101 Plant Care Tips for Your Interior Plants Cape

101 plant care tips for your interior plantscape

by Joseph R. Gallo, Jr. B.S., M.Ed.

Copyright 2010 Plantscape Designs, Inc. • All rights reserved

ISBN #978-1-4507-3707-4

All copy and photographs are the property of Joseph R. Gallo, Jr. and Plantscape Designs, Inc. and may not be used without permission.

Visit our web site at www.PDIPlants.comand our blog: http://www.pdiplantsblog.com/

Book and cover design by Valentine-Design.com

i

Acknowledgments

Kathleen Valentine many thanks for your patience and guid-ance in helping me build this useful guide as a tool to further assist project managers, facility managers, and office managers in the caring of their interior office plants or in helping them select a competent interior landscaping company.

I also want to thank Pamela Veerman and Jeannine Gallo for their tireless efforts in the tedious process of proof-reading and with the general editing of this guide book.

Brian P. Guilfoyle has been an endless fountain of knowledge assisting me in the construction and further editing of this hand book. His encyclopedic factual knowledge of the botani-cal kingdom never ceases to amaze me.

Table of Contents

Interior Office Plant Care ...................................................... 1 1. Watering .................................................................... 3 2. Cleaning ..................................................................... 6 3. Pruning ...................................................................... 7 4. Fertilizing .................................................................. 10

Insect Pests on Your Office Plants ........................................... 15 1. Scale ........................................................................ 16 2. Spider Mites ................................................................ 18 3. Thrips ....................................................................... 19 4. Fungus Gnats .............................................................. 21 5. Mealy Bugs .................................................................23 6. Nocturnal Weevils ....................................................... 24

Interior Office Plant Suggestions ............................................25

Exterior Corporate Containers ............................................... 61

Interior Office Flower Programs .............................................63 1. Potted Flowers ............................................................ 71

Live Corporate Arrangements ................................................79 1. Potted Orchids ............................................................80 2. Potted Bromeliads ........................................................87

Design Ideas for Your Interiorscapes ........................................ 93 1. Surface Pot Dressing ......................................................97 2. Office Plant Grouping ..................................................103

Office Plant Morphology and Physiology ................................. 107

Health Effects of Green Plants in Your Office Environment ............119

Financial Benefits of Indoor Office Plants in Your Work Place .........123

Recycling Issues Within Your Office Interiorscapes ......................127

Seasonal Creative Ideas for Your Officescapes ...........................131

The Value & Worth of Interior Within Your Office Work Place .........143

Bibliography ....................................................................149

About the Author ............................................................ 150

Interior Office Plant Care

2 101 plant care tips for your interior plantscape

It All Starts With a Balanced Environment

Your plants need a holistic approach to plant health care. Your green plants should be one with your office workplace. The basic environmental elements that promote plant health care are simple: soil, a proper balance of nutri-ents, balanced soil acid-ity, enough root and crown space, ample water, opti-mum temperature and light, pure air, and freedom from pests and diseases. When just one of these above ele-

ments are out of the healthful range stress develops for your office plants, resulting in unsightly greenery, that is when you log on to our website www.pdiplants.com. We can help solve your green plant problems. PDI services the Waltham, Burlington, Lexington, and Woburn, MA areas.

101 plant care tips for your interior plantscape 3

Do Your Office Plants Look Like This?

If your office green plants are looking like this one, please do not hesitate to call us for a free estimate. Droopy green wavy leaves with brown burned tips are indicative of under watering by you or your interior plant care company. The gray that you see here in this photo, accumulated dust on the surface of this leaf can block needed light for photosyn-thetic activity of the entire plant. Blocked light can result in the weakening of your

plant, making it more susceptible to disease that cause it to look unhealthy or even die. Plantscape Designs Inc. services the N.E Plantscape Interiors of the Lexington, MA area.


If Your Indoor Office Plants Look Like This, Call PDI

Your officescapes should not look like this photo.

1. Brown leaves of this bamboo palm are caused from sporadic or infrequent watering visits by you or your plant service.

2. Yellow leaves of this tree indicate lack of nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorous or potassium.

3. Crushed up against the office wall; move it away for better growth and eye appeal.

4. Prune it for a more natural growth pattern of this particular fast growing member of the palm family.

Plantscape Designs Inc. specializes in the weekly con-tinuous care of your indoor office plants for Boston, MA.


How to Water Your Indoor Office Plants

If during water-ing you notice that the soil is pulling away from the sides of the pot, it is an indica-tion that you have allowed the plant to dry out too much between waterings.Do not fertilize

at this time, just soak it. If you do fertilize you will chemically burn the roots and root hairs of your indoor office plants. You can fertilize a day or two later just to be safe. Alternatively, if you should over water your office plants, you can suction out the water in the outer container with a turkey baster and not water your interior plants for at least a week or two. PDI services the Boston, Cambridge, and Waltham, MA cityscapes of N.E.


Why Clean and Sterilize Your Scissors after Trimming your Indoor Office Plants?

Anyone trimming their indoor office plants must always clean and sterilize their scis-sors with alcohol.

1. When trimming what ap-pears to be brown or yellow spots or tips of leaves could be fungus or even viruses.Fungus spores or virus vec-tors could adhere to your scissors or pruners and infect the next plant you intend to trim.2. Likewise when trimming leaves microscopic insect

eggs can also stick to your pruners or scissors, further causing contagion of insect larvae with other plants in your interior of-ficescapes.3. The easiest and safest method to sterilize your trimming scissors is dipping them in a 70% solution of isopropyl alcohol or soaking a clean cloth with this solution thoroughly wiping your tools of these live organisms.4. By doing this simple procedure you and your company can save hundreds of dollars in plant replacements. At Plantscape Designs Inc. Boston, MA we always steril-ize our tools on a daily basis to eliminate costly interior office plant loss.


Pruning Your Indoor Office Plants.

As the days grow longer and your interior office plants produce new growth, they can become unruly and misshapen. This is the perfect time for Plantscape Designs of N.E. to prune and shape your plants. In the spring giving them a heavy pruning, they have a summer of long days to recover and push out lots of new foli-age. This will make your plants more shapely and beautiful. Many of our clients’ ficus trees are perfect candidates for such pruning and shaping in the

Cambridge - Boston areas. This is just another green plant solu-tion by PDIPlants Boston.


Why Prune Your Boston Office Plants?

Pruning approaches produc-ing strong structure should be the emphasis when prun-ing young trees. As trees mature, the aim of pruning will shift to maintaining tree structure, form, health and appearance. Proper pruning cuts are made at a node, the point at which one branch or twig attaches to another. In the spring of the year growth begins at buds, and twigs grow until a new node is formed. The length of a branch between nodes is called an internode.

The most common office plant that needs pruning is your Ficus trees, Benjamina, Nitida etc..

1. Make a small wedge shaped cut on the underside of the branch just on the branch side of the stem collar. This will break the bark at that point and prevent a tear from running along the bark and stem tissue.

2. Somewhat farther along the branch, starting at the top of the branch, cut all the way through the branch leaving a stub end.

3. Finally, make a third cut parallel to and just on the branch side of the of the stem collar to reduce the length of the stub as much as possible. The most common types of pruning are:


Crown ThinningCrown thinning, primarily for hardwoods, is the selective re-moval of branches to increase light penetration and air move-ment throughout the crown of a tree. The intent is to maintain or develop a tree’s structure and form. To avoid unnecessary stress and prevent excessive production of epicormic sprouts, no more than one-quarter of the living crown should be re-moved at a time. If it is necessary to remove more, it should be done over successive years. Branches with strong U-shaped angles of attachment should be retained. Branches with narrow, V-shaped angles of attachment often form included bark and should be removed. Included bark forms when two branches grow at sharply acute angles to one another, producing a wedge of inward-rolled bark between them. Lateral branches should be no more than one-half to three-quarters of the diameter of the stem at the point of at-tachment. Avoid producing “lion’s tails,” tufts of branches and foliage at the ends of branches, caused by removing all inner lateral branches and foliage. Lion’s tails can result in sunscald-ing, abundant epicormic sprouts, and weak branch structure and breakage. Branches that rub or cross another branch should be removed as illustrated above photo. Conifers that have branches in whorls and pyramidal crowns rarely need crown thinning except to restore a domi-nant leader. Occasionally, the leader of a tree may be damaged and multiple branches may become codominant. Select the strongest leader and remove competing branches to prevent the development of codominant stems again as seen in our above photo. Plantscape Designs Inc. yearly prunes many of our larger Boston office plants.


Feeding Your Indoor Office Plants.

Indoor office plants are amazing in that they make their own food. Through photosynthesis, with light and water, they make carbohydrates that provide the plant with fuel to respire and grow. So as the days grow longer they create food more readily. You can help your interior office plants optimize food making by fertilizing them. This will make your interior landscape plants healthier and more attractive. PDI uses 20/20/20/ fertil-izer formula as a green office plant solution for many of our office plants within the Waltham - Lexington areas.


Why Use Starbucks Coffee Grounds in Your Indoor Office Plants Soil?

“Many consumers are unaware of the fact that by-products from the kitchen make excel-lent additions to compost,” said Ginny Black, communica-tions chairperson of the United States Composting Council. “Coffee grounds are rich in nutrients and beneficial for any backyard compost effort. The U.S. Composting council applauds Starbucks for their environmentally responsible donation and encourages con-sumers to take advantage of this generous opportunity.”

PDI plants are currently mixing used Starbucks coffee grounds in our customer’s office plant soils. By doing this coffee mixture, organic nutrients (a lot of nitrogen, magnesium potassium, some phosphorous, calcium and micronutrients) are added to the potted soils as well. Naturally normalizing the ph of the plant’s soil. At Plantscape Designs Inc. we are encouraging all inte-rior landscapers and business office personnel to blend sparing-ly coffee grounds into their indoor office plant soils. Too much might chemically burn your indoor office plants. To begin composting at home, PDI recommends gar-deners fill a wooden or plastic bin with a mixture of leaves and other yard trimmings and then mix in coffee grounds and kitchen scraps (no animal products). To help the pile decom-pose faster, it is important to make sure that the materials are moist (like a wrung-out sponge) but not soggy. Aerating the pile by mixing and turning also encourages the composting process. Compost is ready for the garden when it has fully decomposed


into a dark rich soil-like material. A half-inch to an inch of com-post on top of the soil feeds plants, prevents plant diseases, suppresses weeds and conserves water. The proper amount of coffee grounds to be used de-pends on soil condition and what is being grown in a garden. Contact a local gardening expert to learn what is best for your region. Or call us at PDI for indoor office plant soil testing. Plantscape Designs Inc. services the Boston and Route 128, MA business communities.


Why PDI Uses Plant Food that Contains Trace Elements.

Plantscape Designs Inc. uses liquid plant food with trace ele-ments for the following reasons:

1. Sulfur for building part plant proteins, coenzyme A, thia-mine, and biotin.

2. Magnesium for building part of chlorophyll, activates numer-ous enzymes, maintains structure of ribosomes.

3. Calcium is essential in the synthesis and stability of middle lamella, maintains structure and permeability of membranes.

4. Iron is an essential part of cytochromes, ferredoxin and an activator of certain enzymes.

5. Chlorine activates photosynthetic enzymes.

6. Manganese helps in the formation of amino acids, activates many enzymes, is an electron carrier, and catalyst.


7. Boron is involved with carbohydrate translocation.

8. Zinc helps chlorophyll formation and indoleacetic acid pro-duction.

9. Copper is an electron carrier, part of certain enzymes and nitrate reduction.

10. Molybdenum is an electron carrier and essential in nitrogen fixation.

Plantscape Designs Inc. currently uses this liquid green plant fertilizer in all of our current interior cityscapes in the Boston, MA area.


INSECT PESTS IN YOUR OFFICE PLANTS


How Can Scale Insects Hurt Your Interior Office Plants?

Scale insects can hurt your interior office plants by sucking their life juices out of them. Most scale insects are parasites of plants, feeding on sap drawn directly from the plant’s vascular system. A few spe-cies feed on fungal mats and fungi, e.g., some species in the genus Newsteadia in the family Ortheziidae. Scale insects vary dramatically in their appearance from very small organisms (1–2 mm) that occur under wax covers (some look like oyster shells), to shiny pearl-like objects (about 5 mm), to creatures covered with mealy wax. Adult female scales are almost always immo-bile (aside from mealy bugs) and permanently attached to the plant they have parasitized. They secrete a waxy coating for defense; this coating causes them to resemble reptilian scales or fish scales, hence the name. Scale insects feed on a wide variety of plants, and many scale species are considered pests. Plantscape Designs Inc. can eradicate these insect para-sites by injecting a chemical systemic into your plants soil.


The way these chemicals work is as follows:

Inject the systemic into your plant soil.Water your plant.The water and liquid systemic will be absorbed by your indoor office plants through their root hairs and primary root systems.The water and systemic will be transpired up the xylem vascu-lar tissue of your green plants.Once the upward flow of these lethal liquids assents the leaves and small upper portions of your plants’ stems where the scale reside, these liquids are ingested by the scale insects poisoning them.

