sun.  Under lights, four 40 watt fluorescent tubes and two 40 watt incandescent bulbs directly over plants.  Plants should be naturally erect, without need of much staking, and of a medium olive-green color.  Dark green, limp foliage indicates too little light.

3. Temperature
Mature plants need a 15 to 20 F difference between night and day. Keep your orchids near cool north indoor  office windows for better interiorscape flowering blooms.

Provide  Nights of 55 to 60 F; days of 70 to 85 F.  Cattleyas can tolerate temperatures up to 95 to 100 F if shading, humidity and air circulation are increased.  Seedling cattleyas need temperatures five to 10 degrees higher than mature plants.

4. Water
Mature plants must dry out between waterings, especially in your interior office landscapes. Seedlings need more constant moisture.

5. Humidity
Cattleyas need 50 to 60 percent.  In your indoor ofice environment.

6. Fertilizer
Must be provided on a regular basis because most potting media have little fertilizer in it.
 The exact fertilizer you use will depend on the mix in which your plant is growing.  A good general rule is to use a balanced (10-10-10, 12-12-12 or similar ratio) fertilizer "weakly, weekly."  That is, fertilize every week at one quarter to one half of the recommended dilution.

7. Potting
Should be done every two to three years in spring before mix loses consistency (breaks down).  Pot firmly in media that have good aeration and ample drainage, allowing enough room for two years' growth.

At Plantscape Designs Inc., we frequently apply Cattelya orchids in our monthly flowering corporate arrangements for our interior office plant Boston, MA. environments.

Friday, September 27, 2013

PDI Plants using recycled glass vases for your living orchid programs, Waltham, MA


1. Plantscape Designs Inc has done something innovative and cost efficient once again for us as well as our interior design landscaped indoor offices.

2. At PDI we are purchasing all kinds of assorted glass wear from "Second Glance Thrift Shops for our clients indoor office orchid programs.. Donated glassware given to "Second Glance "by you the public, is purchased by PDI , helping "Second Glance" community in need organization. This community organization takes these monies and purchases much needed food supplies for the hundreds of families whose mothers and fathers are out of work.

3. The glassware purchased by our interior landscaping company is of unique design unlike common corporate made containers for our floral and interior landscaping industry.

4. In addition, our costs in producing our living orchid indoor arrangements have been reduced, making your office living green plant orchid arrangements more affordable to you our clients, Waltham, MA

Friday, September 20, 2013

Caring for your Oncidium Orchid in your Woburn, MA interior office.


Oncidium orchids care can be trickier than for its cousins, the tolerant Paphiopedilum (Lady Slipper) or Phalaenopsis (Moth orchid). Oncidium orchid care must include abundant light and definite dry periods between waterings.

Oncidiums’ large pseudobulbs and profuse roots make them prone to rot and yet during the growing season they should be watered frequently. Striking the balance between keeping the plant adequately hydrated and dry all while avoiding root rot makes caring for orchids in the Oncidium genus challenging.



Oncidium Orchid Care Basics, PDI Woburn, MA

1. Light:  This is one of the few orchids that actually thrives on a few hours of direct sunlight each day. Oncidiums’ sun tolerance puts the other orchid types to shame. Put plant in an east or west facing, window (preferable with a sheer or Venetian blind covering it) where it can soak up the sun’s indirect but abundant rays. Dark green leaves indicate inadequate light exposure.

2. Temperature:  This group is classified as intermediate to warm, meaning that the plants can withstand 55° at night and 85° in the day. Oncidiums have been known to tolerate temperatures as high as 100° if there is sufficient air movement (a gentle fan preempts several orchid diseases and even pest infestation).Many of our interior office environments are warm enough for these orchids Woburn,MA.

