Why and How to use Calanthea indoor office plants in your Boston office.

How PDi cares for your indoor Calanthea office plants.

1. Light: Light shade or dappled light for your indoor Boston office plants. Do not expose to direct, noon sun as it will fade the leaf colors, in winter or summer monthes.

2. Water: High humidity. Keep soil continuously moist throughout spring and summer, and reduce watering in the winter outside, however, with your interior Boston office environment more watering during the colder monthes is required because of hign heat and low humity in Boston indoor offices.

3. Temperature: Prefers warm and humid conditions. Keep above 60ºF if possible.
4. Soil: A well-drained potting mix.
5. Fertilizer: Feed regularly with liquid fertilizer throughout growing season.

6. Propagation:

Propagation is possible by division at repotting time. Keep new divisions warm and moist by covering the pot with plastic and providing reduced light until active growth starts again.

Interesting useages of Calanthea other then for designing your Boston indoor office plantscapes with colorful leaves.

Calathea is a genus of plants belonging to the family Marantaceae. There are several dozen species in this genus. Native to the tropical Americas, many of the species are popular as pot plants due to their decorative leaves and, in some species, colorful inflorescences. They are commonly called calatheas or (like their relatives) prayer plants. Several cultivars, e.g. Calathea cv. 'Silver Plate', have been bred.

Calathea cv. 'Silver Plate'

In its native range, the large and tough leaves are popular for holding small items. Sometimes, they are used unprocessed, e.g. to wrap fish for transport in parts of Brazil, such as the Benevidesregion of Pará. In other places, the leaves are used in handicraftto produce containers, such as the quivers of the Nukak people ofColombia. Most famous, perhaps, are the decorative Calathea-leaf rice containers produced in some villages of Thailand, especially in Ban Huak (Amphoe Si Bun Rueang) where they are an important source of income and sold to locals and tourists alike .At PDIPlants we have just begun using this interior green office plant within our indoor Boston office work places.

PDI unlimited plant care uses P.persimilis mites as biological weapons against Twospotted mites pest.

Phytoseiulus persimilis, orange critters, feeding on an immature two spotted spider.Plantscape Designs Inc uses biological controlls on your indoor office plants.

This predacious mite was accidentally introduced into Germany from Chili in 1958 (Dosse, 1958). From Germany, it was subsequently shipped to other parts of the world, including California (McMurtry et al., 1978) and Florida (Hamlen, 1980). These critters can keep your Boston plants healthy.

During the early 1960's, research on this species was conducted in Great Britain, Holland, Canada, and the United States. Since these initial studies, the ability of this predator to control twospotted spider mites has been demonstrated on many plants, including cucumber (Gould, 1970, 1971), tomato (French et al., 1976), ornamental ivy (Gould and Light, 1971), rose (Simmonds, 1972; Boys and Burbutis, 1972), lima bean (Force, 1967), dahlia (Harris, 1971), strawberry (Laing and Huffaker, 1969), and dieffenbachia and schefflera (Hamlen and Linquist, 1981).

Although these studies were conducted under greenhouse conditions (or in growth chambers) , there is evidence that P. persimilis can be an effective natural enemy in commercial strawberry plantings (McMurtry et al., 1978) and on ornamentals in commercial interior plantings (Lindquist, 1981). Whether the effectiveness of this predator in these environments will be comparable to its performance under greenhouse conditions remains to be seen.

At PDIPlants we use these critters to eradicate pests like the twospotted mites that feed on your Boston office plants in the Boston, MA area.

Plantscape Designs Inc uses IPM Labs biological control against Thrips in your office plants.

Combating thrips with biological controls:

Predator: Neoseiulus cucumeris or Amblyseius cucumeris

This is a tan-orange predatory mite. Adult females consume up to 10 thrips per day and have a 30 day life span. They can survive on pollen and spider mites in the absence of thrips. PDI uses these critters to eradicate thrips from your Boston indoor office plants.

Optimal Environment: 70°F min.; moderate RH.

Predatory mites are distributed over the crop weekly or biweekly, or released in convenient breeding units in which several hundred mites reproduce several thousand predatory mites over a six-week period.

Predator: Amblyseius degenerans (Neoseiulus degenerans)

These predatory mites work very well on greenhouse peppers, or other crops with ample pollen. They are able to multiply rapidly and are good searchers of prey. They do not enter a resting phase until December, and survive drier conditions than N. cucumeris.

Optimal Environment: 65-85°F ; 60-85% RH, Presence of pollen

Predator: Orius insidiosus Minute Pirate Bug, Orius sp.

Minute pirate bugs (MPB) are small, predaceous bugs that kill their prey by attacking with their piercing mouthparts and sucking out the body contents. Both adults and nymphs are predaceous. Adults lay eggs beneath the surface of plant tissue, often on stems or near leaf veins. The eggs hatch into small, yellow nymphs that develop into adults in 9-25 days, depending on temperature. Adult Orius can eat 5-20 thrips per day. They can survive on pollen in the absence of prey.

Optimal Environment: 70-90°F, day length 11+ hrs

Predator: Hypoaspis miles

This predatory mite is a scavenger that eats thrips pupae and fungus gnat larvae in the soil. Adults lay eggs in the soil, which hatch in 1-2 days. The nymphs develop into adults in 5-6 days. The mites reproduce quickly, and few are needed to establish an effective population.

IPM Laboratories, Inc. warrants that the biological controls you receive will be alive and healthy when received and will contain the correct number of the species you ordered. However, as with any pest control measure, success cannot be guaranteed. IPM Laboratories, Inc. makes no guarantee, express or implied, as to the effectiveness of these products.

PDIPlants has been a long time user of the above predator mites that biological and safely eradicate Thrips pest in your office plants.

Why use Kentia palms in your Boston, MA interior offices?