Plantscape Designs Inc. has been using this systemic chemical solution when biological solutions are not feasible in our interior office plants in the Boston, MA area.


Tiny Spiders on Your Office Plants!

These tiny pests can destroy an office plant faster than any other insect. Spider mites exist in un-limited locations in your office, in paper, rugs, furniture and in your plants. Although very small they are visible to the naked eye but the

first symptom of their existence is a fine veil of webbing be-tween the leaves. These little beasts are true spiders or arachnids. They breathe through tiny holes on their thorax known as spiracles. This feature is key to eliminating them by clogging these breathing holes. Mites multiply rapidly, especially in hot and dry conditions and are very fond of palms. A mix of water and a little oil soap sprayed on the leaves, particularly the undersides, is effective in controlling them.


How Do Thrips Injure Your Indoor Office Plants?

Thrips are tiny insects that feed off your indoor office plants. They may injure or even kill your interior office plants. Thrips (Order Thysanoptera) are tiny, slender insects with fringed wings (thus the scientific

name, from the Greek thysanos (fringe) + pteron (wing)). Other common names for thrips include thunderflies, thunderbugs, storm flies, and corn lice. Thrips species feed on a large variety of sources both plant and animal by puncturing them and suck-ing up the contents. A large number of thrips species are considered pests, because they feed on plants with commercial value. Some spe-cies of thrips feed on other insects or mites and are considered beneficial, while some feed on fungal spores or pollen. So far around 5,000 species have been described. Thrips are gener-ally tiny (1 mm long or less) and are not good fliers, although they can be carried long distances by the wind. In the right conditions, many species can exponentially increase in popula-tion size and form large swarms, making them an irritation to humans. Plantscape Designs Inc. eradicates thrips by using biological predatory mites that feed on them and not on your interior office plants in the Waltham, MA area.


Why Are Your Office Green Plants Turning Yellow, Dropping Leaves, or Have Browning Tips?

Although such symptoms like the ones above may be serious and easily detected, hundreds of things can go wrong. The root systems of your office plants, infectious diseas-es or inadequate plant care from your current provider may be the cause of your “sad” looking plants. For example the photo illustrates an insect thrip infection. PDIPlants.com can help. Just log on. We can help. Boston, MA is where we care for your office plants.


What do fungus gnats look like?

They are small, grayish to black flies that are 2 ½ mil-limeters long and resemble tiny mosquitoes (minus the blood-sucking). Their legs are long and slender, and their skinny antennae are usually longer than their heads. Their wings are shades of gray. Fungus gnats are relatively weak fliers and gen-erally remain near potted plants, often running or resting on soil or leaves.

What kind of damage do fungus gnats do? They may not threaten human health, but with fungus gnats you get a triple whammy: Not only do people hate to see them in general, the pests can be vectors for plant diseases – not good! “What’s a vector,” you ask? It’s an organism that transmits a pathogen, so if you have a sick plant, fungus gnats can spread it to all your healthy neighboring plant friends. They can also vector several different fungal root rots, including ones called Fusarium and Pythium, and even foliage pathogens like Botrytis.


And as if that’s not bad enough, fungus gnat larvae make breakfast, lunch and dinner out of your plant roots. So there’s good news, and there’s bad news: The good news is adult fungus gnats only live about one week. The bad news is that in this short time, the female will deposit 100-150 eggs on your plant’s soil surface. These eggs are laid in strings of three to 40 and can hatch within four days of being laid! The emerging larvae are clear to creamy-white and can grow to about 5 ½ millimeters long. They have shiny black head capsules. The larvae feed on tasty root hairs in the upper 1 centimeter of the soil, then work their way up into the plant stem. (They also love to feed on the roots of your newly planted seed, so watch those seed-starting trays in spring!) The larvae feed on highly organic soils, too. After feeding for approximately 14 days, the larva pupates. In about three and a half days, an adult will emerge from the case. The total life cycle takes two to four weeks. At Plantscape Designs Inc., we combat the infestation of fungus gnats with biological control such as the use of parasitic nematodes in our N.E. plantscape clients’ offices.


What is Mealybug Biological Control?

Mealbugs are tiny white fussy insect that take the life juices right out of your indoor office plants. Mealybug females feed on plant sap, normally in roots or other crevices. They attach themselves to the plant

and secrete a powdery wax layer (therefore the name mealy-bug) used for protection while they suck the plant juices. The males on the other hand, are short-lived as they do not feed at all as adults and only live to fertilize the females. Male citrus mealy bugs fly to the females and resemble fluffy gnats. Some species of mealybug lay their eggs in the same waxy layer used for protection in quantities of 50–100; other species are born directly from the female. Our biological control, non chemical, the Cryptolaemus montrouzieri predaceous ladybeetle, also known as “ the mealybug destroyer,”eats these fussy creatures. The “Crypts” are 1/8 inch long, mostly black with an orange head and abdomen. “Crypts” are tropical insects that work best between the temperatures of 72 and 77 F. Two “Crypts “ per infected plant is all you need to devour 100s of mealybugs Plantscape Designs Inc. applies these critters when ever your plants are infested with these fuzzy little insects, Waltham, MA area officescapes.


How Can Nocturnal Weevils Harm Your Interior Office Plants?

Nocturnal weevils can harm your indoor office plants without you noticing for a long period of time. They feed on your office plants at night. These are dark brown to black, short-snouted weevils, densely covered with metallic gold or greenish-bronze scales. They range in size from 4-9 and mm long, depending on species. The main pest species found in Europe are the brown leaf weevil (Phyllobius oblongus), the silver-green leaf weevil (Phyllobius argentatus) and the common leaf weevil (Phyllobius pyri), but a few other species also occur in gardens. They feed on the leaves of apples and other fruits, and on the leaves of alder, birch, lime, oak, poplars, flowering cherries, crab-apples and rhododendrons, eating small holes in the leaves and occa-sionally damaging blossom. These weevils can be biologically controlled by apply-ing parasitic nematodes to your potted plant soil or your lobby planters, soil. Plantscape Designs Inc. of Bedford, MA uses the ser-vices of IPM Labs who scientifically propagate these biologically weapons, saving you needless financial and esthetic loss of your interior office plant designs.


Interior Office Plant Suggestions


Office Plants, What’s in a Name?

The split leaf philodendron is a common foliage plant that has some points of interest. These plants can provide a beautiful accent to your office space whether you have low to medium light conditions or wonderful natural light. Botanically named, Monstera deliciosa, aptly describes its attributes. The genus Monstera refers to the monstrous green leaves it produces in its native habitat of Mexico and Central America. The plant climbs to a height of more than eighty feet producing leaves that are three feet long and almost as wide. The leaves are deeply incised on the margins and dotted with holes in the center. This allows the plant to withstand storms and hurricanes by allowing the wind to blow through the leaves minimizing damage to the plant. Monsteras for the most part are poisonous. Except for the fruit, hence the species, deliciosa. After flowering, the arum of the flower develops into a delicious scaled fruit that is fragrant and has a flavor of pineapple and pear.


Philodendron - A Versatile Plant For Your Office

Philodendron oxycardium, heart leaved Philodendron, has been a staple in the foliage plant industry with unlimited uses. It works beautifully to enhance your office space as a hanging plant, desk plant or a floor plant when trained on a support. Some of the creative uses are when it is used in dish gardens, ter-

rariums or groundcover in large architectural planters. This Philodendron also has an interesting past. First collected in the West Indies in 1793 by Captain William Bligh, yes, the Captain Bligh of Mutiny on the Bounty, and returned to England where it has graced homes and offices around the world since. We currently use these in many of our Cambridge MA office locations.


Why Does Plantscape Designs Use Warneckii, Neanthe Bella Palms, and ZZ Plants?

Fresh Warneckii, ZZ Plants, and Neanthe Bella Palms have arrived at our Route 128 warehouse. These low light loving plants soften your office work place cubicles and open areas. The options are unlimited.

Warneckii, Lemon-LimeDracaena deremensisLight Level: MediumWater Level: MediumDracaena deremensis cv. ‘Warneckii’ has stiff, tapered leaves with gray, green and white stripes. ‘Lemon Lime’ is a ‘Warneckii’ cultivar with more yellow and green stripes.

Country of Origin: Africa and Asia

Maintenance Tips:When D. deremensis fertility is too low or when the plant is overwatered, it may develop weak color and narrow strappy leaves. Lack of phosphorus can cause a severe dieback in the middle and older foliage. Iron deficiency is common and results in severe interveinal chlorosis. If you gently grab the third leaf back from the grow-ing tip during the middle of the day and hold it lightly in your hand, you may be able to feel the leaf’s heat. If you can, it probably means the light and temperature are too high. You can mist the plant to reduce its temperature and move it away from the light or heat source.


These plants do well when kept on the dry side. You will find they are often in Hawaiian lava rock potting media, which helps prevent root rot. Do not allow these plants to sit in water. D. deremensis ‘Warneckii‘ prefer low to medium light.

ZZ Plants:The Zamioculcas is definitely a -”What’s Up” plant. It fits just about every need of what a new indoor plant introduction should be. • Handles low light • Low water use • Tough under indoor conditions • Handles neglect well The ZZ has been around for decades. It is a member of the Aroid family along with the philodendron, spathiphyllum and aglaonema. You would never know it though. The card-board palm is another Aroid. The base of the plant stalks are swollen from which the stem host dark green, naturally shiny leaves. It’s easy to think that the plant has had leaf shine put on it. Remember, we don’t recommend leaf shine. One rule that almost all of the BEST indoor plants have is – they grow slow. The ZZ is no exception. It is easy to propa-gate but develops slowly. Most of the plants are grown from leaf cuttings just as you would a jade plant.Plants are grown in 4 inch up through 14 inch pots. Large plants can reach 3 feet in height and I have seen a very old plant of 4 foot. The average height of most of the plants grown is about 16 – 28 inches, and the plant can have a wide spread on it. It works well as an accent plant in areas where it can”spread its wings”. Neanthe Belle is discussed in another article in more detail. At Plantscape all three above 3’ plants can be used under your indoor office logos, artwork, or company informa-tion photos to highlight their importance.


Diversity in the Workplace?

Well, I’m not talking the “PC” kind, but the diverse plant genus, Ficus. This genus of plant has an almost unlimited range of sizes, forms and textures, which make it an excellent choice for the office. From the ubiquitous Ficus benjamina (pictured here), in the standard tree form, to the bold leaves of the Ficus lyrata (fiddle leaf fig) down to the tiny leaved Ficus pumila, there is a member of this family to suit every office environ-ment. Ficus, in general, are native to India and parts of Asia. They exude a white milky substance, or latex, when cut. Ficus elastica, also commonly known as the rubber plant, was the basis for rubber products but has been replaced with a species of another plant genus, Hevea.


Why Should Office Work Places Use Mass Appeals in Their Interior Design?

For the last 40 years the vertical straight up Tri Dracena Marginatas have dominated the office work places of Downtown Boston, Cambridge, Waltham and the Route 128 business com-munities. No more. This new arrival has differing growth lines and character that the older cultivar does not. Shapely and more fluid lines accompany this new plant species giving it unlimited office plant options to enhance your office space and reception area.


Why Use Neanthe Belle Palms in Your Office?

Neanthe Belle palms are 3’ tall low light green plants. This deli-cate foliage palm can soften your steel finish and glass accents found on your doors, cubicles, and conference rooms. Interior landscapers in the Boston area use these palms especially under their corporate logos, your art work or even your company posters.

Native to: Mexico and GuatemalaGrowth habit: An upright and some what columnar bush usually not over 4’ in height or 36” in width.Flowers: Yes, but unremarkable.Temps: Normal indoor tempsHumidity: Not critical.Pests: Watch for spider mites.Lighting: Indoor office plant Cultural information: Neanthea Bella Palm is an affordable small palm that is well suited to life indoors. Its compact shape and ease of care makes it a great choice for the home or office. Neanthe Bella palm performs well in dry climates and rarely exhibits tip browning.

As with most members of the Chamaedorea family, Parlor Palms will grow best if placed in filtered light. If there is enough light, either natural or artificial to cast a shadow the Neanthe Bella palm should do well there. Check the Neanthe Bella palm for water twice a week


until you become familiar with the plants needs. The amount of water the plant uses will depend on the amount of light it receives. The lower the light, the less water the plant will need. The reverse is true for brighter lighting. On small plants let the surface soil dry to the touch between waterings. For larger specimens allow the surface soil to dry down about 1” between waterings. Water all the way around the plant to avoid creating dry spots in the soil which will lead to frond loss. Water until a small amount of seeps from the drainage holes. Remove excess water from the drip tray within one hour of watering to help prevent root rot. Indoors Parlor Palms are not heavy feeders. Fertilize once a month during the spring and summer months. Feed bi-monthly or quarterly during the winter with Peter’s Houseplant Special. At the nursery Neanthe Bella palms are grown from seed. To propagate, the plant can be divided... but expect heavy die back of palm fronds and a slow recovery. Propagation is not recommended. Common houseplant pests can include: Foliar Mealy bug and Spider mites. Being an avid aquarist I have noticed most aquarium shops offering small Parlor Palms as an aquatic submerged plant. Neanthe Bella palms are a terrestrial plant that will not live very long submerged. “Neanthe Bella Palms” are available in nearly every container size from very small starter 3” starter plants to large 10”, 12”, and 14” specimen plants.