3. Water:  Rather than watering by a weekly schedule, physically check the plant. Refrain from watering until potting mix is dry half way through. Check water levels by pushing a popsicle stick or bamboo skewer into the mix and checking the end to see if it’s wet or not. This frequency could wind up being every other day (during growing season) to once a week or every two weeks (dormancy). Water Oncidium less during summer dormancy. Keep in mind that plump pseudo bulbs indicate a healthy, adequately watered plant, where shriveled bulbs indicate a need for more water in your interior office Woburn, MA

4. Fertilizer:  If plant is in bark (which is typical), use high-nitrogen (30-10-10) during growing season. Otherwise use a balanced fertilizer (20-20-20). That said: rather than fertilizing weekly as you would with Phalaenopsis, fertilize every other week in half-strength and make sure to flush the fertilizer with clear water once a month. Fertilize more during sunny conditions which lead to photosynthesis and more energy use by the plant. The bigger the plant, the more fertilizer needed.

5. Growth:  Fast-growing.

6. Blooming:  While they can vary, Oncidium orchid blooms from August to September. Blooms last for up to two months.

PDIPLANTS INC, incorporates Oncidium Orchids in many of our interior plantscape office designsWoburn, MA



Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Pony Tail Palm: Designs by PDIPlants Waltham, MA


Botanical name: Beaucarnea Recurvata
Plant type: Houseplant
Sun exposure: Full SunPart Sun
Ponytail Palms are a great, long-lived indoor plant. (Despite it's name and palm-like appearance, it's not a true "palm.")




This plant has long green leathery stems that develop as the plant ages.  Indoors, they can reach up to 3 feet high. The only thing that is difficult about this plant is adapting to its watering needs. Plantscape Designs Inc. frequently uses these hardy indoor interior office green plants in your office work place, Waltham, MA.

1. Planting

  • Use a fast draining soil, such as cactus potting soil.
  • Normal room temperature is good for most of the year, but keep it cooler in the winter (50 to 55° F).
  • Find a location with bright light.

2. Care

  • Keep soil fairly dry. Water from spring through fall allowing soil to dry on the surface before re-watering. During the winter only water occasionally.
  • Fertilize in the spring and bring into brighter room for the summer months. 
  • Re-potting every other year at the most is all the Ponytail Palm needs.

3. Pests

  • Overwatering can contribute to stem rot.  If you withhold watering, the plant may be able to internally cure the problem. 
  • Spider mites occur on the leaves, but can be fixed by rubbing a cloth of soap and water on the stems. 

4. Wit & Wisdom

Another name for Ponytail Palm is Elephant Foot Palm.
PDIPlants has a unique variety of interior office green plants Waltham , MA

Monday, September 9, 2013

Using Robellini Palms in your indoor office workplace, Cambridge, MA


When you think of typical palm trees, an image of tall tree trunks stretching toward the sky often comes to mind. However, the robellini palm (Phoenix roebelenii) offers a miniature palm choice growing to a maximum of 12 feet within your interior office plant locations. Preferring warmer climates the robellini palm does require some care regarding its soil nutrient structure and watering needs. Although commonly disease-free, robellini palms may invite pathogens if their surrounding environment is neglected.

1

Monitor your robellini palm's soil for sufficient moisture. The soil should look damp, but not soggy. Insert a moisture meter into the soil for a more accurate account of the soil's water level. A low moisture reading indicates that the palm should be watered immediately. PDIplants uses moisture meters in our interior office plant environments, Cambridge, MA

2

Water the palm when the soil becomes slightly dry, using a watering can. Do not allow the tree to remain in complete drought conditions. It can withstand dry environments sporadically, but this places unnecessary stress on the palm.

3

Observe the water absorbing into the soil. Your palm's soil needs well-drained conditions. The water should not pool around the trunk; it should move quickly downward to feed the lower root system.

4

Till sand into the surrounding soil if it is not well drained using a gardening hoe. Use care so that you do not damage any roots below the topsoil.

5
Insert a pH meter into the palm's soil. Observe the pH level. Robellini palms prefer acidic to slightly alkaline soils. Amend the soil with lime or sulfate if the pH is extremely low or high.