Today Kentia palms are considered expensive. During their first introduction to Europe they were a luxury only for the elite aristocracy. PDI designs with these office indoor plants in Boston.

Once introduced into Europe, the Kentia Palm was immediately recognized as remarkable for its dramatic appearance and ability to readily flourish indoors. Strong survival rates meant greater numbers of seeds could be imported successfully. However, the Kentias were still very expensive to purchase and therefore exclusive even for Boston office indoor plants .

The prohibitive cost factor resulted in Kentia Palms becoming famous house plants among the nobility and aristocracy of Europe. Royal residences and stately homes had the high ceilings where Kentias could be displayed in all there glory.

The owners also had the budgets necessary for securing them. Kentias could be found by the late 1800's in parlors, ballrooms, reception areas and conservatories. Since Kentias lived in splendor for many years they were cost effective. Growers found them a popular, worthwhile and well valued investment. They believed that Kentias defined the good fashion sense and wealth of the plants' owners. Kentia Palms were admired throughout Europe's aristocratic, upper class and well-to-do middle class families.

At Plantscape Designs Inc. enthusiastically we design your Boston offices with these elegant indoor palms.

Majestic, hardy, these Kentia palms originating from the Pacific Island of Northfolk Island are an investment when designing your Boston office plant work place in the Boston, Ma area.

Repetitive use of green indoor plant design in Boston's buildings.

Repetitive use of Bamboo Palms in this downtown Boston office building both softens and adds a clean simple design to this buildings entrance.

Prior to this design this building's lobby emitted a cold unfriendly stark feel to incoming customers and employees.
The architect called PDI in to solve this problem, using live green tropical plants.

The repetitive use of six same Bamboos make this design simple but effective.

A more friendly welcoming ambiance greets all visitors.
At Plantscape Designs Inc we are always looking to solve a clients indoor office plant design problems which eventually become a positive opportunity for all parties involved.

Why use Hawaiian orchids in your interior office landscape?

1. There are over 700 species of Oncidium Alliance Orchids coming from Central and South America and thousands of hybrids around today. They have become very popular and make excellent cut flowers and potted plants. These long lasting flowering programs are affordable for your Boston office plantscapes.

2. Today's breeding has created plants that can bloom throughout the year with hundreds of flowers. Along with the classic "Dancing Lady" shaped flowers, today's breeders have created many new intergeneric hybrids that have larger flowers with a wider range of colors. Nearly all of today's hybrids thrive in the typical home environment with sufficient light and modest care. Here we offer a few of the newer hybrids. All are of the highest quality and very easy to grow and flower.

We at Plantscape Designs Inc like to change up now and then our colorful phalaenopsis orchid monthly programs with exciting Hawaiian varieties. Here we have an intergeneric oncydium red variety. PDI also has cataleyas, millitonias, dendrobiums, etc..

Where to use Schefflera Amate in your Boston cityscapes.

‘Amate’ is named after California nurseryman Archie Amate. The selected plant was placed into tissue culture where it has been produced in the lab for the past 20 years.

What makes ‘Amate’ different?Why do we at PDI use it in your interior landscape?

Here’s a quick list of the traits ‘Amate’ has over the regular Scheff.

1. Leaves which are:

Darker green

Broader

Longer

Thicker

Glossy

2. One of the best traits is ‘Amate’s resistance to mites. This doesn’t mean that the plant will not get mites … just much more resistant. It’s possible that the mites cannot penetrate the thick glossy leaves.

3. These indoor office plants are also grown a little differently. Three or four individual plants are planted in pots rather then 15-20 seedlings. This allows each plant to develop a larger more complete root system to support the plant for the long haul.

4. The growth of ‘Amate’ is very upright, symmetrical and uniform. Office Plants ranging in size from 8 – 14 inch keep many of their lower leaves providing a more "bush" like appearance. Larger plants will have more of a "tree-like" appearance. ‘Amate’ also holds leaves very well, even under low light interior conditions.

5. The plant doesn’t stretch like the regular Schefflera. You can place ‘Amate’ in areas which get morning sun, a northern exposure or even fluorescent lighting and still keep the plant looking good.

6. ‘Amate’ is not difficult to care for, but doesn’t like to have its feet kept wet. When watering make sure the soil is thoroughly watered and the excess is allowed to drain off. It’s best to keep the plant on the dry side as wet soil can cause root rot.

At Plantscape Designs Inc we position Schefflera Amates in your medium to high light environments within your indoor office plant design.

What are flapjacks for your indoor office plant design?

Flapjacks are succulents, which can make a different kind of a botanical statement in your office work place. Some interesting facts follow:

1. Scientific name: Kalanchoe thyrsiflora

2. Family: Crassulaceae

3. Common names: Flapjack plant, desert cabbage, paddle plant

4. Native to: South Africa

5. Description: A succulent perennial. Large, spatula-shaped, leathery leaves are 3 to 4 inches long and wide, and attached to the stem without a leaf stalk. The leaves are opposite, covered with a thick whitish wax and blushed with red margins. The leaves are stacked on each other like flapjacks to form a rosette, and face upward to reduce leaf exposure to the hot sun. The flowers are produced on tall, leafy stalks after the plants mature, usually three to four years. Individual flowers are small and held close to the stalk in dense clusters. Flowers are yellow-green and tubular. The main or mother plant dies after flowering; however, offsets are produced.

6. Light: Grows in full sun and partial shade. However, bright light is required to keep the red leaf margins; the plants becomes greener in shade.