Why Succulents Are Used by N.E. Interior Landscapers. Succulents add a different texture to your office plant gardens and office space. The leaves are thicker than most tropical plants used by interior landscapers.

The Hens and Chickens, a common echeveria species add fullness and color to your office plant environment. Blues, reds, yellows and shades of green radiate from these botani-cals. PDI is currently using these desert-loving plants in southwest window environments with our pharmaceutical cli-ents located in Cambridge and Waltham, MA.


Where Can I Use this Plant in My Office Work Place?

Just in! Four foot to five foot mass appeals with and with out character lines are different. Great for those narrow spaces within your office work place whether it be downtown Boston MA or Burlington and Bedford MA office locations. These new botanicals are designed for low light areas in and around your office interiorscape. Originally, straight tri-cane massange-annas, the mass appeals are the same plant species with added character bends to

their stems. Hence, making these green plants more interesting within your office greenscape. This photo illustrates a mix of the original and the newer character bend plant, creating unlimited green plant design possibilities in your office.


Spath Flowers as a Potted Indoor Office Plant.

Why use spath flowers in your interior office plants design? Why Plantscape Designs Inc. uses spaths in your indoor office loca-tions? Plant Type: PerennialDescription: A miniature, with leaves about nine inches (23cm) long and flowers held a few inches above them. Spathe and spadix creamy white.Origin: Man Made HybridEnvironment: Suitable for the home or a greenhouseFoliage: YesFlowering: YesSeason: All yearFragrant: NoGrowing Ease: Requires a little extra careTemperature: 60-85°F, 16-29°CHumidity: High humidityLighting Needs: Does best in full sunlight coming from the North/East/West

101 plant care tips for your interior plantscape 37Soil Type:A GOOD general purpose potting soil (a soil that retains water yet drains well) will suffice. Check purchased soil to see that it is well aerated and add sand or perlite and peat moss if it seems to pack too tightly. Give the plants a chance to settle in before going back to whatever fertilization program has been successful for you. If you want to mix your own take: 1 part garden soil, 1 part coarse sand or perlite, 1 part moist peat or humus (leaf mold) and a light dusting of lime. Always use a pot with a hole.Watering:Drench the soil and let it become moderately dry between wa-terings. If you use rainwater, be careful, as it could be acidic. Use warm water.Fertilizer:Feed every two weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer during the summer months only.Plant Pests:Prone to thrips. Always inspect any new plant for pests before introducing it to your home or greenhouse.Gardening Tips & Care:Mist frequently with warm water (lime free to avoid leaf stain-ing) and try to avoid drafts as they may damage the plant. Place pebbles or gravel in the drainage dish to hold water and increase the humidity, make sure the pot is sitting on the gravel and not in the water.Air Purifier:An excellent air purifier. Some species removes formaldehyde, benzene, and toluene. Ethyl and methyl alcohol, acetone, xylene, ammonia, trichloroethylene and ethyl acetate from the surrounding atmosphere.


Why use Crassulas in your N.E. Plantscapes?

What are Crassulas? Crassulas are succulents. There are numerous species and cultivators of Crassulas. The two main forms are jade like and stacked. Crassulas are semi arid plants, not cacti but close to it. The plant to the left is a representative of a stacked species and the plant to the right a cultivar of the jade like type. Crassulas, like jade plants love the sun and high light south exposure office win-

dows. The texture of these indoor plants is thick and hard unlike your typical tropical indoor office plants. Jades have thick stems and form mounding, branching shrubs that can be pruned into small trees and used for bonsai. Flowers appear midwinter through spring, borne in clusters that may be massed so profusely the plant appears blanketed with snow. The common jade (Crassula ovata) has thumbsized, oval green leaves edged in red. Silver dollar jade (Crassula arborescens) has red edged silvery gray leaves.


Why Use Opuntia Cacti in Your Office Plantscapes?

Indoors, Opuntia cactus can be grown in pots but they gener-ally don’t grow to more than a few feet tall. They do best in full sunlight with very little water. No cacti likes to be over wa-tered and they will rot if they remain in saturated soil. Water sparingly and improve soil drainage in areas that receive a lot of rain. My cactus lets me know when it needs water with thin pads and droopy tips. One year we got over 20 inches of rain and the pads swelled up with so much moisture they broke off under their own weight. We at PDI are currently using opuntia cacti in our down-town Boston cityscapes. Also called Prickly Pear cacti, opuntias typically grow with flat, rounded platyclades that are armed with two kinds of spines; large, smooth, fixed spines and small, hairlike spines called glochids, that easily penetrate skin and detach from the plant. Many types of prickly pears grow into dense, tangled structures. Like all true cactus species, Prickly Pears are native only to the Western hemisphere; however, they have been introduced to other parts of the globe. Prickly Pear species are found in abundance in Mexico, especially in the central and


western regions. They are also found in the Western United States, from arid regions in the Northwest, throughout the mid and lower elevations of the Rocky Mountains, and especially in the Southwest. Prickly Pears are also the only types of native cactus found to grow far east of the Great Plains states, as far northeast as Long Island, where it can be found in Northport.Prickly Pear species were introduced into Australia in the late 1800s, causing major ecological damage in the eastern states. They are also found in the Mediterranean region of southern Europe, especially on the island nation of Malta, where they grow all over the island, and can be found in enormous num-bers in parts of South Africa, where it was introduced from South America. Plantsape Designs Inc. of Boston, MA uses these cacti in your cold unheated entrance ways when no other tropical plant can survive. Opuntia are the most cold-tolerant of the lowland cacti, extending into western and southern Canada. Prickly pears also produce a fruit that is commonly eaten in Mexico, known as “tuna”; it also is used to make aguas frescas. The fruit can be red, wine-red, green or yellow-orange. Charles Darwin was the first to note that these cacti have thigmotactic anthers: when the anthers are touched, they curl over, depositing their pollen.


How to Use Haworthias in Your Indoor Officescapes Designs.

These South African foliage office plants need less light than most other succulents. Some times called zebra plants because of their white dotted or striped pointed leaves further banded with white ridges add a different texture to your interior of-ficescapes. Haworthias may resemble other succulents like agaves, crassulas, aloes, graptopetalums, gasterias or echeverias spe-cies. PDI uses these kinds of succulents on low mainte-nance installation jobs all over the Burlington, Woburn, and Lexington, MA, N.E. Plantscapes.


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 you’re 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 sec-

tions of your office interiors. They also soften today’s contem-porary hard surfaces such as glass wood and metal composing your interior office design. Bamboo palms are palms, not bamboos. Bamboo are true grasses in the family Poaceac. Palms are in the family Arecaceac. PDIPlants currently services the Cambridge, MA, Boston, MA and Route 128 area office environments.


How Plantscape Designs Inc. Uses Cork Screw Ficus in Office Interiors.

PDI uses cork screw ficus trees in office interior lobbies as well as office cafes. These tall stately low light ficus trees add character to your office work place.

Planting these soft leafed botanicals in Lechuza Cubicos further enhances the long elegant lines of these indoor plants. Plantscape Designs Inc. currently services the Woburn, MA. office parks. Do you know that one of the most popular plants in Europe is the Ficus benjamina and its many cultivars.There are many perceptions in the US on Ficus trees which differ from Europe:• Ficus drop their leaves• Ficus are short lived in the interior environment• Ficus are uninteresting• Ficus are inexpensive• A Ficus is a Ficus• There is nothing new in Ficus


In fact over 15 years ago Ficus trees accounted for over 11% of all potted plant sales sold and over 60 Ficus varieties were being cultivated commercially. Now not all Ficus cultivars are superior but some select varieties are indeed superior. Plus we continue to see new selections both unique in color form and growth habit. This image is of a crop of 14 inch Ficus Benjamina ‘Monique‘ trees grown as ‘corkscrews’. These trees are under-going the acclimation process getting use to lower light levels soon ready to be a conversation item as a houseplant or in an office. Ficus Benjamina Monique is more drought tolerant than past benjamina varieties. Learn more on Ficus tree care here. Ficus trees are one of PDI main staple plants for your Boston cityscape atriums.


Why Use Fiddle Leaf Ficus as One of Your Indoor Office Plants?

Why use fiddle leaf ficus trees in your office work place? Fiddle leaf ficus trees add a different texture to your indoor office plant grouping. You can use these medium light loving plants in your win-dows or well-lighted interior officescapes. Because fiddle leaf ficus are in the same family as ficus bejamina, ficus nitida and Indian rubber trees, they can be interchanged with all of the above when designing your interiorscapes.

The added advantage of using fiddle leaf ficus is that their leaves do not fall with the changing seasons of autumn and spring. PDI Plants currently services the Bio Pharma offices and labs in downtown, Cambridge, MA


What are Tiny Tillandsias? Why Use Them in Your Indoor Corporate Offices?

Tillandsias are: epiphytes and need no soil because water and nutrients are absorbed through the leaves. The roots are used as anchors only. Reproduction is by seeds or by offsets called “pups”. A single plant could have up to a dozen pups. Indoor arrangement of six Tillandsia plants mounted on a log section. Although not normally cultivated for their flowers, some Tillandsia will bloom on a regular basis. In addition, it is quite common for some species to take on a different leaf color (usu-ally changing from green to red) when about to flower. This is an indication that the plant is monocarpic (flowers once before dying) but offsets around the flowering plant will continue to thrive. Temperature is not critical, the range being from 32°C down to 10°C. They are sensitive to frost, except for the hardi-est species, T. usneoides, which can tolerate nighttime frosts down to about -10°C. Tillandsia is a primary ingredient in an herbal supple-ment to treat pollen allergies. The plant genus Tillandsia, a member of the Bromeliad


family (Bromeliaceae), is found in the deserts, forests and mountains of Central and South America, and Mexico and the southern United States in North America. The thinner-leafed varieties grow in rainy areas and the thick-leafed varieties in areas more subject to drought. Moisture and nutrients are gathered from the air (dust, decay-ing leaves and insect matter) through structures on the leaves called trichomes. Tillandsia species are epiphytes (also called aerophytes or air plants) – i.e. they normally grow without soil while at-tached to other plants). Epiphytes are not parasitic, depending on the host only for support. The genus Tillandsia was named by Carolus Linnaeus after the Swedish physician and botanist Dr. Elias Tillandz (originally Tillander) (1640-1693). Plantscape Designs Inc. currently uses these tiny brome-liads to enhance the monthly orchid gardens that we create and deliver for our 100s of corporate interiorscape clients.


New Indoor Office Plant Arrivals at PDI, Ming Aralias.

Ming aralias, scientific name Polyscias fruticosa, is a versatile and easy-to-grow houseplant. Belonging to the family, Araliaceae, this evergreen foliage plant is native to India and cat-egorized under shrubs and bushes. Some botanists refer to Ming aralias as a dwarf tree, especially be-cause of its variable height. Commercially, Ming aralias propagation is done by stem cuttings, root cuttings and air layering. Nevertheless, when the plant is in its

active state (during summer), propagation by suckers is usu-ally practiced. With basic Ming aralias care, you can maintain healthy foliage and a disease free plant. Read more on iden-tifying different types of evergreen shrubs and evergreen and flowering shrubs.

Ming Aralias Care The evergreen trifoliate leaves and unique branching pattern are notable features of the Ming aralias plant. The branches are developed at regular intervals in the upright stem, giving it a symmetrical canopy shape. Depending upon the cultivar, the leaf shape is either obovate or lanceolate. Small inconspicuous flowers are developed in summer. Speaking about Ming aralias plant care, it is an outstanding decorative houseplant that requires minimal maintenance. Some of the basic tips for Ming aralias plant care are discussed follow:


Soil Type For planting Ming aralias, you can use a general potting mixture. It can be planted in different types of soil, as long as the soil is loose, well drained and rich in nutrients. As this houseplant cannot tolerate either water logged or dry soil, it is essential to add peat moss, loam and sand in the potting mix-ture. For preparing the soil mixture on your own, add one part each of garden soil, humus and perlite or coarse sand. You can use small amount of lime dust to avoid acidic soil.

Light The Ming aralias plant thrives well in partial sunlight. When maintained indoors, the Ming aralias performs best in bright however, indirect sunlight. Hence, for better growth of this evergreen houseplant, you can place them in a direction facing a window that receives sunlight. In case, you are living in a cold climatic region, use artificial light occasionally, particu-larly in winter months.

Temperature The favorable temperature range for Ming aralias care is 60-85 degrees Fahrenheit. This houseplant cannot toler-ate extreme cold conditions. Extreme cold (below 60 degrees Fahrenheit) for a prolonged period can cause the leaves to discolor and drop. Hence, make sure you maintain the tempera-ture is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Humidity A medium to high humidity level is ideal for growing Ming aralias. A prolonged low humidity condition can lead to yellowing and falling of leaves. A dry environment may cause this plant to lose all its leaves. You can use a room humidifier in order to maintain the preferable humidity level for Ming ara-lias.

