Lucky Bamboo Plant

Superstitions are things that many people seem to have. We may not always reveal them, because of embarrassment or belief that others won't understand, but we take them seriously. Whether it's a lucky rabbit foot or knocking on wood, they help us feel better. One way to bring more luck into your life, that doesn't involve superstitions, is with a lucky bamboo plant. Not only is it said to bring the owner good karma, it adds a decorative accent to the room as well.

Chinese tradition claims that purchasing one yourself and placing it in your home isn't going to have the same positive effects that it would had someone given it to you. That's why it a nice idea to give someone a lucky bamboo plant and then explain the idea behind it. They may feel compelled to do the same thing, the next time they are dropping by your place.

For years I've given them as housewarming gifts. Normally they come with a small card that explains their significance as well as a list of tips for caring for the lucky bamboo plant. Because it is supposed to bring health to the owners as well as happiness; prosperity is said to be part of the plant's mystic powers. Even if you don't believe that a plant can bring good things to your life you'll be charmed by its beauty.

Caring for them is relatively easy as with most plants. Remembering to water it and to allow it to soak up some direct sunlight each day is important. If you feel it's growing beyond the pot it's in you should consider replanting it to something bigger.

Some people lack a green thumb and for them artificial plants seem to be the answer. They do look lovely when placed in the corner of a room or an office, but they aren't considered to be a lucky bamboo plant if they aren't real. If you want to bypass the mystical powers of this plant, by all means purchase an artificial one as it is clearly the easiest to care for.

It is interesting to note that the plant loses some of its mystic powers unless it is placed in a certain pot in a certain way. The pot the lucky bamboo plant is in should have some red on it. There should also be a piece of metal placed near the base of the plant. If you purchase one at a flower shop they almost always come this way. Regardless of whether or not it truly does hold the magic power it claims to, having plants around is a wonderful way to add some color and character to your home.

The Feathery Fennel

Lovely double blue water-lilies in miniature size dot my sea of green all through the sunny days of summer. When the visitors come, if they ask me the name of this pretty annual I tell them black fennel, for the ridged, black seeds are good to use on cakes and cookies, and have a pleasing flavor. The black fennel is easily grown. Planted in the open at the seed-planting time, it blooms early and lasts a long time. The seeds are oddly shaped and useful in dried bouquets. The azure flowers keep well in water and if you serve a platter of tasteful salad, make it unusual and beautiful by arranging an edging of finely cut foliage and ethereal flowers of the useful black fennel.

The new mallow, mauritiana, from Europe, grows three to four feet tall here in Vermont, with whorls of striped, good sized flowers all over the sturdy plants, which do not need to be staked. This mallow is striking in its coloring - crimson stripes on a rose ground. To keep the bloom continuous, I carry the scissors with me to the garden and clip off many of the too plentiful seed pods, which, like those of the mallow family, resemble "cheeses," like those which our grandmothers used when as little girls they set their doll tables with such wonderful playtime food. This pretty annual will self-sow, and always excites comment when visitors come to admire the colorful display.

The Gayfeathers

If you've never become acquainted with the Kansas Gay-feathers, you've certainly missed out on something. Their botanical name is Liatris spicata. They are hardy but definitely not spreaders or pests. These gay plants bloom during August and September and sometimes until frost. They range in height from 9 inches to a foot and a half, the spikes making up most of the height.

And unlike most plants that the flowers are born in spikes, the Gay-feathers open their flowers from the top of the spike down. In some cases they open from the middle up and down the spike. The flowers are about a half-inch across but they are in little clusters of four or five. Each flower is almost exactly like those of the Hymenocallis or spider lily except they are very tiny.

I would advise you to buy a plant and then raise your own seed rather than buy seeds to start with, although sometimes you may have success with seeds; usually it requires good care to start them. mainly though, to raise them from seeds, they need to be sown in the late fall or very early spring.

When older they form large tubers under the soil similar to Dahlias except that they grow down. These will endure the coldest of winters and the dryest of summers. Be sure to not overlook these in your fall or spring planting.