7. Soil/moisture: Tolerant of most well-drained soils; very drought tolerant once established and very salt tolerant.

8. Culture/use: Flapjack Kalanchoe provides a bold look in your Boston indoor office plantings. Use it in beds in your lobbies, as an accent, and in containers and rock gardens. Though very drought tolerant, it will stand some water in the summer and should stand up to the Florida rainy season. Blooming signals the end of the plant's life cycle. Remove the mother plant when it dies and thin the offsets as necessary for a neat look; otherwise, long-term plantings develop mounds of flapjack plant. Kalanchoes in general are not known to be heavy feeders; apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer with minor elements two to four times per year or as needed. Mulch to suppress weeds, but keep the mulch well away from the stem.

9. Notes and misuses: Flapjack Kalanchoe generally is not susceptible to pests. However, it can be susceptible to rots in wet or over watered locations.

At Plantscape Designs Inc. we apply succulents such as "flapjacks" in our high light areas of our Boston indoor plant designs.

What is beneficial mutualism between your office plants and soil fungi.

1. Mutualism, is a relationship between two species of organisms in which both benefit from the association.

2. In this illustration to the left, the cellular block like structure of a typical office plant root that you may have in your interiorscape office plants has been compromised , penetrated, by a fungus species. This can be a good thing for your interior office plants.

3. Endotrophic mycorrhizae, a fungus, enter into a close relationship with your office plant root systems by means of hyphae penetrating between and into root cells. This mutualism between this two living organisms results in digestion of the fungus inside the root cells causing the enhanced growth of your plants.

4. The Endo fungi alter insoluble carbon compounds to soluble carbon compounds form for your office plant as well as changing the PH around the root producing soluble vitamins and auxin's for a healthier office plant. The fungus gets a protected nutrient place to live safely. PDIPlantsblog.com

Plantscape Designs Inc of Boston plants, always encourages proper mutualistic relationships between your office green plants and beneficial soil fungi always enhancing the correct PH environment in your plants potting soil. Serving the Boston, MA office plant environments.

Boston interior office plants and orchid flowers

Orchidaceae, is one of the largest families of flowering orchids. Twenty thousand species can be found here. PDI Plants uses these indoor office plants in you Burlington offices.

At Plantscape Designs Inc , we always encourage the use of flowering Florida or Hawaiian orchids. These unique adaptive flowering interior plants can be found in all parts of our ecological zones. Boreal bogs, mountain tops, temperate meadows, treetops near river banks and even underground.

Orchids can be found in your interior office environment as well. Orchids fleshy leafs and thick pseudobulbs, that retain water, are suitable for your Boston green plant office interiors.

PDI plants uses Vandas, Oncydiums, Phaleonopsis, Brasso cattleya, Cattleya, Miltoniopsis, Cymbidiums, Dendrobiums, Brassia and Paphiopedilums orchids in many of our Boston green plant locations.

What are metallic office plants?

1. Metallica is very different than most palms. The leaves are stiff and have a very simple undivided leaf. In deep shade the leaves become dark green and almost black with a metallic sheen. Hence the name Metallica.

2. More growers are beginning to produce this slow growing plant. In the past it was typically found grown in 6 inch pots only. Now as more plants are produced you’ll find it planted in 8 and 10 inch pots with 3 plants per pot. PDIPLANTSBlog.com

3. Metallica is slow growing so you can expect to pay more than usual. It’s slow growth also means you’ll be able to enjoy the plant in the same place for years.

Remember This…

One good rule of thumb in purchasing plants – Most of the plants that do well indoors are slow growers. Don’t judge a plant based just upon price and height. Slow growers usually cost more and may not be as tall but are better over the long haul.

4. Normal height for Metallica is 24 – 36 inches tall. They are very tolerant of low light conditions and work well when you need something different and upright.

They’re pretty easy to care for. Metallica does well with lighting that you’ll find in most homes and offices. If the plant is placed in brighter light levels the leaves lighten to a grey-green color.

DO NOT allow plants to sit in saucers full of water or never allow the soil to dry, this can lead to root rot. Over watering will lead to leaf tips that turn yellow.

5. Wait until the soil has dried down about half the soil depth. When you water, thoroughly water the soil evenly making sure the soil and roots have all had a good drink.

6. DO NOT let the plant sit in water!!!

Pest problems are hardly an issue with Metallica. The wide leaves make it easy to wipe down and keep the foliage clean. The leaves are also rigid and thicker making it more difficult for insects to “feast”.

7. Palms grown indoors can get spider mites and mealy bug.

Do not prune the metallica palm as you would other plants. It grows from a main stem, and the leaflets should be “tipped” or the leaf itself removed.

At PDIPLants Boston,MA we always design with low light office plant species such as Metallica.

If you’re looking for a low light palm that is also an accent plant check out the Chamaedorea Metallica palm, just be careful not to over water.

Why use liriope spicata in your office interior plant designs?

1. Liriope spicata is a species of low, herbaceous flowering plants from East Asia. Common names include creeping lilyturf and monkey grass. This perennial has grass-like evergreen foliage and is commonly used in landscaping in temperate climates as groundcover. Creeping lilyturf has white to lavender flowers which produce single-seeded berries on a spike in the fall. It is one of the most popular groundcovers in the southeastern United States and areas with a similar climate. PDIPLANTSBlog.com

2. Creeping lilyturf is a native understory plant in China and Vietnam occurring in forests and grassy slopes at elevations of sea level to 5900 feet.

3. Creeping lilyturf is a rhizomatous, grass-like perennial which forms clusters of narrow, arching, glossy, dark green leaves (to 1/4 inch wide (0.6 cm)) typically growing 9 to 15 inches (23 to 38 cm) high. Erect flower spikes with small, white to pale lavender flowers arise, somewhat hidden, among the leaves in late summer. Blackish berries develop in fall and often persist through winter. Roots have prominent rhizomes and frequent tubers.

4. Creeping lilyturf is easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Moist, fertile soils with partial shade are ideal, but it also tolerates wide range of light and soil conditions. Creeping lilyturf also tolerates heat, humidity, and drought.