6

Observe the palm's leaves. Look for any damage from nutrient deficiencies, such as chlorosis or yellowing leaves.

7

Fertilize the palm with balanced fertilizer, preferably specialized for palms. Potassium and magnesium are specific nutrients that cause leaf dieback if they are not available readily in the soil.

8

Repeat the fertilizing treatment so that the palm has three applications within one year for a mature tree. Younger trees, such as seedlings, require fertilizing once a month.
Plantscape Designs Inc. currently designs with these beautiful unique shaped interior landscape green plants within our Cambridge, MA and Waltham, MA interior green plant offices.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Simpile Designs by pdiplants, Waltham, MA

1. Simple designs such as the above three repeating colorful stromanthe 3' foot plants compliment both the clients color and corporate logo.

2. Stromanthe are colorful but low light loving plants, well suited for your indoor office plant design Cambridge, MA.

3. Water once a week two cups of water at least 60% humidity and light fertilization monthly, you have an idea interior plant for your office workplace.

4. Plantscape Designs Inc.has resently been using these colorful interior tropicals these last two years in our Waltham, MA clients corporate offices.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Plants you have difficulty killing: PDIplants Burlington


ZZ plant

Plants You Can't Kill

It may be too hot to interiorscape indoors in many offices, so enjoy lush greenery inside! Our Plants of Steel interior office cubicle plants collection is ideal for office staff who have never tried indoor plants or have had bad luck in the past. 
Sago Palm

Sanserveria

Pony Tail Palm
Aglomania silver queen or Chinese Evergreen

At PDI plants, Plantscape Designs Inc.we are always looking for new and different indoor office plants for your interior officescape, Burlington, MA



Tuesday, August 6, 2013

What are the financial benefits of having office plants?



The benefit of plants

Productive Staff
Research has established that plants have a calming effect, particularly for those sitting behind a computer screen for more than 4 hours a day. Other benefits are greater concentration and increased productivity by as much as 12%.

Reduced Absenteeism
Research has proved that complaints of minor ailments, often linked to Sick Building Syndrome (ie. headaches, blocked sinuses, dry throats, coughing and skin irritations), decrease by an average of 25%, when there is interior planting.


Cleaner Indoor Air
Plants absorb toxins (VOC emissions) through their leaves and their growing medium and emit oxygen for us to breathe. Perfect recycling and environmentally friendly!

Improved Humidity
Plants return well over 90% of all the water we give them back into the atmosphere, raising humidity levels, making us more at ease.

Noise Reduction
Research has found that plants absorb noise on their resilient leaf surfaces therefore stifling noise waves.

Lower Stress Levels
Studies have shown that the physical signs of stress ie. pulse rates and blood pressures were reduced in people working in a planted area.

Conserve Energy
Plants create their own mini micro-climate around them as they absorb heat, reducing theamount of air conditioning necessary.


Source: Plants for people: PDI the most trusted name in office plantcare in the Boston Financial district.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Why use episcias in your office reception Burlington, MA?


Episcias are related to the African Violets, their foliage and flowers add brightness to an office.
Episcias, sometimes listed as “flame” or “trailing” violets, have a magnificent range of foliage and flower color with leaves of shiny green, bronze and silver and tubular flowers of white, yellow, lavender, pink or red.


Added to these attractions is their charming manner of growth. Each plant sends out strawberry-like runners (stolons) which trail over the edge of the container.
There are about ten species of episcia plants and many more varieties.
Bronze-leaved, red-flowered Episcia cupreata is apt to be a shy bloomer but it has many varieties which produce an abundance of flowers with glistening green leaves and orange-red flowers. Established plants display flowers throughout the entire year.
Then there are Adajou with a pattern of silver green on a dark brown background and “Chocolate Soldier”, a favorite with many indoor growers, featuring chocolate brown leaves marked with silver centers. Silver Sheen displays red flowers above its frosty gray and brown leaves. Another cupreata variety called “Tropical Topaz” with green leaves and buttercup yellow flowers.
Let’s look at care and culture of Episcia…