Irrigation Watering the Ming aralias tree should be done in such a way that the top portion of the soil remains moist. Regular irrigation is advisable during warm and growing seasons. To


be precise, maintain moist soil between two waterings. You can cut down on the watering in winters, when the plant is in its inactive phase. Over-watering can cause water logging and damage of the root system.

Fertilizer You can use balanced liquid fertilizers that are rich in essential plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potas-sium) and trace nutrients in the growing period. Fertilizing this houseplant thrice during the growing season is sufficient for proper growth. During winter, you can supplement the plant with compost.

Repotting Repotting Ming aralias plant can be performed at any time throughout the summer months. While transplanting, special care should be taken so that the delicate roots are not damaged. As the roots are not so extensive, you can replant them in another pot of the same size as the current one.

Plant Problems Leaf staining is a common Ming aralias problem, caused as a result of dry soil and extreme cold climates. Common pests that infest Ming aralias plants include spider mites, aphids, mealy bugs and very rarely, scale. In order to keep pests under control, you can use appropriate pesticides. In case, you are not sure about the pest type, get it checked by a horticulturist and then apply the pesticides.

At Plantscape Designs Inc. we always implement the use of Ming aralias in our Bedford, MA and Lexington, MA offices-capes and cityscapes.


Why Use Cacti in Your Corporate Interior Design?

They’re different!

1. Shown above Trichcereus Chilensis El Mclles and (the paddle cactus, prickly pear) Opuntia ficus -india.2. Cacti have spines that are modified leaves designed to protect the plants from foraging animals and extremes of sun, heat and cold.3. In form, cacti are spherical or columnar, or have jointed pads.4. Cacti ribbed like accordions inhabit regions where rain falls intensely and then not at all for months; when drenched, the plants plump up, then slowly contract, as drought requires them to drain their reserves. Contraction also enables the plants to shade themselves, thereby inhibiting desiccation; the deeper the grooves, the less sun reaches the skin.

Plantscape Designs Inc. does use these unique plant in our southerly, sunny hot interiorscape locations in Waltham, MA corporate interior environments.


Tillandsia Plant Care by Rain Forest Flora Inc.

Watering Tillandsias Outdoors is generally easy. A basic rule of thumb is to water them every time you water your other plants. In any area where the humidity is 50% or less it is difficult to over water the plants unless it is very cold. Generally, the warmer and/or drier the air, the more frequently you will water. However, once Tillandsia leaves are

wet, more water doesn’t do a thing for them. Wet them and leave them. This makes watering quick and efficient. For hot, humid climates watering the more xeric Tillys (those with whiter and/or fuzzier leaves) requires more at-tention. When it is hot and humid the plants don’t dry out as quickly as they would in lower humidity. Yet with high heat there is a higher metabolic rate (like a person running up a hill and breathing hard) but the plants can’t respire (breathe) if the leaf surfaces are wet. With high humidity the leaves don’t dry as quickly after becoming wet so in combination with high heat there is a greater potential for rot to set in. You will want to keep the plants from becoming wet too frequently when it is hot and humid.

Watering IndoorsWatering Tillandsias Indoors is a little more critical than out-doors because one generally cannot use a hose so the watering has to be more precise. The most common mistreatment of tillys indoor, unintentional though it may be, is to under water them. Misting the plants CAN be sufficient but it can also be OVER sufficient or UNDER sufficient. The plants can look dry


but actually remain moist in the crucial center area, in the meristematic tissue where new cells are produced. If this area remains too moist for too long the plant may rot. Likewise, one can mist the plants regularly but, in the end, it isn’t enough to prevent a gradual dehydration that normally manifests itself with the edges of the leaves curling up and “pinching.”The most secure way to water the plants indoors is to sub-merge them for a twelve-hour period in “good” water, that is, water that is low in dissolved solids and salts. Rainwater and bottled drinking water are the best. When the plants are under water for this length of time they have enough water availabil-ity for a long enough period of time to completely rehydrate. A soaking in this manner should suffice for ten days to two weeks in average conditions. If a mounting item is too big to submerge, attaching a Velcro dot to the plant and the mounting item allows the plant to be easily removed so that it can be re-hydrated. Finally, if this just isn’t practical or possible, mist the plants with “good” water and try to monitor the state of hydra-tion as best you can. Once you have the right system down that works in your given situation, watering is a breeze.

One last note. If the plants are soaked, you can put water in a container that has a lid to prevent evaporation. This water can then be used over and over for your soakings. A small pinch of Epiphyte’s Delight fertilizer in the water helps as well and it lasts indefinitely. Shake or jostle the container prior to putting the plants in, in order to remix the fertilizer evenly throughout the water. Also, as the water gets used, more can be added to keep the container full enough to submerge the plants completely. Plantscape Designs Inc. uses these tillandsias in our terrarium and orchid gardens flowering programs in the Cambridge, MA corporate plant designs.


Why Use Hawaiian Michiko Canes and Not Florida Cane in Your Indoor Office Environments?

Dracaena michiko is one of the world’s most sought-after dracaena hybrids. This fabulous plant is importer from Hawaii and is commonly known as Michiko cane because of its cane-like structure caused by its upright growth habit. The leaves of this plant are held tighter to its trunks. This makes the plant a perfect plant to be put in narrow or tight areas or rooms with limited avail-able space. Compared to

Dracaena Michiko plants grown in Florida, Dracaena Michiko Hawaii have greater life expectancy because of their well-developed root systems. The large size plus a full-grown look would surely mean lower expenses to be spent on pots or deco-rative containers. In addition, most Dracaena Michiko plants grown from Hawaii are tall and upright or columnar thereby making them excellent choices for places with limited space or area. These reasons and more explain why Hawaii-grown Dracaena Michiko plants are more expensive than those grown in Florida. At Plantscape Designs Inc. the Michiko canes are cur-rently being used in our downtown Boston, MA officescapes.


Why Use Ferns as Interior Office Plants?

Ferns add a different kind of green texture to your interior office plant design. This reception desk arrangement softens your hard granite or stone desk surfaces.

Ferns (Pteridophyta) A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem (making them vascular plants). They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants. Ferns do not have either seeds or flowers (they reproduce via spores).

Stems: Most often an underground creeping rhizome, but some-times an above-ground creeping stolon (e.g., Polypodiaceae), or an above-ground erect semi-woody trunk.

Leaf: The green, photosynthetic part of the plant. In ferns, it is often referred to as a frond, but this is because of the histori-cal division between people who study ferns and people who study seed plants, rather than because of differences in struc-ture. New leaves typically expand by the unrolling of a tight


spiral called a crozier or fiddlehead. This uncurling of the leaf is termed circinate vernation.

Roots: The underground non-photosynthetic structures that take up water and nutrients from soil. They are always fibrous and are structurally very similar to the roots of seed plants. The three ferns comprising the above arrangement have differing leaf surfaces adding interest to this reception arrange-ment. Plantscape Designs Inc. applies ferns in many of our downtown Boston, MA officescapes.


Why Use Euphorbias in Your Interior Office Plant Designs?

The genus Euphorbia is im-mense and by no means lim-ited to succulents, poinset-tias, for example. Succulents and euphorbias are sometimes confused with cacti. Most cacti have clear, water sap; that of euphor-bias is milky. Spines of cacti radiate from a central point (aure-ole), which euphorbias lack. Cacti are new world plants; most cacti like eu-phorbias come from Africa. Euphorbia blooms are

small and beadlike, very different from the vivid- hued, satin-petaled flowers of cacti. Other examples of Euphorbia are pencil cactus(triucalli), crown of thorns (milii), bishop caps (obesa) and medusoid forms (esculenta). At Plantscape Designs Inc. we use all these plant spe-cies in our high light office interior plant gardens within the Boston, MA area.


Why Use Arrowhead Indoor Office Plants in Your Officescapes?

The arrowhead plant goes by numerous names including arrowhead vine, American evergreen, five fingers, and nephthitis. Although it may be grown outdoors in some regions, the arrowhead plant (Syngonium podophyllum) is typically grown as a house-plant. Overall, arrowhead plant care is quite easy. The ar-rowhead plant should be allowed to dry out between waterings. Although the plant enjoys some moisture,

it should not be kept too wet, which may lead to root rot. It prefers temperatures between 60 ºF and 75 ºF but can toler-ate a wider range, if necessary. Proper arrowhead plant care requires humid conditions, especially during dry winter months. Mist the plant daily or place its container on a tray filled with pebbles and water for optimal growth. The arrowhead plant can be fertilized monthly with a balanced fertilizer. The leaves change shape as the plant matures, begin-ning as an “arrowhead” shape, and then changing into three to five finger-like sections. Leaves are generally green in color but there are many varieties that include variegated leaves of differing shades. The heavily variegated varieties require bright, filtered light. Average light is the norm for solid green varieties or those with less variegation. Keep them away from direct sunlight, as this will cause the arrowhead plant to burn or bleach. The arrowhead plant will tolerate low light levels on occasion.


Arrowhead Plant Root Structure The arrowhead plant root structure is quite extensive, spreading and growing to the point of becoming invasive in the wild. Even within a contained environment, because of arrowhead plant root structure, the plant should be repotted every second spring. This plant can also be propagated through division, cuttings (which can be rooted easily in water), and air layering. Gloves should be worn when working with the arrow-head plant, as its sap can be irritating to sensitive individuals. If the arrowhead-shaped foliage is preferred, simply cut off the climbing stems as they develop. The plant will take on a bushier appearance, with less climbing, and the leaves will remain more arrow shaped. Plantscape Designs Inc. of New England has been apply-ing these colorful indoor office plants in our client’s interior-landscape designs for over 38 years.


You Can Use Succulent Foliage Plants as Office Plant Solutions

Succulent foliage has a different texture then your common softer tropical plant foliage. Echeveria, like hens and chickens, are hardy semi-desert water-storing foliage plants. Plantscape Designs Inc. is currently using succulents such as echeveria in our Boston cityscapes. Echeveria needs to be placed in high light office interi-ors. These indoor office plants are terrific office plant solutions for hot interior officescape locations as well as for exterior landscaping on the outside entrances of your office work place.


EXTERIOR CORPORATE CONTAINERS


Yes, PDI Creates Exterior Corporate Plants.

Plantscape Designs Inc. creates exte-rior planting for our corporate clients in the Boston, MA and Woburn, MA areas. Sometimes just a small touch of an exterior plant-ing with a modern or contemporary container can fur-ther enhance your business welcoming entrance way. Evergreens, flower-ing deciduous trees and even colorful perennials or an-nuals can further soften your brick, steel or concrete edifices front expo-sures.

Plantscape Designs Inc. of Woburn, MA uses exterior planters with various types of greenery to further beautify our corporate clients buildings as well as interiorscaping their office work places with tropical green indoor plants.


INTERIOR OFFICE FLOWER PROGRAMS


Why Use Potted Flowering Plants and Not Cut Flowers?

These colorful assorted 6” violets will brighten up any office reception area. Lasting weeks, the African violet retains its value and is within every CEO’s budget. Potted flowering violets can last up to 4 weeks versus 3 to 4 days for cut flowers. Violets can give your office work place unlimited plant color possibilities.


Why Have Flowering Programs in Your Interior Offices?

Our Boston cityscapes clients are accented with either monthly or bi-weekly flowering programs. Flowering plants are strategically located through-out many down town offices together with our tropical green plants. The flowering programs give both unlimited color and variety to our client’s reception areas. Low cost, living potted blooming plants last longer then cut flowers. Kalanchoes, above, come in many colors: red, yellow, orange, white, pink, burgundy and salmon. Kalanchoes are long-lasting and can tolerate high heat office environments.


Why Your N.E Officescape Should Not Use this Beautiful Cut Flower Arrangement?

Why you should not use this flower arrangement in your cor-porate plant designs, because cut flowers are lovely but short lived. Cut flowers are also very costly in your interior office reception. Our potted live flowers, orchids and bromeliads last longer, weeks and some species even months longer. Living flowering arrangements give you more value for your office budget dollar by lasting longer without frequent replacements. PDIPlants can give dozens of species varieties and colors with lower cost to your company. Yes, we service the Cambridge, MA cityscapes.


It’s Not Always About Flowers With Interior Office Plant Design

When we think of adding a colorful accent to our indoor office plants we often think about cut flowers or a flowering potted plant. Actually there is another option. Tropical foliage plants that have beautiful colored leaves. If your office has the right conditions, bright light and warm temperature, there is an un-limited selection of plants that have colorful foliage and varie-gated leaves. Crotons, Cordyline, Rex Begonias, Stromanthe are just a few that can brighten your office with some color. Plantscape Designs uses many of these on locations in the Boston metro area. Colored leafy botanicals have unlimited plant possibilities.


Why Weekly Flower Programs for Your Office Interiorscapes?

