Paging Dr. Greenthumbs
Dear Ivy,
I wanted to ask you a plant question. I’ve inherited the responsibilities of caring for the dilapidated peacy lily at my mom’s taekwondo school. It’s about eight feet from the windows so I’m wondering what other problems I should tackle first.
The damage is pretty typical: tips and edges of the biggest leaves are crispy [...]
Fail :(
I swear I was going to bring it in… soon.
I just needed some time!
Oh, the carnage…
This is what happens when you leave your tropical house plants outside, and the weather turns. I had started bringing other plants in, in preparation for Winter. I supposed the Pothos would be sturdy enough to deal with the initial [...]
ZZ Emergency
Dear Ivy,
I had 2 very healthy ZZ plants (several branches over 2 feet long), that I left outside for a few weeks in the Sydney winter. They were in a dry spot but when I brought them in side, most branches died off, lost their leaves and even fell off the plant; one has [...]
New Addition
Dear Ivy,
I just got a 6″ Celosia plant as a gift. How do I care for it? Where do I place it? How frequently do I need to water and fertilize it?
-Curious
Dear Curious,
I would say that whomever gave you this plant surely thinks you have good taste, and a green thumb! Celosia are beautiful [...]
Christmas Cactus Quandary
Dear Ivy,
How often should I water my Christmas cactus?
-Christmas Chris
Dear Chris,
Let’s explore some things about this interesting little exotic! First off, let’s get one thing out of the way… The “Christmas Cactus” Is not actually a cactus. In fact, it’s an epiphyte, like an orchid. CC’s and orchids share the same habitat in the wild. [...]
Give your plants a bath!
When the heat gets to be too much, set your plants in a few inches of water. This will allow them to fully absorb all the liquid they can hold, without you having to worry about over or under watering. You can spray or mist the top of the plant and get all the dust [...]
Reader Mail
Dear Ivy,
What would happen if you put a plant in an airtight container?
-Curious Carey
Dear Carey,
Here’s the short answer… It’ll die.
I’ve seen those enclosed containers that you can order from catalogs that say “TOTALLY ENCLOSED CONTAINER!!” “NO CARE NECESSARY!!” And I’m here to tell you that they are… well, they’re a crock, to be honest…
You see, [...]
Plants in any place
Recently I was talking to a friend. She lamented that she wanted houseplants, but didn’t have anywhere to put them. She thought she would have to wait until she moved to a new home.
Never say never! I excitedly told her she could create a good environment for a plant anywhere in her home where she [...]
Spring blooms!!
My birthday gardenia is blooming!
I was worried about it for a while, because several leaves turned yellow and fell off. Then, about a week ago, I noticed these:
The buds are pretty large in comparison to how big the plant is. They are about two inches long, and as big around as a sharpie [...]
Deja Vu…
Dear Readers,
I’ve been getting loads of mail the last few months about the toxicity of the Zamioculcas Zamiifolia, also known as the Zanzibar Gem, or the ZZ plant. I got one question recently that asked if ZZ releases toxic gases. I also got one that asked how to properly dispose of a ZZ plant, so [...]