1. Planting Episcia

Grow espiscias in a spongy soil, like those for African violets.
If you make up your own soil use two parts peatmoss, one-half part perlite or vermiculite and one-half part sand. One-half inch of pot chips and an equal amount of charcoal should be used as drainage for each four-inch pot. Keep the bulk of the runners pinched off to insure a good floral crop.
Many favor episcia containers which are long ceramic planters, soup tureens or aluminum cake tins with drainage holes punched in them. As the runners appear, they fasten themselves to the earth. When the container is full, let a few runners dangle over the edges. Since this container is filled with plants of varied ages, it shows bloom every month of the year.

2. Lighting and Temperature Requirements

Episcias thrive in an east, southeast or partially shaded south window. If you want them for foliage effect only, you can grow them to perfection in a north window or under grow lights.

Growing Under Office Lighting, Burlington, MA.

If you are growing plants indoors under artificial light like fluorescents episcias are just the thing to add to this garden. Under this non-changing light intensity they grow gorgeous foliage and bloom profusely. 
The average interior office temperature, 72 to 75 degrees during the day with the usual five to 10 degree drop at night, seems to suit them. All episcias need more water than African violets and they grow best under fairly humid conditions.
If the air in yourindoor office workplace is too dry (under 40 degrees humidity) episcias and all of your house plants will benefit when set on trays of pebbles with water kept just below the pot line.

3. Fertilizing Episcias

Fertilize episcias twice a month with any good soluble liquid fertilizer, remembering, of course, to fertilize only on well moistened soil. This safeguards tiny roots from fertilizer burn. Keep episcias pest free by giving them a thorough inspection for pest.

4. Propagation

If older episcia plants have shed leaves and look straggly, trim off the runners and repot the old plant. You can start new plants From the pieces.
Propagate episcias from leaves, runners or seed. Boot leaves and runners in water, vermiculite, sphagnum moss or sand. Speed up root formation by covering them with a small glass or clear plastic cup to increase humidity.
You can get infinite foliage and flower variety by growing episcias from seed. Sprinkle the seed on moistened sphagnum moss or vermiculite. They germinate in ten days to three weeks and as soon as the little plants have four good leaves prick them out and plant them in a pot or flat. Given good growing conditions, they will flower from seed in eight to 12 months.

5. Episcia As Conversation Pieces

If you want to turn some of your episcia plants into conversation pieces, try some of these ideas.
1. Use any of the episcias as trailers in the foreground of a planter, using taller upright plants in the background.
2. Grow two or more kinds of episcias in a large pot with the background plants trained up a moss-filled “totem” pole or a porous piece of tree stump or root. As a starter fasten the episcia runners to the pole with green wire Twist-ems. Keep the support moist and the episcia roots will grow into it.
3. Plant episcias in moss-filled baskets and hang them in your window garden or greenhouse or summer them on the terrace.
4. Try a plant in a rose bowl or small aquarium. Here, with the added humidity they receive, they grow as lush as they would in their homeland.
5. Grow some episcias in an attractive container filled with water. Change the water once a week, give them medium light and a wee pinch of plant food and you’ll enjoy them on an occasional table or the mantel. And you may find yourself using them for a hurry-up centerpiece.

At PDI Plants we always use different and exciting colorful flowers in your Burlington, MA indoor office environment.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Plantscape Designs Inc. and Pyrmid Pothos useage in Waltham, Ma interior officescapes.

1. Pyramid pothos are used quite extensively in our Waltham, MA interiorscapes. These narrow low light interior tropicals solve many design problems for both the client as well as our staff when designing your indoor office plant environment.

2. Narrow corners in office halls or in cubicle areas can be most difficult to place a broad leaf plant. Pyramid pothos plants usually 4 feet high can be placed appropriately in these narrow interior office confines.