Why weekly flower programs for your reception and confer-ence rooms, because PDI potted flowers are less cost to your company then cut flowers. Floral arrangements do not have the longevity or the lower cost as our live potted ever-changing seasonal flowers. Our PDI staff on a weekly, bi- monthly or monthly basis will place many colors into your office automatically. Interesting designer containers are included with our all-inclu-sive pricing. Stone, resin, glass, tin, metal and even baskets are paired with each and every one of our live potted flower deliveries. PDI plants services Lexington, Bedford, Marlboro, Westboro, Burlington, Woburn, Wakefield, and Boston, MA loca-tions.


Flowering Azaleas Have Arrived for Our Boston Cityscapes!

Pink azaleas have arrived for our Boston interior offices-capes. Azaleas are the harbin-ger of spring. These flowering evergreens are incorporated in Plantscape Designs weekly flowering programs. The more common causes of the complete death of an azalea are improper plant-ing, root problems due to poor drainage or too much watering, over-fertilizing, or completely drying out and temperature swings than it could withstand

(which may not show up until warm weather sets in).

Florist azaleas Florists grow some varieties of evergreen azaleas for sale in full bloom at almost any time of the year. Try to find out the variety of your gift azalea, and look it up in a reference book, to see if it is cold hardy in your area (most of them can’t stand a frost). If it is, enjoy it inside until spring and then plant it outside in a part-sun, part-shade place in the garden. If you want to prune it, do that soon after it blooms, to avoid cutting off the buds for next year’s blooms. While it is in the house, remove its pretty paper wrap-per, and water it deeply and infrequently. A good way is to soak it in a tub of water until the bubbles stop, and then let it drain out the excess water. Do this about once a week. Exactly how often depends on its potting mix and the temperature and hu-midity of the room. The goal is to have moist soil, rather than having it either saturated or dry for more than a few hours at a time. Keeping it in a cool area of the house will lengthen the bloom period. Putting the pot on or near a saucer of water and


gravel will raise the humidity and help it hold its leaves. If the azalea is not cold hardy, you can plant it outside after the last frost, still in the pot, with the rim of the pot even with the soil level, or use it as a potted plant. Remember to water it, as the roots can only get the water in the pot. Bring it back into the house during the winter as a potted plant, and put it in the coolest part of the house during the winter. PDI servicing the greater Cambridge, MA officescape area.


Why Use Potted Tulips in Your Cityscapes?

Why use potted tulips in your Boston, MA cityscapes?Potted tulips as indoor flowering plants for office can work, but just for about a week. A tulip is a bulbous plant in the genus Tulipa, comprising 109 species with showy flowers, in the family Liliaceae . The species native range includes southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia from Anatolia and Iran in the west to northeast of China center of diversity of the genus is in the Pamir and Hindu Kushmountains and the steppes of Kazakhstan. A number of species and many hybrid cultivars are grown in gardens, used as pot plants or as fresh cut flowers. Most cultivars of tulip are derived from Tulipa gesneriana . The species are perennials from bulbs, the tunicate bulbs often produced on the ends of stolon and covered with hairless to variously hairy papery coverings. The species in-clude short low-growing plants to tall upright plants, growing from 10 to 70 centimeters (4–27 in) tall. They can even grow in the cold and snowy winter. Plants typically have 2 to 6 leaves, with some species having up to 12 leaves. The cauline foliage is strap-shaped, waxy-coated, usually light to medium green and alternately arranged. The large flowers are produced on scapes or subscapose stems normally lacking bracts. The stems have no leaves to a few leaves; with large species having some


leaves and smaller species have none. Typically species have one flower per stem but a few species have up to four flowers. The colorful and attractive cup shaped flowers typically have three petals and three sepals, which are most often termed tepals because they are nearly identical.

Origin of the name Although tulips are associated with Holland, commer-cial cultivation of the flower began in the Ottoman Empire. The tulip, or lale (from Persian) as it is also called in Iran and Turkey, is a flower indigenous to a vast area encompassing parts of Africa, Asia and Europe. The word tulip, which earlier appeared in English in forms such as tulipa or tulipant, entered the language by way of Frenchtulipe and its obsolete form tuli-pan or by way of Modern Latintulīpa, from Ottoman Turkish tül-bend (“muslin” or “gauze”), and is ultimately derived from the Persian language dulband (“turban”). (The English word turban, first recorded in English in the 16th century, is a cognate.) Plantscape Designs Inc. is currently enhancing the ambi-ance of our Boston plantscapes.


Why Use Orthigalums in Your Interior Office Work Place?

What are orthigalums (Star of Bethlehem’s)? The chincherinchee is also known as Ornithogalum. The Greeks used the term “bird’s milk” ornithos (bird) and gala (milk) to describe something incredible, hence one of their common names is “Wonder Flower” or “Star of Bethlehem”. The South Africans know them as “tjenkenrientjee” which is where the odd English name chincherinchee comes from. Sometimes are called

a “florist’s nightmare” because they have such a long vase life. They can easily last a whole month, and it will be a while before anyone has a need to return to the florist. Their flowers, bell and star-shaped, are showy and sometimes very fragrant. They bloom individually in circles carried at the top of leafless stems, and usually white but also yellow and orange. The best known is Ornithogalum thyrsoides. Ornithogalum umbellatum has larger star-shaped white flowers and narrow leaves. This variety’s most eye-catching feature is the beautiful green stripe on each flower. Ornithogalum thyrsoides is native to South Africa and the Ornithogalum umbellatum is native to the Mediterranean, and all varieties are available all year round. They belong to the Liliaceae (lily) family and grow from bulbs. PDI uses these flowers in our weekly flower programs in our N.E plantscapes.


Weekly Potted Flowers are Economical Office Plant Solutions.

Various and colorful weekly potted flowers are both interesting and economical office plant solutions for your reception desks. PDI plants currently has purple, white, pink, variegated Phaleonopsis orchids in many of our Boston cityscape offices. Azaleas have also been delivered to many of our Cambridge interior office locations. Callendevas, a cultivar of Kalanchoes, are colorful, com-pact and long lasting. PDI services the Cambridge and Waltham, MA business communities.


Why use Alstromeria Potted Flowers in Your Indoor Office Plant Designs?

These flowers last long and are very different then our other potted flower selec-tions Alstroemeria commonly called the Peruvian Lily or Lily of the Incas, is a South American genus of about 50 species of flowering plants. Almost all of the species are restricted to one of two distinct centers of diversity, one in central Chile, and the other in eastern Brazil. Species of Alstroemeria from Chile are winter-growing plants while those of Brazil are summer growing. All

are long-lived perennials. Except A.The genus was named for the Swedish baron Clas Alströmer (Claus von Alstroemer 1736 - 1794) by his close friend Carolus Linnaeus. The plant was first described by the French botanist Louis Feuillée. The plant’s seeds were among many collected by Alströmer on a trip to South America in 1753. The plants are distinctive vegetative, with a rootstock consisting of a slender rhizome or group of rhizomes (the “crown”). Storage roots consist of sausage-like water storing structures “suspended” from the rhizome by major roots. In this way the root system resembles that of dahlias. Above-ground shoots may be very short in some alpine Andean species (a few cm tall) or up to about 1.5 m tall in other species. Perhaps the most fascinating- and telltale- morphologi-cal trait of Alstroemeria and its relatives is the fact that the leaves are resupinate, that is, they twist from the base so that what appears to be the upper leaf surface is in fact the lower


leaf surface. This very unusual botanical feature is easily ob-served in the leaves on cut flowers from the florist. The flowers of Alstroemeria are generally showy. All six tepals (tepal denotes either petal orsepal when both are similar, as in lilies, amaryllis, etc.) are roughly similar. In some species two tepals are enlarged and vividly colored and act as “flags” for pollination. PDI currently uses these colorful flowers in many of our interior office plant businesses.


Celebrate Office Employee Special Events with Flowers. How Does It Work?

Our “Hello”, “Goodbye”, and “Thank You” Service is our most popular service. Anytime you would like to im-press, congratulate or thank a new client, a good colleague, a valued vendor or a business partner, we, PDI, sends them a dazzling flower-ing container garden. Our Seasonal Expressions Packages from Plantscape Designs Inc. provides a full array of holiday decorations for you to select from. Our holiday pieces are cre-ations of mastery bring-ing the festivity of all seasons to your office.

Our weekly flower programs are created with fresh long lasting potted flowers, bromeliads or orchids in a stylish con-tainer that matches your interior. Our quality guarantee provides your office interi-orscapes with prime quality and long lasting live potted flowers in the Boston, MA area.


LIVE CORPORATE ARRANGEMENTSORCHIDS & BROMELIADS


Why Use Orchids in Your Office Reception Area?

Phalaeonopsis orchids are still the rage in reception areas in the Boston Financial District to the technological highway of Route 128. With this new lighter purple color these long last-ing flowers are an investment over expensive cut flowers. Cut flowers last days orchids can last months, lowering your interior plantscape costs. Orchids come in many more colors and varieties than just phalaeonopsis. Dendrobiums are sympodial orchids develop pseu-dobulbs, which vary in length from a few centimetres (e.g. Dendrobium cuthbertsonii) to two metres long (e.g. Dendrobium pulchellum). Most grow into long reedlike stems. Some appear dense-ly covered with short white or black hairs. In selected species, the short, ovate leaves grow alter-nately over the whole length of the stems, in others, the leaves are bunched towards the apex of the stem. The flowers of the Oncidium genus come in shades of yellow, red, white and pink. The petals are often ruffled on the edges, as is the lip. The lip is enormous, partially blocking the


small petals and sepals. Some Oncidium orchids are very long: Oncidum altissi-mum and Oncidium baueri can grow to a height of 5 m, while Oncidum sarcodes can reach 3 m. They are known as ‘spray orchids’ among some flo-rists. They are very varied and are easily hybridised with Odontoglossum. Cattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids from Costa Rica to tropical South America. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after Sir William Cattley, who received and successfully cultivated specimens of Cattleya labiata that were used as packing material in a shipment of other orchids. The genus is abbreviated C in trade journals. They are widely known for their large, showy flowers, and were used extensively in hybridization for the cut-flower trade until quite recently. This genus and the numerous hybrids come close, through their beauty, to the idealized picture we have of the orchids. The flowers of the hybrids can vary in size from 5 cm to 15 cm or more. They occur in all colors except true blue and black.


Orchids with Simple Design Lines for Interiors.

This simple but long lasting phalaeonopsis orchid with a single pussy willow branch speaks spring for many of our interior of-ficescapes in and around the Boston and Cambridge, MA busi-ness communities. The slender lines of the double variegated orchid fits on small reception tables and desk giving needed color and a breath of Spring to your office work place. These flowers can last as long as a month or more reducing your interior foliage costs, making interior landscap-ing very affordable for you and your employees. Here we come, Boston, MA, spring is here!


PDI Botany News, Smallest Living Orchid Just Discovered.

The smallest species of orchid in the world has been discovered hidden among the roots of a larger plant in a nature reserve in Ecuador. Lou Jost, an American botanist, found the tiny orchid by accident when he was inspecting a plant collected from the Cerro Candelaria reserve in the eastern Andes, which was created by Ecuador’s EcoMinga Foundation in partnership with the World Land Trust in Britain. The plant is just 2.1mm

wide, and instantly supersedes the species Platystele junger-mannioides as the world’s smallest orchid. The petals are so thin that they are just one cell thick and transparent. The flower is just one of 60 new orchids and 10 other plant species that Dr Jost has discovered in the past decade. “I found it among the roots of another plant that I had collected, another small orchid which I took back to grow in my green-house to get it to flower,” he said of his latest discovery. “A few months later I saw that down among the roots was a tiny little plant that I realized was more interesting than the bigger orchid. “Looking at the flower is often the best way to be able to identify which species of orchid you’ve got hold of – and can tell you whether you’re looking at an unknown species or not.” Dr Jost, who works for the EcoMinga Foundation, is one of the world’s leading orchid hunters. “It’s an exciting feeling to find a new species. People think everything has been discov-


ered but there’s much more,” he said A second tiny orchid collected in the Rio Anzu Reserve in central Ecuador is among his other discoveries. “It was so small, it looked like a piece of dirt at first. I was going through the moss on a fallen tree branch – they’re good places for or-chids to grow – when I spotted it. The flower was 3mm across,” he said. Dave Roberts, of Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, said of the area where the flower was found: “That region of the world is where the majority of very, very small orchids live.” More than 1,000 orchid species have been discovered in Ecuador in the past century, as plant collectors enjoy a bo-nanza made possible by the construction of roads which have allowed access to some of the most remote and unspoilt forest habitats in the world. A group of 28 types of orchid which evolved in a moun-tainous area the size of London was perhaps the most exciting of Dr Jost’s recent finds. They are part of the Teagueia genus, which had previously been thought to be restricted to just six species. The evolution of the 28 closely related orchids in such a small patch of land was described as a botanical version of Darwin’s finches. Plantscape Designs Inc. services the Boston, MA corpo-rate cityscape New England Plantscape community.


How Do You Care for Your Interior Orchid Corporate Arrangements?

