A Planned Visit To The Botanical Gardens

Life is always full of surprises. You never know what will happen next, even if you got all things planned out. That is the irony of life. And speaking of surprises, my husband managed to surprise me yesterday with a good news. He said that he bought tickets for us 3 to visit the newly open botanical garden near our area. Even though I have never said a word to him, about me being excited to see the botanical garden, he still was able to read what is running in my head. As a plant lover, I am pretty much looking forward for the weekend to come. I wanted to see what the botanical gardens has to offer to us. A friend of mine told me, that they almost got all kinds and species of plants. That really excites me more. I really wish that we could buy something to add on our collections of plants.

A friend of mine, who was able to visit that place during their opening last week, gave me a white peace lily, which she bought for a very low price. They are giving away discounts, as an opening day promo. I knew little about peace lilies, so I checked online for details and information on how to take care of these kind of plant. It is said that peace lilies are very common house plant and they produce white flowers in the early summer and continue to bloom throughout the year. There are also tips and suggestions that were given online for new owners of these peace lily plant. Good thing nowadays, that we could easily look up on the internet whatever we need to ask. Because almost anything and everything has a given answer on the internet.

Caring and maintaining for our plants has been part of my everyday routine before going to work and returning home from work. But of course, i have to attend to my family's needs first. Family always comes first before anything else. For me, you will never know how to care for other things, if you don't know how to care for yourself and your family first. 

The Charm of Peace Lilies in Angel Cachepot

Angels are spiritual being believed to act as an attendant, agent, or messenger of God, conventionally represented in human form with wings and a long robe. Each one of us has it's own angel that God has sent to guide and guard us. One of my college friend is a believer of angels and she loves to collect anything that has angels on it, like figurines of angels, pictures, stickers, stamps, and many more. When I visited her last 2 weeks ago, I was really amazed by how her room looks. It is filled with cute angel figures and even the walls have posters of angels images. So I have decided to add something on her collection, so I checked online for houseplants with an angel container.

The truth is, I really wanted to give her a houseplant because she told me that she recently feels stress and alone at home. Having a houseplant will occupy her mind from thinking negative thoughts and feeling down. Since, she will be looking forward to the plant that she is taking care of and maintaining. A houseplant is actually a good stress reliever especially, when you see the flowers bloom. I know that she will definitely love the gift that I have for her and she'll take good care of it. I decided to buy the Peace Lily in Angel cachepot, for her, although it is a perfect sympathy gift due to the peace lily but for me it is just a simple, friendly gift that I want to give her. Peace lilies they said are associated with peace, purity and innocence after death, but for me, I do not want to associate it with death because they are recognized around the world for its air-cleaning properties.

These peace lilies in angel cachepot are relatively easy to maintain and their pure white blossoms are lovely to look at. Shade and weekly watering are all the peace lily needs to survive and produce beautiful blooms. I know my friend will definitely be happy with the gift that I will be giving her. At least, I will hit two birds with one stone, she likes the angels plus she will benefit from the peace lily.

Care For Your Jade Bonsai Plant

 

Taking care of your garden is also like taking care of your own child, you must give them your time and effort as well as tender, love and care especially those who require much attention like the succulent plants that I have indoors. But there is that one plant which I also received during our housewarming party and until now is very healthy and does not wither or die easily. And I have learned through my friends that it is actually an extremely popular succulent houseplant, most of my friends and neighbors have these type of plant. It is sometimes called as the money plant or dollar plant and it was once though to bring good luck to their owners, that is the reason why they were often given as housewarming gifts.

The plant is commonly known as the Jade plant, it is inexpensive, fast-growing, under demanding and amazingly resilient plant which is usually available at most garden outlet center, and local nurseries. Although these jade plants are very easy to grow they are also very susceptible to mealy bugs and fungal diseases , so the owner or the care taker of the plant must make sure that it is watered properly and has enough sunlight for these fungal problems not to worsen. This type of plant is commonly grown indoors and excels as one, it can also survive for decades in the same pot as long as not over watered too often. However, it is recommended to change the soil every 2 to 4 years because the soil needs to be very well draining.

You must always remember to never let your jade plant sit in the water and with proper conditions, the Jade plant will soon have white flowers making it an attractive and mildly fragrant display. Also, from time to time gently wipe the leaves of Jade plants to remove the dust and like all houseplant it adds oxygen to the room or house and helps clean the air.

The Many Benefits of Lavender

 

 

Lavender is considered to be an herb. It has its many uses especially as ornamental plants for garden and landscape use, for use as culinary herbs, and also commercially for the extraction of essential oils. The flower and the oil of lavender are used to make medicine. It is one of the most nostalgic fragrances, bringing scenes of childhood vividly to the mind: high summer that lasts forever, lavender bushes shimmering against blue sky, the bees blundering in and out among the flowers, stirring up the intense sweet sensation. But again, lavender is much more than just pretty and calming. It is one of the most powerful remedies in the plant world, offering both physical and emotional relief for problems as varied as burns, migraines, insomnia, insect bites, skin problems, infections, stress, and nervous tension. 

One of my close friend, used to have these insomnia attacks for days and her doctor gave her sleeping pills to help her sleep because our body and mind needs to rest too. Those sleeping pills didn't have any affect on her sleeping habits, so the doctor gave her a much higher dosage and inform her of using lavender in her room to help her in sleeping. That actually made a difference. it help her put into sleep faster and lately she doesn't even need to take those sleeping pills. It's all thanks to the lavender aromatic oils that she uses at home. Since, I am growing lavender plants in my garden. I decided to give her one as a gift, so I bought a purple ceramic container and transferred some lavender. She really like the plant and decided to put it in her room near her bed. She is very thankful because she feel that I really cared for her a lot.

Lavender is particularly rich in aromatic molecules called esters, which are antispasmodic, pacifying and tonic, while other molecules give it's anti viral, bacterial and anti-inflammatory powers. Of the many, therapeutic attributes of Lavender oil, respiratory relief would be one of the most consistently reported benefits. Certainly eases breathing when lungs and sinuses are choked with phlegm. It also defends system against airborne viruses. Knowing all of these benefits, I am very glad that I was able to take care and maintain this type of plant at home.

An Unexpected Gift

Christmas day had passed and we celebrated it just fine at home with our family, although we are missing some family members. Good thing about technology today is that, it brings family closer even when they are miles away. Just a simple message or a video call would mean so much to those who can't be with their family on that very special day. And speaking of the past holiday, since we all love to prepare for these special occasion, we also tend to forget our bodies and we just eat whatever we want. We should also remember that in order for us to live happily, we should always look after our health. I am thinking of loosing weight big time, since I have consumed a lot of fats and sugar as well as carbohydrates for the past week. So, I started to jog this morning and went back to gardening, as this helps me loose those fats I have gained.

 

A friend of mine gave me the osmanthus holly plant which she ordered online and had it shipped to my address directly. I was so surprised upon receiving it. I thought at first, I have to pay for something that I didn't order. I was about to get mad when the delivery man said that I don't have to pay for anything and all I have to do is sign on the paper acknowledging that I receive the plant. I called my friend and thank her after reading her message on the card that came with the plant. I was very delighted because there is a new plant that will be adding on my collection. I don't know much about the plant so I did some research online. I have found out that it is a specie of flowering plant in the olive family and is widely used as a hedge plant.

It is not advisable to put it under full sun because the colors of the leaves may bleach out, for maximum color you should place it on a partial shade. Following a regular watering schedule during the first growing season is also needed to establish a deep, extensive root system. Those are some of the tips and tricks in taking care of the plant. I am looking forward to replanting them in my mini garden soon.