3. These indoor plants are low light grown so they can be placed in darker inner office environs.
The classico powdered steel finished container finish this once lifeless office corner with a new refreshing botanical contemporary design.


4. PDIPlants, frequently applies these narrow plants in our interior office plantscapes, Waltham, MA.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Vanda Orchids:PDI uses these in our live monthly flowering office interiors gardens, Woburn, MA


1. This genus is one of the five most horticulturally important orchid genera, because it has some of the most magnificent flowers to be found in the entire orchid family[citation needed]. This has contributed much to the work of hybridists producing flowers for the cut flower market. Vanda coerulea is one of the few botanical orchids which can produces varieties with blue flowers (actually a very bluish purple), a property much appreciated for producing interspecific and intergeneric hybrids.

2. The color blue is rare among orchids, and only Thelymitra crinita, a terrestrial species from Australia produce flowers that are truly "blue" among the orchids, the other being Aganisia cyanea, a lowland species from Northern South America that is difficult in cultivation, but has metallic blue flowers. Both of these species, much like Vandas, also have a bluish purple tint towards the inner petals of the flowers. Occasionally, PDI applies Vandas in our indoor office locations.

3. The plants do not possess pseudobulbs but do possess leathery, drought resistant leaves, and some varieties terete leaf forms. Almost all of the species in this genus are very large epiphytes that are found in disturbed areas in habitat and prefer very high light levels, and the plants have large root systems. Some of these species have a monopodial vine-like growth habit, and the plants can quickly become quite massive.

4. These plants prefer consistent conditions day to day in cultivation to avoid dropping their bottom leaves. The epiphytic species are best accommodated in large wooden baskets bare root, which allows for the large aerial root systems. Disturbing or damaging the roots of large, mature Vandaceous orchid plants, and in particularly, Vanda and Aerides species can result in the plants failing to flower and going into decline for a season or more. These plants do not tolerate disturbance or damage of their root systems in cultivation when they become mature. The terete leaved terrestrial species are very easy to cultivate and care for in sunny interior office plantscapes.

When grown bare root, the epiphytic species require daily watering and weekly feeding and are very heavy feeders in cultivation. We at Plantscape Designs Inc.  make certain that these orchids are in high light interior office situations with plenty of watering during the work week.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Why prune your Boston MA office plants?


When pruning young trees the emphasis should be producing strong structures, in your Boston, MA. interiorscapes.

Proper pruning cuts are made at a node, the point at which one branch or twig attaches to another. In the spring of the year growth begins at buds, and twigs grow until a new node is formed. The length of a branch between nodes is called an internode.

The most common office plant that needs pruning is your Ficus trees, Benjamina, Nitida etc..



1. Make a small wedge shaped cut on the underside of the branch just on the branch side of the stem collar. This will break the bark at that point and prevent a tear from running along the bark and stem tissue.

2. Somewhat farther along the branch, starting at the top of the branch, cut all the way through the branch leaving a stub end.

3. Finally, make a third cut parallel to and just on the branch side of the of the stem collar to reduce the length of the stub as much as possible.


The most common types of pruning are:

1. Crown Thinning
Crown thinning, primarily for hardwoods, is the selective removal of branches to increase light penetration and air movement throughout the crown of a tree. The intent is to maintain or develop a tree's structure and form.

To avoid unnecessary stress and prevent excessive production of epicormic sprouts, no more than one-quarter of the living crown should be removed at a time. If it is necessary to remove more, it should be done over successive years.
This procedure is especially applied to your indoor office Ficus trees.

Branches with strong U-shaped angles of attachment should be retained . Branches with narrow, V-shaped angles of attachment often form included bark and should be removed .

Included bark forms when two branches grow at sharply acute angles to one another, producing a wedge of inward-rolled bark between them.
Lateral branches should be no more than one-half to three-quarters of the diameter of the stem at the point of attachment.