When your orchid Is Flowering, feed with 20-20-20 fertilizer at a rate of 1 teaspoon per gallon every other watering. Do not let the soil dry out; evenly moist is the ideal state. Since conditions vary in each household or office, check guide, lift the plant daily and see if it is top heavy. The pot should feel heavy versus the rest of the plant. Water should not be dripping from the bottom, nor should it be sitting in an enclosed container holding water. The holes in the bottom of the pot are there for exactly that reason, good drainage. If the plant seems to lose its luster, you can always mist it with the same rate of fertilizer (only the plant, not the flow-ers). The misting can be done several times a day as long as you make sure there is no run-off and no standing water on the leaves.


What and why are “Bromeliad Bouquets”for your office reception?

Bromeliad Bouquets are a grouping of potted assorted brome-liads. Plantscape uses these economical long lasting flowering plants on many of your reception desks welcoming your clients in Boston, MA.

What are bromeliads?

1. Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) is a family of monocot flower-ing plants of around 3,170 species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana.

2. Pitcairnia feliciana is one of the basal families within the Poales and is unique because it is the only family within the


order that has septal nectaries and inferior ovaries. These infe-rior ovaries characterize the Bromelioideae, a subfamily of the Bromeliaceae.

3. The family includes both epiphytes, such as Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), and terrestrial species, such as the pineapple (Ananas comosus). Many bromeliads are able to store water in a “tank” formed by their tightly-overlapping leaf bases.

4. However, the family is diverse enough to include the tank bromeliads, grey-leaved epiphytic Tillandsia species that gather water only from leaf structures called trichomes, and a large number of desert-dwelling succulents.

5. The largest bromeliad is Puya raimondii, which reaches 3–4 m tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike 9–10 m tall, and the smallest is probably Spanish moss.

6. Bromeliads are one of the more recent plant groups to have emerged. The greatest number of primitive species reside in the Andean highlands of South America.

7. Humans have been using bromeliads for thousands of years. The Incas, Aztecs, Maya and others used them for food, protec-tion, fiber and ceremony, just as they are still used today.

8. European interest began when Spanish conquistadors re-turned with pineapple, which became so popular as an exotic food that the image of the pineapple was adapted into European art and sculpture. In 1776, the species Guzmania lingulata was introduced to Europe, causing a sensation among gardeners unfamiliar to such a plant. In 1828, Aechmea fasciata was brought to Europe, followed by Vriesea splendens in 1840. These transplants were successful enough that they are still among the most widely grown bromeliad varieties.

9. In the 1800s, breeders in Belgium, France and the Netherlands started hybridizing plants for wholesale trade.


Many exotic varieties were produced up until World War I, which halted breeding programs and led to the loss of some species. The plants experienced a resurgence of popular-ity after World War II. Since then, Dutch, Belgian and North American nurseries have largely expanded bromeliad produc-tion.

At Plantscape Designs Inc we currently use all color bromeliads in our weekly and monthly flowering programs in Boston, MA interiorscapes.


Bromeliads are Coming, Bromeliads are Coming!

These colorful botanicals can perk up your office interiors. These long lasting epiphytes, plants like orchids that grow above ground, supported nonparasitically by another plant or object, and deriving its nutrients and water from rain, the air or dust are much less costly then cut flowers. PDI Plants ser-vices office plants in the Boston, MA area. Bromeliads come in endless varieties. Bromeliads can be grouped with other tropi-cals to form colorful lasting corporate table arrangements. Bromeliads are a varied group of organisms, adapted to a number of climates. Foliage take different shapes, from needle thin to broad and flat, symmetrical to irregular, spiky and soft. The foliage, which usually grows in a rosette, is the most widely patterned and colored of any plant in the world. Leaf colors range from maroon, through shades of green, to gold. Varieties may have leaves with red, yellow, white and cream variegations. Others may be spotted with purple, red, or cream, while others have different colors on the tops and bottoms of the leaves. The inflorescence produced by bromeliads are also regarded as considerably more diverse than any other plant


family. Some flower spikes may reach 10 meters tall while others only measure 2–3 mm across. Upright stalks may be branched or simple with spikes retaining their color from two weeks up to twelve months, depending on species. In some species the flower remains unseen, growing deep in the base of the plants. Root systems vary according to plant type. Terrestrial bromeliad species have complex root systems that gather water and nutrients while epiphytic bromeliads only grow hard, wiry roots to attach themselves to trees and rocks.

An epiphytic bromeliadSome bromeliads are faintly scented while others are heavily perfumed. Blooms from the species Tillandsia cyanea resemble the smell of clove spice. One study found 175,000 bromeliads per hectare (2.5 acres) in one forest; that many bromeliads can sequester 50,000 liters (more than 13,000 gallons) of water. A wide variety of organisms take advantage of the pools of water trapped by bromeliads. A study of 209 plants from the Ecuadorian lowlands identified 11,219 animals, representing more than 300 distinct species, many found only on bromeli-ads; for instance, some species of ostracods, small salaman-ders approximately 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in length and tree frogs. Jamaican bromeliads are home to Metopaulias depres-sus, a reddish-brown crab 2 cm (0.75 inch) across, which has evolved social behavior to protect its young from predation by Diceratobasis macrogaster, a species of damselfly whose larvae live in bromeliads. Some bromeliads even form homes for other species of bromeliads.


Why Bromeliads and Not Cut Flowers?

Why bromeliads and not cut flowers in your corporate inte-rior landscaping program? Because bromeliads such as these new arrivals “Guzmania Variagated “are long lasting and less expensive then cut flowers. More and more corporate offices in Waltham to the Boston, MA areas are using them in their interiorscapes. The red guzmanias can be used as alternative holiday flowers instead of traditional poinsettias or Christmas cactus in your office reception areas. Yellow, peach and pink guzmanias herald the coming of spring with pastel colors of the on coming exterior gardens. Orange guzmanias signal the autumn fall colors of September, October ,and November quarter. Plantscape Designs Inc. uses all these shades of long lasting color bromeliads in our Boston cityscapes offices to reduce the cut flower cost in your officescapes.


Why Use Colorful Bromeliads Along with Your Indoor Office Plants?

Bromeliads add long lasting color to your interior officescape designs. Pink Fasciata, “Foster’s Favorite” bromeliads are a great complimentary long lasting colorful plant on reception desks or conference room tables. Hot red/yellow torch bromeliads signal the hot summer season. Red guzmanias bromeliads add festive holiday cheer along with poinsettias, wreaths and trees. Yellow guzmanias bromeliads speak of the coming spring. Orange guzmania bromeliads mark the on-coming of autumn.


DESIGN IDEAS FOR YOUR INTERIORSCAPES


My Office Needs Narrow and Stately Office Plants

Mona Lisas are tall, narrow and stately interior office plants. Grown on the island of Hawaii in their native lava rocks, hydropon-ically ; Mona Lisa, Janet Craigs can landscape your low light office interiors very nicely. Call us they just arrived! This plant shown here is 6’ tall and 2’ wide. PDI uses these plants in many of our N.E. Plantscape office spaces within the Route 128 area. Visit us at www.pdiplants.com. Looking for an excel-

lent low-light plant, then look for no farther than Dracaena Lisa. Dracaena Lisa are fantastic low light plants that, at first look, appear very similar to a Dracaena Janet Craig. But at closer look, you will see that, unlike Janet Craig, the leaves of Dracaena Lisa are much narrower. The lush dark green foliage of Dracaena Lisa are attached to its notable green trunk, which is also used to distinguished it from Dracaena Janet Craig. The plant produces flowers when chilled but it is highly recom-mended that these flowers should be removed. Dracaena Lisa is an upright columnar plant that usually reaches a height of not more than 8ft high. The plant is actual-ly quite difficult to locate. It used to grow exclusively in Hawaii. In nurseries or plant shops, Dracaena Lisa plants are available in 8” and 10” containers. The green trunks of Dracaena Lisa and the upright growth of the plant made them perfect cane plants. Exotic Dracaena Lisa canes are nice focal point in easily seen areas at home. A combination of Dracaena Lisa in staggered canes or various heights make them very attractive even in narrow spots in offices or buildings.


Where Should Interior Plant Care Designers Use Colorful Plants?

Colorful stromanthe plants have just been stocked, ready to be delivered to your Boston cityscaped high light planter boxes in your office. These colorful leaves add depth and texture to your office windows. PDIPlants uses these colorful botanicals in many of the Boston, Ma office interiorscapes. Growth of stro-manthe is also deter-mined by environmental factors, such as temper-ature, available water,

available light, and available nutrients in the soil like other indoor office plants. However, these colorful plants lack the dark green chorophyll and chloroplasts as say a philodendron, thus they need more sunlight. Any change in the availability of these external conditions will be reflected in the plants growth.


Need Inexpensive Interior Landscaping Botanicals?

Many office plant interiors need inexpensive interior landscap-ing because of today’s restricted budgets. Plantscape Designs Inc. can solve this problem with a minimalist design solution using cacti, succulents, aloes and flowering kalanchoes in your planters. Using rocks of varying sizes helps give this design solu-tion a cleaner simpler look and feel. By using the above botani-cals, less labor and maintenance is required therefore lower monthly fees charged. Please remember desert like botanicals such as listed above require high light sun exposure. PDI Plants currently services a cactus garden in Methuen, MA.


Why Use River Rocks in Your Interior Landscape Designs?

Why use river rocks in your interior landscape designs, because river rocks give your indoor office plants a more contemporary finished look. Gray dried Spanish moss or wood chips gives your office foliage a natural softer look design. River rocks are certainly more expensive for your Boston cityscape office designs, however, in the long run it is less ex-pensive to use because there is no need to constantly replace these once live plant dressings of Spanish moss or wood chips that need to be replace over a period of time. PDI is currently using river rock dressings in Waltham, Lexington, and Woburn, MA.


Why Go Vertical with Your Indoor Office Plants and Containers?

Why go vertical with your indoor office plants and containers? First, vertical is the “in” design look for modern con-temporary offices today. Vertical takes up less office space in smaller workplaces. Second, sleeker, trimmer linear design has a different eye appeal then past 80’, 90’s and early 2000’s jungle look. Third, architecturally the new narrow containers are more suitable for your newer constructed offices today, focus-ing on the shape and finishes of the planters as part of the office furniture design. A nicer neater look with fewer more stately presented office plants. PDI uses this design in Waltham, MA cityscapes.


Corporate Plant Designs in Boston, MA by PDI Plants

Corporate interior plant designs should have a distinct minimal-istic look. The use of river rock is an alternative to wood chips or mosses. The contrast of differing leaf sizes and shapes, makes for a more distinctive botanical design. This front lobby of one of our Waltham office buildings, welcomes both employees and clients with a fresh look. Loriope, grass like indoor plants, softens the smooth black hard river rock. The 3 foot wide flourishing cardinal philo-dendron add botanical mass to the triangular planters. Finally ,the lemon tinted neon 6” pothos adds a contrasting third color to the planter arrangement. The same old same old will not be found in these corpo-rate planters. PDI currently services Lexington and Bedford , MA office buildings.


What Is a Minimalistic Look for Your Office Plant Interiors?

What is a new minimalistic office plant design for your office workplace? Less plants, nicer plants, use plants with character, plants that are different. The containers your office plants are in could be con-temporary, sleek, colorful and make a statement about you and your company. The number of plant/container units must be placed with purpose within your daily office floor design to enhance your office furniture and make a company statement about your caring of your employees as well as your future clients. Office environments need makeovers too! PDI Plants service the interior landscapes of the Waltham, MA area.


How Your Officescape Can Have Unlimited Plant Design Possibilities

By using various variet-ies of potted orchids and bromeliads PDI Plants can add additional design value to your interior office plant environment. Potted flowering plants last longer, look more natural and cost substantial less then cut flowers. Orchids such as phalaeonopsis, cymbidi-ums, dendrobiums and oncidiums come in all colors and heights. Bromeliads also have been hybridized

into various colors of the rainbow. Guzmainias, tallandsias and fasciatas are just a few of the many species grown weekly in Florida. PDI Plants uses these living potted botanicals to build exciting new flowering corporate designs for your Waltham, MA offices.


How to Redesign Your Corporate Planter.

Plantscape Designs Inc, easy steps to a more beautiful contem-porary planter.

Step One: Clear old plants outStep Two: Place black fiber mat downStep Three: Place plants according to design and light require-mentsStep Four: Place river rock in planterStep Five: place focal point plants to design

Using the above steps enables you to create unlimited plant design possibilities for your office work place.


Why Group Your Indoor Office Plants?

The advantages of group-ing your indoor office plants is as follows: One, juxtapose three or more differ-ent plant leaf sizes and shapes makes for a more interesting botanical inte-rior office design state-ment. Two, grouping plants can direct a cli-ents’ or employees’ eye away from an unsightly electrical wiring in your office work place just be-cause of the shear beauti-ful botanical mass of this stand.

Three, conversely using a group of plants and contem-porary design containers can direct your people toward your logo, seating area or some other more desirable section of your office. Plantscape Designs Inc. uses these design techniques in our Boston, MA offices.