5. Creeping lilyturf is easily reproduced by dividing the root mass and rhizomes.

6. Creeping lilyturf is mainly used in mass plantings as a groundcover for exterior planters.

7. Plantscape Designs Inc. applies liriope spicata in the above interior lechuza contemporary containers to enhance modern interior office design work places while simulating exterior ornimental grasses in the Boston, MA business districts.

Rent local office plants and Holiday scenes for the Holidays.

Why rent local office plants and Holiday scenes for your Boston, Ma cityscapes?

Because renting Boston office plants and office Holiday scenes can make festive your employee moral during the long dark cold winter season.

Living plants and trees energizes your staff and can make them more productive.

Our holiday scenes are fun, nostalgic and non denominational.

Rental of office plants and flowers with Holiday scenes is temporary and not messy.

Plantscape Designs Inc welcomes this Holiday season with our assorted decorations and green indoor plant life in our Boston, MA and Waltham , MA areas.

What is Office Plant Nutrition Boston, MA?

NUTRITION

Plants, like animals, require certain essential minerals for proper growth. In order to maintain an attractive interior garden with high-quality, long lived plants, you must understand and give careful attention to plant nutrition.

A well managed fertilizer program for indoor plants should provide adequate nutrition at all times. An insufficient or excessive amount of fertilizer in the medium is harmful to plants.

Fertilizer is a mixture of minerals applied to the medium to provide essential elements for plant growth. Indoor plants are usually fertilized with a mixture composed of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

The major objective in interior plantscaping is to maintain plants rather than to have them grow: thus the number of new leaves produced should be minimal. Since growth is less indoors, less fertilizer will be needed.

The rate of fertilizer application is related to the light intensity and duration. Plants maintained in high light for long periods require more fertilizer than do those maintained in less than optimal environments.

Plants exposed to natural light require more fertilizer in the period from February to August, as this is the time of year when growth is most active, and little or none after that. More frequent applications at reduced rates, perhaps every two weeks, will maintain more uniform soil nutrition, fostering maintenance of healthier plants.

We at PDI start our fertilizing program in March. We start once in March, full strength. In April we start fertilizing half strength every other week throughout the summer. Fertilize once in September and October to round down our yearly program.

What are drift designs in your indoor office plant locationsWaltham, MA?

Drifts are an exterior garden design technique that people use to make a botanical statement within their gardens. When repeating a single species over and over again a beautiful simple and cleaner design results as shown in the above interior design configurations.

On the left is a neo bromeliad repeated design emphasizing their unique shape and distinctive color.

The right photo illustrates a green repetitive design in an interior planter using cast iron plants, aspidistra elatior in a linear configuration.

Plantscape Designs Inc applies this drift technique in many of our interior office plant buildings within the downtown Boston, MA areas.

What Wal Street has to say about interior office plants.

This is an article reproduced, in part, to share and illustrate the importance of live green interior office plants in your Boston office work place.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2011 © 2011, Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved

A Superhero Scrubs the Air: The Mighty Houseplant

BY GWENDOLYN BOUNDS

The humble houseplant is on the attack. Building on NASA experiments for air purification in space, scientists are pinpointing plant species—from the peace lily to the asparagus fern—that are particularly skillful at cleaning indoor air of pollutants that can cause a range of health problems.

A growing body of global research is showing plants can reduce dust particles and contaminants, such as formalde- hyde and benzene, that come from cigarette smoke, paint, furniture, building materials and other sources. Big growers such as Costa Farms, based in Goulds, Fla., and retailers Lowe's and Home Depot now sell plants with tags promoting their air-cleaning abilities.

"The advantage of plants is you can sometimes solve your problem with $100 of plants or propagate your own," says Stanley J. Kays, a horticulture professor at the University of Georgia, which is spearheading plant research with scientists in South Korea. In addition to stud- ying existing plants, researchers there are trying to see if certain species could be bred to create super-efficient air cleaners.

Interest in plants as air purifiers—what's called "phytoremediation"—comes amid mounting concerns about the quality of indoor air. People spend more than 90% of their time inside, where levels of a dozen common organic pollutants can be two to five times higher than outside, according to the Environmental Protec- tion Agency. Associated health problems range from headaches and asthma to respiratory diseases and can- cer. The agency says it is particularly concerned about air quality in homes that have taken steps to be more energy- efficient by adding insulation and other weatherization techniques.

That could be changing. Studies conducted over the past five years by the University of Technology, Sydney found that small groups of the Janet Craig and Sweet Chico plants placed in offices with high airborne concentrations of volatile organic compounds consistently reduced total VOC levels by up to 75%. Reductions to negligible levels were maintained over the course of five- to 12- week periods studied. "Potted plants can provide an efficient, self-regulating, low-cost, sustainable bioremediation system for indoor air pollution," researchers concluded.

In another study at Washington State University, dust was reduced as much as 20% when a number of plants were placed around the perimeter of computer lab and small office for one week.

Margaret Burchett, a professor who led the Sydney studies, estimates that six or more plants in a 1,200- to 1,500- square-foot house could achieve note- worthy contaminant reductions. At work, "if you have a couple of nice plants sitting on your desk, it will help purify the air you breathe," says Bill Wolverton, author of the new book "Plants: Why You Can't Live Without Them," and one of the NASA scientists who studied plants.

Indoor-air pollutants come in two primary forms: particle pollution, such as dust, pollen, animal dander and smoke, and gaseous pollutants such as VOCs that are emitted from sources such as building materials, dry-cleaned clothing and aerosol sprays.

Plants clean the air, researchers say, primarily by absorbing pollution through small leaf pores called stomata.

That's why researchers see opportunity for indoor plants, which are inexpensive and relatively easy to find and maintain. In 2009, UGA scientists identified five "super ornamentals"—plants that showed high rates of contaminant removal when exposed in gas-tight glass jars to common household VOCs, such as benzene (present in cigarette smoke) and toluene (emitted from paints and varnishes). They are: the purple waffle plant, English ivy, asparagus fern, pur- ple heart plant, variegated wax plant.