Baptisia Australis

Baptisia australis is one of our good dependable blue perennials. Plants are available or one may grow them easily from seeds sown in late fall or the very early spring.

The plants grow to a uniform height. If they are spaced thickly in the row, they make a pleasing hedge to form a background for such things as Hemerocallis, pink Penstemon grandiYorus or yellow Iris. It is a leguminous herb and has nice green leaves on well-branched plants growing 40 inches or more high. I have mine in full sun where they thrive wonderfully well but some authorities recommend partial shade.

Baptisia is commonly called False- or Wild-indigo. B. australis has showy spikes resembling Lupines in rich indigo blue. These cut well. After the blossoms are gone, the plants are still valuable for vases because the foliage is ideal when other foliage is lacking. The seed pods are short and plump, many to a stem, that turn black upon maturing. These may be used in winter bouquets.

Can you think of any other plant that can be used as both a specimen plant or a quick-growing erbaceous hedge - that will grow in sun or shade - have both blossoms and foliage ideal for vases as well as having material for winter bouquets? Best of all it is free of disease and insect pests and requires no special soil or care.

How Long Will Potentilla Warrensi Last In Bloom?

Glossy, intense, yellow-petaled Potentilla warrensi is a delight in itself, but perhaps its most valuable characteristic is its effectiveness in combination with various other plants. It makes a neat, compact, 1-1/2-foot clump showered with a profusion of bright saucer-like flowers. Last year a couple of plants of this potentilla were placed in front of the soft orange star lily (Lilium concolor), which in turn was in front of two large clumps of Memorial daisy and yellow sundrops, and then at the back and to one side of these was the blue of Anchusa azurea Dropmore. The grouping was in the full sun and was a wonderful burst of color for a month.

Fertilizing Soil For Young Strawberry Plants?

Blueberries grow best on a naturally acid soil and need no liming. They benefit from an abundance of organic matter.

All berry plants will benefit from applications of good garden fertilizer. Soil for young strawberry plants should be fertilized after they are set since strawberries are sensitive to chemical fertilizers and are easily burned. Apply the fertilizer in a ring around each plant but several inches away from it.

Where Did Bauhinia Trees Originated From?

Bauhinias are spring bloomers and are unequaled as backgrounds for lower growing flowers. B. purpurea, a small tree from India and well named the orchid tree, has pink or orchid flowers which look like newly released butterflies poised for happy flight - quite the proper feeling for spring. If you know banhinias, you are already familiar with the delicate grace and interesting shape of their foliage. The very charming white variety is also in the trade.

Protecting Cherry Trees From Sun-Scald

Young cherry trees often suffer from sudden drops of temperature in the fall before they have become fully dormant. The greatest danger, however, comes from the winter sun shining on the bare trunks, causing sun-scald. The best protection from such injury is to retain low branches. For this reason the gardener does best to buy small trees so that ho may encourage growth of all branches near the ground, although nurserymen in their desire to show handsome specimens are likely to cut off the lower branches to a height of 3 feet or more. Anything that tends to prolong late growth and activity, such as late watering or fertilizing during the summer, should be avoided.

Distinguishing Different Types Of Cherries When Buying

How to buy cherries. It is unfortunate that the names of the flowering cherries are so confused in many nurseries and that there are so many synonyms. At present it is best, therefore, not to try to buy them true to name through a catalogue from any but the most reliable growers. If a group is wanted to give a particular range or combination of color, it is best to choose varieties when the plants are in bloom in the nursery where they are to be bought.

There is a tendency for the white cherries to be neglected. Yet a white blossoming tree near one or two of the pink varieties makes a wonderful picture. A background of evergreens sets off the cherries to great advantage, and those who have seen the Washington plantings know how lovely they are near water.

The Garden Contributions Of AE Wohlert

Before the plant quarantine act of 1919, many nurserymen imported trees and sold them to their customers. Only one eastern nurseryman, however, took them up as a specialty. That was the late A. E. Wohlert of Narberth, Pa., who worked nearly twenty years selecting the finest varieties. He propagated them in great numbers and sold them to parks in many sections of the country and to thousands of enthusiastic gardeners.