Why PDI Uses New Interiorscape Designs in Our Restaurant Planters?

New interiorscape design ideas from our PDI design staff. Instead of just using leafy tropical plants in our restau-rant locations, our PDI staff has decided to simplify the look of these indoor planters. We arrange such planters by using one or two species of plants in a single planter, and not the 5-6 varieties that most of our industry has placed together in the past. Often, at PDI we plant single species plants in one planter box, repeating the leaf configurations as a single drift effect. This is an outdoor gardening technique used by garden-ers of perennial gardens for more of a statement. Lastly, as these indoor planters illustrate, less leafy tropical plants are used. Succulents, such as echeveria are ap-plied. Plantscape Designs Inc. maintains indoor plants of the above types in the Woburn, MA business communities.


New Designs by Plantscape Designs Inc. for Our Lexington, MA Clients.

Plantscape Designs Inc. has just done some make over’s for our Lexington, MA property clients.1. Less plants2. More river rocks3. Repetition of just a few leaf shapes4. Cleaner look, simpler design PDI services the Lexington, MA building interiorscapes for over 35 years.


Inexpensive Interiorscape Designs for Your Corporate Receptions.

Plantscape Designs Inc. can place inexpensive designer contain-ers and botanicals for your reception areas without the high cost of larger interiorscape companies in the downtown Boston vicinity.

1. PDI plants uses recycled contemporary containers as seen in one of our clients’ reception area here.2. Low light, low maintenance, inexpensive dracaena margina-tas “Corn Canes” are positioned here in this photo.3. Narrow slender botanicals shown here add to the modern contemporary design of this minimalistic office seating area.

Plantscape Designs Inc. services the Waltham, MA busi-ness community for over 35 years.


OFFICE PLANT MORPHOLOGY & PHYSIOLOGY


Photosynthesis Office Plants, What Is That?

Photosynthesis is the photoelectric effect of photons (light energy from the sun) transformed into chemical energy within the framework of a green plants leaf chloroplasts. Your office plants produce oxygen to further make your workplace healthier. From the standpoint of ecology, we should not overlook the importance of photosynthesis in maintaining our atmosphere in a condition suitable for human and animal life. Without photosynthesis and in the presence of contin-ued respiration, carbon dioxide would soon build up to toxic levels, and oxygen would be depleted. Photosynthesis produces about 70% of the oxygen in the atmosphere from our oceans alone. Those few indoors-green plants in you office help add more oxygen for your workers making them breathe a little easier too!


What Is the Difference Between Hardy Cacti and Tropical Cacti?

Are your indoor office plants hardy cacti or tropical cacti?There is a big difference between the two if you want to water them cor-rectly.A hardy cactus like the opuntia species humifusa (-45 degrees F) is native to the eastern United States; its pads (upper photo) are bright green and its flowers are vivid yellow.Similarly widespread but found in the West is Opuntia polyacantha (plains prickly pear,

hardy to - 25 F). Opuntia fragilis (to -35 F) grows throughout Canada and the West into Mexico. You must water their sandy soil lightly. Tropical cacti (lower photo) are native to the rain forest regions. These prefer high humidity, warmth and rich soil. Most are epiphytes (air plants that use trees for support but do not derive nourishment from them). You must water these foliage office plants more frequently. Epiphyllums (orchid cacti) pro-duce impressive flowers in late spring. Flowers of popular Schlumbergera truncata, from Brazil, appear in mid winter, hence the common name Christmas (or holiday) cactus. PDI uses both these species of cacti in our interior and exterior green foliage designs in the Andover, MA office build-ings.


Why Clean Your Indoor Office Plants?

You should always clean your interior office plants.Cleaning and shining your office plants is not just for esthetic reasons alone.

1.By cleaning your plants’ leafs surfaces you allow pho-tosynthesis to occur.

2. Photosynthesis is the photo biochemical process that transforms sunlight energy into chemical food substances called carbohydrates, such as sugars and starches.

3. Cholorophyll helps to make this biochemical process happen.

4. Chlorophyll is in the chloroplasts organalles within the sur-face of your green leaves. Clean leaves mean sunlight can enter your plants chloroplasts structures and produce the photosyn-thetic reaction that maintains your green indoor office plant health.

Plantscape Designs In. always cleans your indoor office plants on our weekly visits in the Boston MA cityscape offices.


Gas Exchange Between Your Indoor Plant’s Leafs and Your Office Environment.

The leaf, exposed to the open air, exchanges not only gases with this air but also heat by molecular collisions on its surface. The carbon dioxide taken up in photosynthesis and released by respiration, the oxygen moving in a opposite direc-tion out of the leaves; water vapor, volatile organic and other materials moving in and out and energy being exchanged in various forms is what is going on inside your office tropical plants. These gases such as water vapor, oxygen and fragrances are emitted into your offices as a health benefit to you and your staff. PDI currently services Cambridge, MA officescapes.


How Do Your Indoor Office Plants Grow?

Our plantscapes of N.E. clients within the surrounding Boston, MA and Rte 128 area are incubators for green plant growth. Growth is certainly one of the most strik-ing phenomena observ-able in any plant eco-system or just in your office plants alone! Meristem is the cell division, enlargement-elongation, and special-ization of green plant cells of your indoor office plants, that is also called growth. But

how does this work? Why do your plant cells divide, enlarge-elongate, and differentiate? Genetics and growth hormones are what make your interior office plants grow and stay healthy. At PDI Plants that is our job to keep these complicated biochemical processes functioning correctly within your office plants.


Diffusion Through Small Pores in Your Office Plants Leaves.

The movement of water vapor passing through your office plant leaves is called transpiration. This flow of water vapor goes threw the leafs’ small pores, called stomates. In most office plants the stomates are open during part of the day and close at night. In certain species, such as succulents that grow in the desert, the stomates are open at night when the air is cool, relative humidity is high, and tran-spiration is low. Therefore

you should water them less. Carbon dioxide is absorbed and converted into organic acids in a process requiring little energy and progressing ef-ficiently in the dark. During the day the stomates are closed, reducing transpiration during the hot dry part of the 24- hour cycle. Photosynthetic processes then convert the carbon diox-ide fixed in organic acids into carbohydrates and other products of photosynthesis. This food (sugar), your office plants make, becomes your plants nourishment. This is why PDI carefully waters your office plants so they can chemically function prop-erly to feed themselves and grow healthy. Plantscape Designs Inc. carefully waters your office plants in the Lexington and Bedford, MA areas.


Why Cut Off the Reproductive Organs on Your Interior Office Bamboo Palm?

You should always cut off the reproductive structures from your indoor office bamboos because they will grow better. Most palms, such as bamboos, fan palms, kentia palms, majesty palms, neanthe bella palms, etc. need to have their seed structures removed for a healthier appearance and for survival. The energy that the seed or reproductive structures take from your indoor palm can inhibit or even stunt the

growth of your interior tropical plant. The nutrients and minerals of your fertilizers and even from the parent palm plant will be consumed in the building of new cells and tissues for the new seed structures, not the adult plant, thus depleting the parent palm plant of all of these life giving substances. So please remove these structures as shown here in our photo. At Plantscape Designs Inc. we always remove these seeds from all our palms for a more symmetrical and even growth. PDI services Boston and Cambridge, MA corporate busi-nesses.


Symptoms of Mineral Deficiencies in Your Indoor Green Office Plants.

Nitrogen - Lack of growth or limited growth with chlorosis (yellowing) or loss of leaves in severe cases. Purplish coloration due to accumulation of anthocy-anin pigments. Entire plant affected, older leaves most.

Phosphorus - Dark green, stunted plants. Accumulation of antho-cyanin pigments. Delayed maturity. Entire plant af-fected, older leaves most.

Potassium - Mottled chlorosis, necrosis (spots of dead tissue, especially at tips and margins, between veins). Older leaves most affected. Weak stalks, roots more susceptible to disease.

Sulfur - Chlorosis of young leaves, usually no necrosis. Veins remain green, tissue between light green.

Magnesium - Mottled or chlorotic leaves may redden. Leaf tips turned upward. Older leaves most affected.

Calcium - Inhibition of root development and death of shoot and root tips. Young leaves most affected.

Iron - Intervienal chlorosis of young leaves, stems short and slender. Buds remain alive.

Chlorine - Wilted leaves, chlorosis, necrosis. Stunted, thick-ened roots or club-shaped roots near tips.


Manganese - Chlorosis of young leaves, necrosis between veins; smallest veins remain green. Disorganization of lamellar mem-brane.

Boron - Death of stem and root apical meristems. Leaves twisted, pale at bases. Swollen, discolored root tips. Young tis-sues most affected.

Zinc - Reduction in leaf size and length of internodes. Distorted leaf margins. Chlorosis. Older leaves most affected.

Copper - Young leaves dark green, twisted, wilted, misshapen; tip remains alive.

Molybdenum - Chlorosis or twisting and death of young leaves. Plantscape Designs Inc. uses liquid green fertilizer for all our indoor plant design and installation accounts in the Burlington, MA interiorscapes.


Why Use Terracotta or Plastic Grow Pots

Why use terra cotta or plastic grow pots with your indoor office plants? The difference between terra cotta and plastic grow pots for your indoor office green plants is the rate of evapora-tion of water from either of your terra cotta or plastic pots. If your office plants are grown in terra cotta pots, your rate of evaporation will be much greater than if your potted green plants were potted in plastic. The reason is terra cotta pots are porous for water to evaporate threw, plastic pots are not. Plastic pots tend to keep the water in the soil of the potted plants in longer, requiring you to water your office green plants less frequently. Plantscape Designs Inc. services the New England foli-age of the Route 128 and Woburn, MA areas.


HEALTH EFFECTS OF GREEN PLANTS IN YOUR OFFICE ENVIRONMENT


Why Interior Landscape a Fitness Center?

Plantscape Designs Inc. has just been awarded a green plant service contract for a Woburn Rte 128 fitness center. Why, be-cause tropical plants help clean the air in their facility, lower-ing the Co2 levels increasing the 02 levels within the fitness center. Green plants soften the hard glass and metal design of the fitness equipment and workout rooms. Finally, PDI green plants help soften the noise levels of the working machines the clients are using.


How Can You Eliminate Your “New Office” Odor?

Okay, it looks great! New rugs, new paint, new furniture and cubicles, but it smells of chemicals. A great way to help elimi-nate that smell in your office space is to put in some foliage plants. It has been proven by NASA that foliage plants have the ability to filter carcinogens out of the air. All those new surfaces named above have toxic com-pounds. Chemicals like benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, ammo-nia, trichloroethylene and other harmful molecules. Add office plants so you have a cleaner place to breath and a more ambient atmosphere to work in, a win, win situa-tion. N.E. plantscapers should all be using more spathophiliums, philodendrons and warnakii plants in their green plant office designs.


Green Plants Clean Your Office Air of Pollutants.

Man-made articles such as paints, plastics, insulation, plywood, carpets and synthetic fabrics emit up to 300 harmful chemi-cals. NASA research has proven that plants clean the air of many harmful pollutants such as formaldehyde, ben-zene styrenes and trichloroethylene. Now the need for interior plantings is greater than ever. Most of your office workplace buildings lack the capability

to easily open a window and receive fresh air.

Plantscape Designs Inc. of the Route 128 area has a number of green plant solutions for such indoor air pollution problems. Many of our indoor plant designs incorporate foliage plants that greatly assist in chemically cleaning out the office air you breath in every workday. PDI Plants service many areas include the Beverly, Burlington, and the Bedford, MA office building areas using such air cleaning office plants as spath flowers, mums, marginatas, snake plants, arboricolas, pothos and philonedrons.


FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF INDOOR OFFICE PLANTS IN YOUR WORK

PLACE


How Indoor Plants Affect Productivity in the Work Place?

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of one spe-cific element -- indoor plants -- on the individual’s perception of and productivity in the workplace en-vironment. From the air-cleansing qualities of indoor plants to their potentially positive stimulation of psychological well being, plants and nearby nature are pleasur-able workplace amenities (Brown, 1988; Hillenbrand-Nowicki, 1993; Kaplan, 1993). Research evaluating the presence

of nature, specifically plants, in the workplace may result in qualitative benefits, such as a feeling of well being (Kaplan, 1993; Shoemaker, Randall, Relt, & Geller, 1992). Although stud-ies have shown the decisive benefits of the proximity of nature on such diverse populations as prison residents (Moore, 1981; West, 1986), recovering hospital patients (Ulrich, 1984; Ulrich et al., 1991), and residential communities (Kaplan, 1985), little research has probed the relationship between indoor plants and workplace productivity. We 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 workspace, as compared to the same environment without plants. 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


What Are the Financial Benefits of Having Office Plants?

The benefit of plantsProductive Staff Research has estab-lished that plants have a calming effect, particularly for those sitting behind a com-puter screen for more than 4 hours a day. Other benefits are greater concentration and increased pro-ductivity by as much as 12%.Reduced Absenteeism Research has proved that complaints of minor ailments, often linked to Sick Building Syndrome (i.e. head-

aches, blocked sinuses, dry throats, coughing and skin irrita-tions), decrease by an average of 25%, when there is interior planting.