At Plantscape Designs Inc.we use the most efficient air cleaning interior live green office plants that we can obtain and design place these plants within your Boston Waltham Ma. office work place.

New Book for Interior Office Plant Care by PDI Boston, MA.

Plantscape Designs Inc Has created a much needed interior office plant care book entitled ,

"101 Plantcare Tips for Your Interior Plantscape". Now, new with colored photos and even more interesting articles concerning the caring of your inetrior office plants.

Table of Contents

Interior Office Plant Care

1. Watering

2. Cleaning

3. Pruning

4. Fertilizing

Insect Pests on Your Office Plants

1. Scale

2. Spider Mites

3. Thrips

4. Fungus Gnats

5. Mealy Bugs

6. Nocturnal Weevils

Interior Office Plant Suggestions

Exterior Corporate Containers

Interior Office Flower Programs

1. Potted Flowers

Live Corporate Arrangements

1. Potted Orchids

2. Potted Bromeliads

Design Ideas for Your Interiorscapes

1. Surface Pot Dressing

2. Office Plant Grouping

Office Plant Morophology anf Physiology

Health Effects of Green Plants in Your Office Environment

Financial Benefits of Indoor Office Plants in Your Work Place

Recycling Issues Within Your Office Interiorscapes

Seasonal Creative Ideas for Your Officescapes

The Value & Worth of Interior Landscaping Within Your Office Work Place

We, at Plantscape Designs Inc, hope this little guide book wll be helpful to you and your staff.

What are lighting requirements for your interior office plants in Boston, MA

All plants require different amounts of light to photosynthesize (manufacture food) and grow. Quantity and quality of light available indoors is significantly less than light in nature. Window size, distance from the window (to the side or under), the presence of curtains or shades, partial obstructions (awnings, overhangs, trees, etc.) influence the amount of light your plant receives.

Our light code is a guide for your plants, and should be adjusted to seasonal variations and individual locations. In Boston, it’s virtually impossible to give any plant indoors too much light, so plants in the lower light categories will grow in the higher light areas (although they may need more watering and fertilizer).

FULL SUN - Unobstructed south, southeast, or southwest window that receives direct sunlight for at least half the day. No curtains or shades. Plant should be directly in window (if plant is greater than 2 feet back, this is not Full Sun even if sunbeams are striking the plant) (1200-5000 footcandles). Plants that like this:

Floor plants: Most Palms, Orange Trees

Hanging Plants: asparagus fern, begonias, variegated English ivy

Table plants: Orchids, all cacti, Jerusalem cherry

PARTIAL SUN - Unobstructed east or west window that receives sunlight for 2-4 hours. Plant should be only 2 feet directly back from window (600-2000 footcandles).

Floor plants: Rubber Trees, Ficus Benjamina (weeping Fig), Areca Palms, Crotons, Aralias, Norfolk Island Pines

Hanging Plants: Spider plants, Swedish ivy, Ferns

Table plants: Succulents

VERY BRIGHT LIGHT – Directly in an unobstructed north window, full sun window with sheers, 2-4 feet back from S, E, W window, or fluorescent gardening light (300-800 fc).

Floor plants: Schefflera (umbrella tree), Philodendron, Ponytail Palm, Dracenenas (Corn Plants)

Hanging Plants: Boston Fern, Lipstick vine, Grape Ivy, Piggybacks, Gesneriads

Table plants: African Violets, Babies Tears, Bromeliads, Ferns

MEDIUM LIGHT - North window with sheers, or to side of sunny window, or 3-6 feet back of sunny window (150-500 footcandles).

Floor plants: Pleomele, Spathiphyllum (peace lily), Rhapis (Lady Palm), Arboricola (mini umbrella tree), Dracenena Marginata (Dragon Tree - green and white variety not “rainbow” this is Partial Sun)

Hanging Plants: English Ivy

Table plants: Mini Spathiphyllum (peace lily)

LOW LIGHT - Directly below interior office fixture, or more than 6 feet back from window, or more than 2 feet to side of window. Plant species must be carefully chosen for this light level (75-150 footcandles).

Floor plants: Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen), Aspidistra (Cast Iron Plant),

several Dracenenas: Janet Craig, Warneckei, and Massangeana (Corn Plant), Sanserveria (snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue), Neanthebella Palm (Parlor Palm)

Hanging Plants: Pothos

Table plants: Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen), Sanserveria (snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue), Pothos

****Below 75 footcandles, even low-light plants have trouble thriving.

At Plantscape Designs Inc Boston, Ma we always place your indoor office plants according to their specific lighting requirements so that your office plants live longer and healthier.

How do you properly water your indoor office plants in Burlington, Ma?

Incorrect watering is a common factor in plant failure. Roots suffocate in soggy compacted soil. Plants die if they do not get enough water. When a plant needs water, water it thoroughly until water comes out the bottom of the pot (if in a drained container).

Make sure the soil is saturated and the excess is drained away. Do not allow a plant to sit in water for a long period of time. Check your plants often. Water only those that show the need for water with room temperature water. Do not use water that has been chemically softened, as it is toxic to plants.

1. Plants that need to stay moist should be watered as soon as the surface of the soil

is dry to the touch.

Plants in small pots, 4” diameter, especially in sunny windows

Hanging Plants: Boston Fern, Piggybacks, Gesneriads, asparagus fern, variegated english ivy, English Ivy, swedish ivy, Ferns

Table plants: Babies Tears, Ferns, Orchids

2. Plants that need to dry moderately should be watered when the soil is dry about

1/4 of the way through the pot.