Avoid producing "lion's tails," tufts of branches and foliage at the ends of branches, caused by removing all inner lateral branches and foliage. Lion's tails can result in sunscalding, abundant epicormic sprouts, and weak branch structure and breakage. Branches that rub or cross another branch should be removed as illustrated above photo in one of our interior indoor office locations.

Conifers that have branches in whorls and pyramidal crowns rarely need crown thinning except to restore a dominant leader. Occasionally, the leader of a tree may be damaged and multiple branches may become codominant. Select the strongest leader and remove competing branches to prevent the development of codominant stems again as seen in our above photo.

Plantscape Designs Inc. yearly or if needed seasonally prunes many of our larger Boston MA  office plants.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

PDIPLANTS Construction of a Teardrop Container Garden, Woburn, MA

Plantscape Designs Inc. assembly of Balfor Arelia plant into a Teardrop fiberglass contemporary container Woburn, MA indoor office interiorscape.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Caring for your cymbidium orchid within interior office work places.Cambridge, MA



Of all the orchid genera, the Cymbidium orchid is one of the easier to care for.  Because most commercially available Cymbidium orchids are terrestrials, they must have special, loose media to grow in. Typically, they thrive in a medium or fine fir bark mix or a specified Cymbidium potting mix. While this guide provides specific tips for one orchid, make sure to review Orchid Care Guide for All Types which provides general orchid care instruction relevant to Cymbidiums within your interior office work places Cambridge, MA.

Cymbidium Care Basics            

1. Light: Cymbidium orchid light requirements include: morning sun or afternoon sun, with protection from the hot mid-day sun. A light-green leaf with just a hint of yellow indicates the maximum amount of sun the plant can take, and a dark-green leaf indicates not enough sun.

2. Temperature: Cymbidiums will tolerate considerable summer heat as long as they get cool with PDI customer offices.

3. Water: Watering should be done frequently, sometimes twice per week during the summer months. Fertilize during 3 out of 4 of those irrigations. Always keep potting soil moist, but not wet or soggy. Decrease watering Cymbidium and increase air circulation during the dark periods.

4. Fertilizer: High-nitrogen fertilizers should be used from February until July, while low nitrogen fertilizers should be used from August until January. Use high nitrogen (30-10-10) fertilizer, but mix it only half-strength. Use a low fertilizer (6-6-30) diluted to ½ strength September through January. Keep in mind the specialized Cymbidium fertilizer is available in many garden stores.

5. Growth: Cymbidiums may not get very much taller, but more leaves and pseudobulbs will grow.

6. Blooming: From late December through May and last one to three months.

At Plantscape Designs Inc. cymbidium orchids are used readily within our corporate flowering reception programs.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

How to use and care for Aloe plants in your interior officescape Burlington, MA.?


When it comes to watering Aloe Vera Plants there are many things to consider and factor in. The questions that often get asked are...When should I water my Aloe Plant within my interior office workplace.


1. Aloes like to be dry.
2. Aloes like the soil to dry out before next watering.
3. Aloes need a soil that’s sandy and course so the water can drain through it quickly.

4. The best indication as to when you should water your Aloe plant should be best determined by feeling the soil. Stick your finger in the soil about 2-3 inches and feel for dryness. Adjust to the pot size; Little pots/plants check the soil 1-2 inches and big pots/plants go deeper 3-4 inches or maybe a little more.

5. You want to check the soil in a couple different areas for dryness and make sure there is no moisture before watering again. Depending on the size of the pot or where it’s planted in the ground it’s not uncommon for one portion of the soil to be dryer than another portion so give the soil a couple checks near the base of the plant

6. Soil that’s just a little moist tends to be a little darker and sticks to your fingers more than dry soil. Often people compare the dryness of the soil to the wetness right after a good watering and think that the soil is very dry in comparison when checked days or weeks later. This is where over-watering problems often occur and people get confused because the soil seems dry by comparison.

