National Indoor Plant Week - 2017

It's that time of year again!! It's NATIONAL INDOOR PLANT WEEK!! We are celebrating our 4th annual plant week on the streets of Boston. You can find us Tuesday, September 12th at 12:30 in front of 50 Post Office Square. We will be there at lunch time handing out baby azaelas (until supplies run out...and they go quickly)!! Come join us in the celebration of indoor plants and all that they do for us!! 

Benefits of Indoor Plants:

1. Purifies Air: Plants breakdown chemical components found in industrial glues and paints and remove other pollutants from the air

2. Noise Reduction: Reduces distractions and makes it much easier to concentrate

3. Creates Oxygen

4. Connects with Outdoors: Plants in the work-space give a sense of connection with nature (something you miss when you are inside all day)

5. Ease Tension: Plants moderate temperatures, increase relative humidity, and can personalize an office space

Introducing the ever popular...Ficus Lyrata!!

Being in the plant industry you get to see a lot of different plants, but since the very beginning one of my absolute favorite plants has been the Ficus Lyrata (Ficus pandurata), commonly known as the Fiddle Leaf Fig! I just love how big the leaves are and how much of a statement the plant is!

It's becoming a very popular plant in homes and offices so I figured now would be a great time to provide some tips on how to care for them and keep them happy!! 

*These plants are considered poisonous and should be kept away from pets and children*

Light & Temperature: These beautiful specimens require bright, filtered light. Though they can tolerate some direct sun light (too much sun will cause their leaves to fade and lose their dark green color). When kept too dark the plant will rapidly begin to fail. Keep temperatures between 60 - 75°F. Avoid temperatures lower than 55°F

*Keep turning your Lyrata to keep it growing straight and evenly on all sides

Water: The right watering is key to this plant. Water when the top soil become slightly dry. I like to give my Lyrata about 1 to 1.5 cups of water each week. But make sure to test the soil fist with your fingers to makes sure that the top soil has dried. (keep in mind that the frequency of water and the amount of water changes through out the seasons and the levels of humidity)

*Make sure to never over water your Lyrata there is no going back one this plant is over watered. But on the other had allowing the soil to dry out too much will cause the plants leaves to turn brown. Cut down on watering during the Winter months. 

Soil: Make sure that your soil is a well draining soil, this type of soil could include part bark and perlite. Only re-pot your ficus when it is young and still growing. Once it reached maturity you only need to replace the top soil each year. 

Fertilizer: Unlike most Ficus trees this plant does not require much fertilizer. Only feed diluted liquid fertilizer to plant once a month only during the spring and summer months (their growing months). 

Pests & Cleaning: The Ficus Lyrata is susceptible to many pests: mealy bug, thrip, whitefly, spidermite, fungus gnats, and aphids. Spray your Lyrata bi-weekely with warm  soapy water to ward off any of these pests that live on the plants leaves. Keeping the leaves clean and dust free will also allow the leaves absorb more light. 

** A Ficus Lyrata has a level #1 toxicity**

For other great tips about the Ficus Lyrata visit: House Plant 411, Spruce, and House Plants Expert

Living wall installation

Interior living walls have roughly been around since 1994 and are getting more popular every day. We are BIG fans of living walls! And we have so much fun designing them to fit our clients needs!

This living wall that we just installed has a very organic feel to it. We used beautiful pops of yellows and many different shades of green to really give the wall a textured and earthy feel.  Knowing the right variety of plants for living walls can be a bit of a challenge because you have to take into consideration plants light and water needs. In this wall we used: pothos, aglaonemas, pleomele, philodendron, and marginatas.  

Not only are green walls a stunning statement piece and a great way to bring in greenery when you have little floor space, but they provide great benefits to building and tenants alike. Plant Connection Inc. put together a great list of the amazing benefits of Living Walls:

• Reduces urban heat island effect and smog
• Cleans interior air space by removing VOCs and other harmful toxins like benzene and formaldehyde
• Acts as a sound proofing barrier
• Soil and plants are a natural filter that can clean the water that flows through the wall
• Insulates and cools the building envelope, as well as protecting it from the elements
• Creates habitats for birds and beneficial insects, increasing biodiversity
• Can be used for growing food in urban settings, creating sustainable and local control of food sources
• Increases real estate value
• Increases foot traffic in retail spaces
• Speeds recovery time for patients through biophilia
• Helps children with ADHD focus better in school
• Reduces absenteeism in the workplace and boosts employee morale
• Qualifies for LEED certification points from USGBC

                                                -Plant Connection Inc.