Floor plants: Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen), Aspidistra (cast iron Plant),

several Dracenenas: Janet Craig, Warneckei, and Massangeana (Corn Plant), Sansevieria (snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue), Neanthebella Palm (Parlor Palm) Most Palms, Orange Trees, Rubber Trees, Ficus Benjamina (weeping Fig), Areca Palms, Crotons, Aralias, Norfolk Island Pines, Schefflera (umbrella tree), Philodendron, Ponytail Palm, Dracenenas (Corn Plants) Pleomele, Spathiphyllum (peace lily), Rhapis (Lady Palm), Arboricola (mini umbrella tree), Dracenena Marginata (Dragon Tree - green and white variety not “rainbow” this is Partial Sun)

Hanging Plants: Boston Fern, Lipstick vine, Grape Ivy, Piggybacks, Gesneriads asparagus fern, begonias, variegated english ivy Pothos, English Ivy Spider plants, swedish ivy, Ferns

Table plants: Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen), Sansevieria (snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue), Mini Spathiphyllum (peace lily), Pothos, African Violets, Babies Tears, Bromeliads, Ferns, Orchids.

3. Plants that need to dry completely should be watered when the soil is dry 3/4

of the way through the pot.

Such as :all cacti, jerusalem cherry, Succulents etc.

Plantscape Designs Inc. of Burlington, MA waters for the appropriate needs of your interior office plants and for your specific office environment.

New designs for your interior office plantscape Burlington, MA.

Sanserveria Cylindria plants are a unique succulent plant for use in your indoor office locations. Resembling an aloe plant, sanserveria cylindria are much easier to care for indoors.

Sansevieria cylindrical is only new to the United States. People in the United Kingdom and Australia have been growing them for some time. Sometimes called the African spear plant, the Sansevieria cylindrica has all the ease and durability of the popular snake plant and the appeal of lucky bamboo. The plant consists of stout, cylindrical spears that spring from the sandy soil. They can be braided or left in their natural fan shape. Best of all, they can be almost ignored and the plant will thrive.

Growing Conditions:

Light:Bright, filtered light, but highly tolerant.

Water: Can survive long periods of drought. Water monthly or less in winter, weekly or every other week in summer.

Temperature: Above 50ºF, but can survive cold spells.

Soil: Use a fast-draining cactus mix.

Fertilizer: Feed during growing season. Do not feed during winter.

Propagation:

African spears can be divided when several spears are present, but it's usually best to buy a new plant.

Repotting:

Repot annually or every other year in the spring. They will survive being root bound.

At Plantscape Designs Inc, PDI of Burlington MA, has just begun the use of these different and interesting hardy indoor plants with our office interior designs.

Be aware of tired looking indoor office plants in your Boston, MA officescapes.

Be aware of tired indoor office plants in you offices.

The interior office plants shown here within this blog are examples of tired poorly cared for indoor office plants. These office plants were taken out of one of our competitors clients office. PDI acquired these new accounts because of the competitors incompetent monthly care. Plantscape Designs Linc. later replaced these tired office plants with fresh botanicals.

How does this occur?

1. Our competitors once or twice a month service can do this, because of not enough care.

2. Lack of pruning skills and up keep on a monthly and quarterly time table by our competitors

3. No consistency in turning these office plants away from the sunlight for more even growth by our competitors.

4. Lack of a more regid time table for fertilizing these weak indoor office plants by our competitors.

Plantscape Designs Inc. Boston, MA is consistent with our care and weekly servicing of your interior botanicals unlike other interior landscapers in the Boston, MA area.

Why fertilize and repot your green interior office plants?

Plant growth is dependant upon a steady supply of nutrients! The nutrients in any soil are soon depleted.

Plants need soluble fertilizers at one-half the recommended dose, fertilize every 3rd to 4th watering during the summer months. During Fall and Winter, fertilize every 2-3 months. Time-release fertilizer may be mixed into the potting medium when repotting. Never water a very dry plant with fertilizer!

Repotting

A common mistake of most beginners is to repot plants long before it is necessary. Roots growing out of the bottom of the pot do not necessarily mean that the plant needs repotting. If the plant is lifting out of the pot, or if inspection of the root system show that there is no room for root growth, then the plant should be repotted. Spring is the best time to repot indoor plants. Repotting then will ensure more new growth and less frequent watering during the hot, sunny summer.

To see if a plant needs repotting: Carefully knock them out of them out of their containers. If they retain a pot shape and no soil falls away, pot in a container 1-3 inches bigger (diameter).

Be sure to use a light, soil less mix for repotting. Commercial "potting soil" is ordinarily unsuitable for indoor plants. It is not reliably sterile and is too dense. A potting medium for indoor plants should be moisture retentive, well drained, and sterile. A mixture of two-thirds sphagnum peat moss and one-third perlite is an ideal medium for growing indoor plants.

Carefully knock the plant out of its old pot (do not pull on the plant). Remove any loose soil especially if it is a heavy mix. If you are repotting into a undrained container, put a layer of perlite (1-2 inches in small containers and more in larger) at the bottom as a drainage layer (to prevent roots from sitting in water).

Place enough soil in the bottom of the pot to have the top of the root ball near the top of the container (~1 inch below in small containers ~3” below in large). Set the plant in the pot and gently pack soil around the root ball with your fingers. Thoroughly water the plant until all of the soil is moist and water drains out the bottom. (In an undrained container fill with water, wait a few minutes and them carefully tip on its side to completely drain the excess water out.)

Plantscape Designs Inc. fertilizes your indoor office plants on a monthly basis except during the months of December,January, February because of low light conditions here in the Cambridge Ma area.

Checking for insect pests on your office plants Boston, Ma.

Insects can come from outdoors or other plants. Flying stages, airborne eggs or brushing an infected plant exposes other plants. The best defense against insects is to keep your plants healthy.