7. Keep it simple and stick to the rule of thumb. The soil needs to be completely dry. Aloe roots aren’t very long so if you have your Aloe plant in a tall pot or if it’s planted in the ground just stick to the finger check mentioned earlier and feel the soil. It shouldn’t be the slightest bit moist. It should be dry and you should give the plant a moment to enjoy the dryness before watering again.

8. Red and Brown or redish brown tones can be a result of to much water, to much sun or root damage. It’s sometimes difficult to tell but if you’re paying attention to what you’re doing the answer can usually be the result of a change of environment, stress, soil or watering schedule. Sometimes to much water will cause the Aloe leaves to begin turning a red or brown tone.

9. The best thing to do when there is a negative change on your plant such as color, try adjusting something such as less water or moving sun in/out of shade and watch it closely for two weeks to see if there has been a change. Don’t be impatient, give it time to react then you’ll know what’s working.

10. Yellow can be seen in two common areas. Tips or edges start getting yellow and then dark spots on the yellow, this is usually a sunburn issue but if the entire plant is turning a yellow shade then it needs more sun and if given proper sun light the plant will start to turn green again. Just pay attention to the change you make and watch your plant closely over the net two weeks.

Aloes can go a long time without water, weeks and even months depending on the health of the Aloe. The plump aloe leaves retain water so they can go extended periods of time without water. Follow the rules for letting the soil dry out completely before next watering and give your Aloes a few days to enjoy the completely dry soil. A typical rule of thumb is a couple of times a month give or take depending on the climate and weather conditions.

Plantscape Designs Inc. frequently use aloes for our clients sunny window locations in downtown Boston, MA interior offices.


Sunday, May 5, 2013

If your office building lobby looks like this? Call PDI.


Why can't you lease your office building?

1. The world economy has been stagnated since 2008.

2. Our US economy has suffered greatly with both small and large companies going out of business.

3. High unemployment.

4. As a result empty office space.

This economic climate is about to change, so design and enhance your indoor plant office workplace with Plantscape Designs Inc live green plants, Woburn MA office plants.

Live office plants cannot change the above economic climate, but they can sure change a potential tenants attitude about residing and doing business in your office building in the Rte 128 or Boston, MA areas.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Why use ferns as interior office plants Boston, MA.


1. Ferns add a different kind of green texture to your interior office plant design. This reception desk arrangement softens your hard granite or stone desk surfaces for your Waltham, Ma interiorscapes.


Ferns (Pteridophyta)

2. A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem (making them vascular plants). They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants. Ferns do not have either seeds or flowers (they reproduce via spores).

3. Stems: Most often an underground creeping rhizome, but sometimes an above-ground creeping stolon (e.g., Polypodiaceae), or an above-ground erect semi-woody trunk.

4. Leaf: The green, photosynthetic part of the plant. In ferns, it is often referred to as a frond, but this is because of the historical division between people who study ferns and people who study seed plants, rather than because of differences in structure. New leaves typically expand by the unrolling of a tight spiral called a crozier or fiddlehead. This uncurling of the leaf is termed circinate vernation.

5. Roots: The underground non-photosynthetic structures that take up water and nutrients from soil. They are always fibrous and are structurally very similar to the roots of seed plants.

6. The three ferns comprising the above arrangement have differing leaf surfaces adding interest to this reception arrangement in downtown Boston, MA.

Plantscape Designs Inc. applys ferns in many of our downtown Boston, MA officescapes.

Monday, April 15, 2013

pdi, Enhancing your office logos signage Burlington, MA.


1. Indoor green plants can enhance your companies' logo signage in your reception area. Using claasico tall containers with an arrangement of interior office plants of interest can direct clients to your company's logo in a more sutler manner.

2. This indoor green plant living arrangement consists of a pony tail plant, a succulent and a colorful pepperonia, finished with polished river rock.

3. At PDI plants we always try to encourage our customers to use indoor plants of interest within their interior office design Burlington, MA and Waltham, MA.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

New indoor office plant designs for the Cambridge ,MA area.