Caring for your Phalaenopsis Orchid

At one time in our lives I feel like we have all received a plant as a house gift. One of the more common gifts is the Phalaenopsis orchid(pronounced fayl-eh-NOP-sis)! They are beautiful flowering plants that come in all sorts of colors and can be reasonably 'easy' to take care of. But how do you care for them?! 

Here are some great pointers for caring for your Phalaenopsis. With the right water, light, and temperature your orchid's blooms can last for several months (but be aware that with out the perfect conditions, these orchids can be a little temperamental).

Water: A lot of the watering varies as to what your orchid is potted in. If it is planted in bark, that will dry out more easily and will require you to water more often; watering it once a week when it's in bark should be sufficient. If your orchid is planted in moss then you will need to feel the moss with your finger. If the moss is dry then you will want to water it, if it is still moist then you can leave it alone. During the Summer your orchid will want more water and during the Winter you can hold back on watering too much. 

One of the most important parts to an orchid's watering needs is drainage. A orchid does not want to sit in any water that has collected at the bottom. This will actually cause the orchid to rot and die. 

Light: The Phalaenopsis orchid is considered a 'low light' plant, but it tends to do better with a bit more light than that. Placing your orchid in a east facing window will provide basically the right amount of sun. But, a south or west facing window will be fine as well if there is a sheer curtain to diffuse the light. 

The great thing about these orchids is they will 'talk' to you about their needs. The phalaenopsis orchids leaves are mix of kelly green and olive green. When they get darker than their normal coloring that means you plant is not receiving enough light. On the other hand red tinged leaves means the orchid is in too much light. Hint: if you plant does not re-bloom, increase the amount of light. 

Temperature: The ideal climate for an orchid is no lower that 60* degrees at night and a max of 95* degrees, but their ideal temperature is between 70* and 80* degrees during the day. Windows are tough location because of the ever changing temperatures. When the temperature fluctuates too much it can cause the buds to drop. 

Humidity: Orchids are from the tropics and love humid climates. At least for us here up north, we only have a fair amount of humidity in the summer months, so, to increase the humidity in the dryer months you can place a tray of water at the base of the plant (fill it with pebbles or something decorative to make it part of the 'display'). This will give the plants a little more humidity in their surrounding area. I also like to mist the flower every so often to give them extra moisture. 

Blooms:  The Phalaenopsis blooms can be one of the longest lasting blooms in the orchid family. They can produce blooms that last from 2 to 6 months! They have been known to flower up to 3 times per year (in the perfect conditions), but I will have to say, as a general house plant, this would be unusual. 

Cutting the Stem: Once your flower has bloomed for the first time, cut the stem just above the node from where the first flower bloomed. From that top node a new flower stem should emerge. If there is no response from the plant within 2 months or if the stem turns brown cut the stem back to the base of the plant where it emerged. 

Fertilizer: Here I am going to refer to Orchid Web:  "We highly recommend Green Jungle Orchid Food, especially formulated to work with rain, distilled, reverse osmosis water or water low in alkalinity. If the plant is potted in bark, fertilize with Green Jungle every time you water, all year round, then flush with clear water once a month. If potted in sphagnum moss, use Green Jungle every third watering. This is the fertilizer that we developed and use on our own plants. The results have been excellent.

For tap or well water, use Grow More 20-10-20 fertilizer every other watering in the summer and every third watering in the winter. Fertilize at the rate of one-half teaspoon per gallon."

Hope this helps to provides a bit on insight on how to care for those beautiful orchids!! We'd love to see pics of the orchids that you tenderly care for any orchids that you see around town. Tag us on instagram or twitter #OrchidsforHB 

We are in LOVE with these planters!

We are constantly on the search for new and stunning containers. As they are the permanent half of the design, it is so important to get the right color, shape, size, and texture. During our search we stumbled upon an amazing vendor that supplies some of the most striking planters that really transform the space to be so much more amazing! 

Do you have a specific design or color that you love for your planters? (interior or exterior)