Check your plants often to find insects early; pay particular attention to the backs of leaves, and internodes. If an insect population is found, wash thoroughly with warm water and a mild dish washing liquid and rinse foliage thoroughly, twice a week for 2-3 weeks.

If insecticide is necessary, call your local garden center for recommendations. Make sure that plants are moist before application. Always read the instructions before applying any chemical. You may wish to take a pro-active approach and thoroughly wash your plants regularly as well as washing any new plants.

At Plantscape Designs Inc Boston, Ma we always either replace the infected plants with a new one or use harmless biological predators or parasites to totally and safely irradiate your indoor office plants or insect pests.

Lack of pruning of your interior office plants, can be damaging.

Damaging results are eminent when you or your interior landscapers do not prune your office plants properly.

As shown in these photos of before and after replacements of a Ficus tree with a competitors clients reception, lack of a continuous pruning program must be followed.

The wild extensive peripheral growth of this Ficus tree takes energy away from new growth within the center of the tree. The center becomes empty and unsightly.

Continuous trimming of the outer circumference of the tree will result in a more symmetrical and even growing pattern of this tree within and without.

Plantscape Designs Inc. has a continuous monthly and seasonally pruning program during the course of the year when servicing your indoor office plants in the Waltham, Ma area.

Where did your indoor office plant Tulips come from?

1. Tulips – we call them – take their name from the turbans of Sultans who grew them. Dulband, the Persian word for turban, led to tulbend, the Turkish word for the gauzy muslim fabric. The metaphoric link between the silky wraps and the colorful blossoms was cemented for Westerners when tulbend was Latinized as tulipa. The Latin stuck, determining both the French and English versions that followed (tulipe and tulip respectively). So why are the Dutch (who say tulp, by the way) the ones most associated with the flower?

2. For one thing, the Netherlands has a perfect tulip-growing climate. You don’t hear of true tropical tulips because they thrive in relatively temperate ecosystems, ones which include a good long winter. Since that period of dormancy, followed by a cool spring, is ideal for growing, the Netherlands were ripe with promise for a tulip bloom – that is, once the country even got tulips.

3. Since at least the sixth century, Turks had been cultivating the bulbs, but Europeans did not see them until the 1560s, when an Austrian ambassador touring Constantinople was shown Sultanate gardens full of them. A deal between the Ottoman rulers and the Habsburgs led to the import of, at first, a small number of bulbs, the ownership of which conferred a certain cachet on the nobles and scientific scholars lucky enough to snare them. From Paris to Prague, their initial rarity made them as desirable a commodity as fine jewels.

So that is where our PDI Tulips originate. We at, Plantscapes of New England, receive our tulip flowers and bulbs from Holland and deliver and care for them in your Boston, MA office interiors.

Why and how to use phytoseivlus persimilis on your indoor office plants?

This photo depicts a Phytoseivlus persimilis (orange) devouring a Two Spotted spider mite (white).

Opening remarks: persimilis is the most commonly used beneficial mite in the world. It works well on low-growing plants. Adults are bright orange and slightly larger than spider mites. Persimilis is noted for its quick knockdown of spider mites. Persimilis reproduces faster than spider mites and thus can quickly gain control of a spider mite outbreak. Persimilis does not work well on tomato because tomato's sticky hairs interfere with its movement.

1. Release at first sign of mite infestation. Once leaf damage is serious, (more than 4 mites per leaf) control is more difficult. For heavy infestations, remove the most affected plants and use knock-down spray (see SucraShield) or use safer organic canola oil spray.

2. Release predatory mites after 48 hours. Predators will consume egg, nymph and adult stages of pest mites. Light infestations can be controlled within 2-3 weeks.

3.Roll bottle gently to mix mites and carrier. Sprinkle the predatory mites onto plant leaves where they can quickly find their prey.

4. Repeat releases every 7-14 days until control is achieved.

5. Predatory mites thrive in humid environments, whereas pest mites enjoy dry surroundings. Increase humidity by moistening soil or use a cool-mist vaporizer around plants in enclosed areas. Mites are shipped as adults. Release immediately or refrigerate( 45-50° F) for 2-3 days only.

6. Preferred Food: Two-spotted spider mites and many others.

7. Shipment, biology and release: These beneficial mites consume 5-10 pest adults or up to 20 pest eggs/day. Low infestations can be controlled within 2-3 weeks. They require a relative humidity greater than 60% in order to survive, especially in the egg stage and thrive best in temperatures between 60° and 80° F.

Plantscape Designs Inc currently applies these predators to all our phyllostachys bamboo plants in Cambridge and Boston, Ma interior offices.

Why use Aspidistra Elatior "cast iron plant" in your indoor offices?

1. The Aspidistra Elatior is native to the Eastern Himalayas, Taiwan, China, and Japan commonly known as the “cast-iron plant” or “iron plant”. It is one of the few plants that we can say helped inspire or carry the lead in a novel.

2. In 1936, George Orwell wrote his novel “Keep the Aspidistra Flying”. It is an old-fashioned, tough-leathery foliage house plant. In fact, Aspidistra along with the Kentia palm long before we heard about a peace lily or Aglaonema was a favorite indoor plant during the Victorian era when houses were anything but bright and airy. Today, in the Southern United States you will find Aspidistra usually growing completely carefree as a groundcover in dense, dark shade.

3. Patience is the prime requirement needed by owners of small plants; it takes considerable time to grow an Aspidistra to specimen size. Ironically, like many “folk” plants, it is not always available in nurseries. This is partly because of its slow growth and not properly appreciated.

Cast-iron is usually grown in 6″, 8″; and 10″; azalea pots. As a bushy potted plant, 12 to 24 inches tall and wide, the Aspidistra simply has no equal and is a perfect plant for indoors. Aspidistra is an ideal plant for that cooler area of your house to bring the tropics indoors.