1. Simple indoor office plant design within Cambridge, MA. business lobbies accents the the furniture and art work of these entrances.

2. Both employees and clients can feel the spaciousness of this open modern contemporary design by using fewer topiary sculptured green plants such as this totem pothos (scindapsus Aureus).

3. Plantscape Designs Inc. of Cambridge, MA exercises the simplistic design techniques using both green plants and bromeliad flowers.The bromeliad here adds color to this contemporary reception and seating area.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Why use Rhapis palms( lady palms) in your office interiors?


1. The Lady Palm is one of the more expensive tropical plants and it takes many years to reach a 6-foot height, but the wait and expense is well worth it in your Boston plants office environment.

2. The elegant, dark green fronds with the serrated tips are born on wirey stems that emerge from a scruffy trunk that looks like it is partially wrapped in loose burlap. Raphis palms will also sprout new growth from its thickened, underground roots.

3. TEMPERATURE: This plant will grow in almost any temperature above 55° and below 95°. Especially in your Burlington Ma office plant location.

4. WATER: This is one of the easiest plants to care for. Water when top of soil feels dry. Do not allow to completely dry out as this will cause the plant to fail.

5. LIGHT: This plant does well in low light situations. Place in a fairly well-lit location. Any location indoors with light bright enough to read in will do.

Plantscape Designs Inc uses these hardy indoor office plants throughout the Boston and Waltham, MA cityscapes .

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Using peperomia green plants in your interior office plant designs Boston, MA.

Using pepperomia plants as ground cover for your indoor downtown office building lobbies can add destinctive color creative interior landscape design.

The very popular peperomia plant is a great choice to add color to any room or office. Whether you have one peperomia plant or several grouped together, this attractive plant will brighten up any interior office workplace.
1. There are over 1,000 species of peperomias growing throughout North and South America and the Caribbean. All of them are tropical plants and considered to be semisucculents. They have thick, juicy stems and leaves that hold water in reserve. Besides being attractive plants, peperomias make a nice gift to anyone with marginal green thumbs because they're so easy to grow. Basically, the only way to kill this plant is by overwatering it.
Basic Description of Peperomias
2. Peperomias are slow-growing tropical plants that are found on tropical floors or at the base of trees in a tropical forest. For this reason, they don't like direct sun and thrive indoors in a variety of lighting. They actually thrive under fluorescent lightswhich makes them an ideal candidate for the office.
3. The attractive stiff, waxy succulent-like leaves will catch your eye and depending on the species, the leaves may be variegated, wrinkled, or white-edged. There's one species, the Peperomia argyreia that is striped and looks like a watermelon. It's very attractive but can be used in your indoor office interiors.
4. Most peperomias do not flower in the traditional sense. Their flowers are a long, rat-tail like stem with tiny greenish flowers on an upright spike. Once this spike dies, remove it and the plant may bloom a second time during the summer months.
Caring For Peperomias
5. Without a doubt, peperomia care is very easy in your interior office environment. Peperomias can live in a variety of light situations from low to very bright. They do not like direct sunlight. High heat is not a problem with this plant and average interior office temperatures are fine. Surprisingly, they do not need high humidity or constant misting to live. They are just fine with an occasional misting during the summer months and low humidity of your interior office envirnment.
6. As with all succulents, peperomias do not like to be repotted frequently. They are slow growers and you'll probably repot them only once or twice in their lifetime. They live practically forever which is another reason why they're an ideal indoor office plant for Burligton, MA. 
7. The quickest way to kill these plants is by overwatering. Peperomias retain water in their leaves and stems so don't water them until they are nearly dry. After you water them, wait an hour and empty any residual water out from the base. These plants need to be fertilized about once every 3-4 months in spring and summer and no fertilizing during the winter months.
Our staff at PDI always uses peperomias in our interior office plant Burlington ,MA. locations.