Aspidistra will also:

Tolerate dust as well as heat, cold, wet soil, drought, neglect and dimly lighted places.

Tolerate temperatures as low as 28 degrees without injury to the foliage.

Tolerate light levels as low as 10 foot candles

Make a great addition to cut flower arrangements; the foliage often lasts for weeks.

Generally Pest Free

4. Aspidistra elatior has cornlike, shiny, dark green leaves that grow to 24 inches long; it occasionally produces purple-brown small flowers near the base of the plant. It also has a variegated form. The white markings help to light up a dark corner rather like sun filtering through a shade tree.

5. A dwarf form called A. minor or Aspidistra “Milky Way” has white spotted black-green leaves. Try to acquire all 3, then display them in attractive pottery containers. Aspidistra is such a slow grower and is expensive to produce and purchase. But with all of its positive attributes it is well be worth the price, offering long-term enjoyment and beauty.

6. It gets its name Cast Iron from its ability to tolerate poor conditions both inside or out…Indoors Aglaonemas are possibly the only plants can handle these conditions indoors. Low light, drafts and general neglect in watering and dust accumulation. It is much more attractive with proper care and will tolerate a wide range of temperatures. It prefers temperatures between 50-55 degrees at night and 70-75 degrees during the day with light levels between 50 and 500-foot candles.

7. Evenly moist but not constantly wet is the ideal way to water this plant, although it will survive forgotten waterings. Outside, plant the Aspidistra in a good quality garden soil with decayed manure and up to 1/3 part peat or humus added. Indoors a good quality potting soil like those made for African Violets will work well. And last but not least, fertilize if required every three to four months in low light conditions with a half strength house plant fertilizer, and monthly at high light levels.

At Plantscape Designs Inc. we use these botanicals in our NE plantscape offices Boston, MA

Economical ways to enchance interiorscapes of your office.

One way to save money and still bring the outdoors indoors is by using beautiful once living birch tree trunks or even tropical bamboo shoots inside your office workplace.

The white birch used here in one of our Cambridge software companies speaks nature , found in our surrounding NE landscapes. The White Mountains of New Hampshire, the Green Mountains of Vermont and the local woodlands of Massachusetts.

The base of these white birch trees is covered with polished 3" black river rock. This river rock simulates the waters of New England and the earthiness of this restful scene.

This oasis of nature within your office can also be designed with once living bamboo. The bamboo will give your office a more warmer tropical feel.

Plantscape Designs Inc has used both tree stems in office interiors within our Waltham, MA locations.

Why Bamboos in your indoor office interiors?

Bamboos are classified in the grass order (Graminals).There are over 4000 species of grasses.

Grasses are found in the prairies, coniferous forests, shrubby chaparral, desert, alpine and deserts as well as in your indoor offices.

The grasses such as the bamboos have underground rhizomes with culms above ground.

Bamboos can be placed in your lesser light areas as well as in your more lighted sections of your office interiors. They also soften today's contemporary hard surfaces such as glass wood and metal composing your interior office design.

Bamboos palms are palms not Bamboos. Bamboos are true grasses in the family Poaceae. Palms are in the family Arecaceae.

PDIPlants currently services the Cambridge , MA, Boston, MA and Route 128 area office environments.

Indoor office Plants and your office personals' productivity.

Let's take a look at some research that encourages more plants in your office work place, in Boston, MA.

1. Environment and behavior research has found that exposure to nature can have positive psychological benefits (Kaplan, 1983; Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989; Wohlwill, 1983) and that experiences in natural or wilderness surroundings can be restorative (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989).

2. Views of nature evoke higher aesthetic responses and more positive feelings of well-being than do views of nonnatural environments (Ulrich, 1979, 1983; Wohlwill, 1976).

3. Nature also is important in encouraging feelings of attachment to particular places or environment types (Riley, 1992). Intuitively, most people perceive plants as enhancements to the office environment, and we speculate that this assumption may be due to plants' ability to represent the vegetative component of the natural world.

4. In the above studies, hypothesized that the presence of plants in an indoor work environment would have a positive effect on participants' task productivity, perceptions of performance, and attitudes toward the work space, as compared to the same environment without plants.

5. This hypothesis was based on the findings of previous research that suggest that the presence of plants or other surrogates of nature have a positive effect on environmental attitudes and perceptions. We were interested in finding experimental verification for this previous research within a workplace setting and in extending the investigation to encompass productivity.

We, at Plantscape Designs Inc have experienced similiar customer positive feed back whenever, one of our clients has purchased indoor office plants for their N.E officescapes, Boston, MA.

A study indicating Plants assist in cleaning and increasing humidity in the air of commercial buildings.

1. Studies were conducted in a computer lab and a small office at Washington State University. Interior plants, when present, were placed around the sides of the room for a one-week period. Relative humidity and particulate matter were monitored.

2. Particulate matter was measured around the rooms on various surfaces away from the plants.

3. Dust was significantly lower throughout both rooms when plants were present than when they were absent.

4. Dust was reduced by as much as 20% with plants. This study confirmed that the use of plants to remove particulate matter, which has often been used outdoors to control deposition, also is effective on the scale present in interiors.

5. Clearly, water will transpire from plants that are added to a room. What was not clear before this study, was whether the amount of transpired water was sufficient to make a significant or meaningful contribution to the overall humidity in the room. Some even speculated that the increase might be so great that moisture damage could result.

6. When plants were absent from the rooms used in this study, the relative humidity was very low, and often below the range of 30% to 60% recommended for human health and comfort. When plants were added, the relative humidity rose significantly, but not excessively: in one case, for example, relative humidity without plants averaged 25%, and with plants it averaged 30%.

At Plantscape Designs Inc these kind of studies further reinforce our in field experience that plant help create a healthier office working environment in the Waltham, MA areas.