Cleaner Indoor Air Plants absorb toxins (VOC emissions) through their leaves and their growing medium and emit oxygen for us to breathe. Perfect recycling and environmentally friendly!

Improved Humidity Plants return well over 90% of all the water we give them back into the atmosphere, raising humidity levels, making us more at ease.


Noise Reduction Research has found that plants absorb noise on their resilient leaf surfaces therefore stifling noise waves.

Lower Stress Levels Studies have shown that the physical signs of stress i.e. pulse rates and blood pressures were reduced in people working in a planted area.

Conserve Energy Plants create their own mini micro-climate around them as they absorb heat, reducing the amount of air conditioning necessary.


RECYCLING ISSUES WITHIN YOUR OFFICE INTERIORSCAPES


PDI Plants Recycling Programs.

PDI Plants reuses plants where possible in the Waltham, MA cityscapes.

We donate our tired plants from our client’s interior of-fices to local nursing homes on the RTE 128 area. These not so perfect plants that PDI takes out of our office loca-tions are cared for by the nursing home residents and made whole once again for their personal enjoyment. PDI’s unconditional free replacement guarantee policy

is attached to all our clients green plant service contracts in the Burlington MA area. Many of our older colored container finishes have been resprayed or refinished to powdered steel. Currently this is a more popular finish for our office plant customers as well as a lower cost to their budgets since new pots need not be pur-chased.


Plantscape Designs Inc. Uses “Bio Pots” For our Monthly Orchid Programs.

Why does Plantscape Designs Inc. use “Bio Pots” with its monthly orchid programs? PDI uses “Bio Pots” with its monthly orchid programs because they look sleek, modern and are biodegradable. “Bio Pots” are made with renewable bamboo fibers and are biodegradable. Once dam-aged or disposed of, they are easily decomposed, environmentally friendly. These containers come in all colors of the

rainbow useful in many of our Boston cityscapes. Plantscape Designs Inc. uses these pots in all of our N.E. Plantscape locations.


Why Use Bamboo Fiber Pots in Your Boston Cityscapes?

Bamboo is one of the most rapidly growing plants on earth. It is a grass, not a wood, making it a non-timber, non-fossil fuel resource. And while hardwood forests can take 20-25 years to mature, bamboo forests mature 4-6 years after being harvest-ed. This is why the U.S.Green Building Council has designated bamboo as a rapidly renewable material. Engineering and testing of Solid Bamboo Planters has been underway for several years, and now we have a product we can sell you, which is strong, durable and long lasting for your interior offices. These planters are available in the Natural Bamboo finish in tapered square and tall tapered square shapes. PDI hopes you will enjoy these beautiful and environ-mentally friendly planters in the Boston, MA metro areas.


SEASONAL CREATIVE IDEAS FOR YOUR OFFICESCAPES


Why Use White Poinsettias for the Holidays?

Why white poinsettias because they are different from the more traditional red flower and its’ cultiva-tions and religious history. By using these white vari-eties you and your office can avoid any religious connotations, that may offend your colleagues at work. Euphorbia pulcher-rima, commonly known as poinsettia, is a species of flowering plant indigenous to Mexico and Central America. The name “poinsettia” is after Joel

Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Minister to Mexico, who introduced the plant into the US in 1828. It is also called the Atatürk flower.

Christmas tradition In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, the plant is called Cuitlaxochitl (from cuitlatl=residue, and xochitl=flower) meaning “flower that grows in residues or soil.” The Aztecs used the plant to produce red dye and as an antipyretic medi-cation. Today it is known in Mexico and Guatemala as “Noche Buena”, meaning Christmas Eve. In Spain its is known as “Flor de Pascua”, meaning Easter Flower. In both Chile and Peru, the plant became known as “Crown of the Andes”. The plant’s association with Christmas began in 16th century Mexico, where legend tells of a young girl who was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus’ birth-day. The tale goes that the child was inspired by an angel to


gather weeds from the roadside and place them in front of the church altar. Crimson “blossoms” sprouted from the weeds and became beautiful poinsettias. From the 17th century, Franciscan friars in Mexico included the plants in their Christmas celebrations. The star-shaped leaf pattern is said to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem, and the red color represents the blood sacrifice through the crucifixion of Jesus. Poinsettias are popular Christmas decorations in homes, churches, offices, and elsewhere across North America. They are available in large numbers from grocery, drug, and hard-ware stores. In the United States, December 12 is National Poinsettia Day. Big Spring, Texas is well known for its poinsettias as the “lighted poinsettia capital”. Poinsettia flowers inside the park, making Comanche Trail Park the Christmas Poinsettia capital anAmerican poinsettia monopoly Until the 1990s, the Ecke family of Encinitas, California, had a virtual monopoly on poinsettias owing to a technologi-cal secret that made it difficult for others to compete. The Ecke family’s key to producing more desirable poinsettias was to create a fuller, more compact plant, by grafting two variet-ies of poinsettia together. A poinsettia left to grow on its own will naturally take an open, somewhat weedy look. The Eckes’ technique made it possible to get every seedling to branch, resulting in a bushier plant. However, in the 1990s, a university researcher discov-ered the method and published it, opening the door for com-petitors to flourish, particularly in Latin America where the cost of labor is far lower. The Ecke family, now led by Paul Ecke III, no longer grows any on farms in the U.S., but as of 2008, they still control about 70% of the domestic market and 50% of the worldwide market. Plantscape Designs Inc. uses both white and red poinsettias in our client holiday decorations within the N.E. plantscape business locations.


Why Use Poinsettias in Your Boston Cityscapes?

Poinsettias should be used in your Boston cityscapes because:1. They are colorful; poinsettias come in white, red, variegat-ed, pink and even burgundy colors.2. Poinsettias are non-denominational live decorations an-nouncing the festive holiday season for your interior office landscapes.3. Poinsettias are long lasting flowers. These living plants can last through the entire holiday season, with proper care even longer.4. Poinsettias are economical; our prices have not increased the last four years. Plantscape Designs Inc. has serviced Boston, MA interi-orscape Holidays for over 38 years.


Holiday Decorations for Your Boston, MA Office Building.

Plantscape Designs Inc. of New England can decorate your office building with Holiday cheer using many different venues:

1. The use of colorful poinsettias scattered throughout your building

2. The designing of Artificial Christmas trees decorated with differing themes

3. The use of Amaryllis flowers, Christmas flow-ering cactus, Star of

Bethlehem flowers

4.The creating of seasonal scenes, woodland scenes Arctic scenes, or nostalgic scenes

At Plantscape Designs we build our holiday scenes to fit your cityscapes, Boston, MA.


Why Celebrate the Holiday Season with Zygote Cactus (Christmas Cactus)?

Hybridization over the past century has resulted in the intro-duction of many new varieties of Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter cactus. These plants are members of the Zygo-cactus family. Most of which are native to Central and South America. Although these plants are called cacti, they are truly different in all aspects from the common desert cactus with which we are all familiar. These plants, called epiphytes are found in the same environments as orchids. They are most often found in the forks of tree limbs where they grow in decayed leaves and other natural debris that accumulates there. Since they are tropical cacti, their cultural requirements are totally different from true cacti. So here are a few ideas on how to care for them and the steps to follow to get them into bloom for the upcoming holiday season. In September and October, Christmas cactus plants should be kept in a cool room where temperatures will remain around 50 degrees, give or take a few degrees. Be sure not to expose them to freezing temperatures. It’s also very important they be kept in a room where no artificial light will be turned on at night.


Actually the key to getting Christmas cactus to flower during the holiday season is the proper light exposure, cor-rect temperatures and limited watering. So during the fall months, the Christmas cactus should be placed in a spot where it receives indoor indirect bright light during the daylight hours but total darkness at night. (Much the same exposure you would give a poinsettia except a Christmas poinsettia requires warm temperatures whereas the Christmas cactus needs a spot where the temperatures are cool during the fall months.) Since the Christmas cactus is a tropical plant it will require watering on much the same basis as any other type of tropical plant. A good procedure to follow is to water the plants thoroughly and then allow about the top inch of soil to dry before watering again. However, during the fall and winter months, the plants should be watered less frequently in order to get them to bloom. Christmas cactus requires about 50 to 60 percent humidity. So it’s a good practice to place a glass, vase or tray of water near the plant. As the water evaporates it will pro-vide the humidity the cactus needs. A humidity tray is another method of providing the humidity the Christmas cactus re-quires. This is done by filling a waterproof saucer with gravel, then adding water halfway up the gravel. Place the pot on the gravel surface. The Christmas cactus should never be placed near a door that opens and closes to the outside. Likewise, keep it away from heating ducts or near the fireplace or drafty areas. In late October or early November, make an application of a 0-10-10 type liquid fertilizer. A second application of this fertilizer can be made in February. During the growing season from April through September, fertilize the plants with an all purpose liquid houseplant type fertilizer. The fertilizer you use should have a nitrogen ratio of no higher than 10 percent. Of the three numbers on a fertilizer container, the first number is nitrogen. How do the professionals get Christmas cactus into bloom for the holiday season? They keep them in cool green-houses where the temperatures average approximately 50


degrees and where the plants receive between 12 and 14 hours of total darkness each day and watering is done sparingly. One of the most frustrating things that can happen to Christmas cactus is after the flower buds have developed they drop off the plant. Bud drop can be caused by anyone of sev-eral different conditions. Usually it’s because of over-watering, lack of humidity or insufficient light. After The Christmas holiday season, the Christmas cactus should be given about a 30-day rest. Again place it in a cool room and provide limited water. Don’t worry if it loses a few leaves or joints and appears weak during this rest period. This is not the time to pinch, prune or shape a Christmas cactus. The best time is when the new growth begins in March or early April. Likewise, the best time for repotting a cactus is in February, March or April. However, keep in mind the plant will flower best if it’s kept in a container where it’s pot-bound. If your Christmas cactus is given proper care and is placed in the right location, it’s not unusual for it to flower several times throughout the year. During the holiday seasons Plantscape Designs Inc. of Boston, MA cityscapes apply this flowering zygote cactus to your indoor office plant designs.


Azalea Flowering Indoor Office Plants Can Be Incorporated in Your Interior Office Plant Holiday Decor.

Potted azaleas come in red, pink and white festive holiday colors. Azaleas are another alternative to traditional poinset-tias. Topiary trained azaleas such as shown to the left add style and novelty to your office work place. Once, the holiday season is over you can save and plant certain varieties later that founding spring in your gardens. Azaleas must be grown in an acid soil, with a pH of 5.0 to 6.5. They will not tolerate lime. Many nurseries will test your soil pH for free, and give you recommendations. Mix compost and peat moss into the soil, and if is neces-sary for drainage, add in course builders sand or grit. Azaleas grow best in well-drained soil or in plant pots in a cool, shady position. Fertilizer is optional, although some spe-cies do need regular pruning. You can work in some well-rotted leaf mold or compost if the soil is short of organic matter. Don’t worry about pre-paring the soil deeply since azalea roots are shallow and most


are found in the top foot of soil. Instead, loosen the soil in a broad area around the pot. If a soil test reveals that your soil is strongly alkaline, work in enough iron sulfate or ammonium sulfate to drop the pH to 4.5 to 5.5.

Water the pot thoroughly before planting and tease the soil away from the roots on the outside of the pot. Don’t worry about injuring the roots it’s more important to remove a sig-nificant amount of the potting soil than it is to keep every root intact. Plant the azalea slightly higher than the surrounding soil since it will probably settle after planting. Finally, water the whole pot thoroughly. Plantscape Designs Inc. designs with flowering azaleas in addition to traditional poinsettias in the Cambridge, MA of-ficescapes.


Amaryllis Flowers as an Alternative to the Traditional Red Poinsettias.

Amaryllis is also known as the Belladonna Lily or naked ladies. The genus has two spe-cies and the more famous of the two, Amaryllis belladonna, is a native of South Africa, particularly the rocky southwest region near the Cape.

It should not be confused with Hippeastrum, a flowering bulb commonly sold in the winter months for its ability to bloom indoors. Amaryllis is a bulbous plant, with each bulb being 5-10 cm in diameter. It has several strap-shaped, green leaves, 30-50 cm long and 2-3 cm broad, arranged in two rows. The leaves are produced in the autumn or early spring in warm climates depending on the onset of rain and eventually die down by late spring. The bulb is then dormant until late summer. The plant is not frost-tolerant, nor does it do well in tropical environments since they require a dry resting period between leaf growth and flower spike production. Plantscape Designs Inc. frequently uses amaryllis flow-ers in our holiday interior landscapes Boston, Ma.


THE VALUE AND WORTH OF INTERIOR LANDSCAPING WITHIN YOUR OFFICE

WORK PLACE


Plantscape Designs Inc. Always Uses the “Quality Close”.

These days whenever PDI does bids or proposals for green plant service in the Burlington, Bedford offices other companies are there competing for the sale as well. Many times their prices are lower than ours. What I always say to the new prospect is the truth, em-bodied in the” Quality Close” ending statement. The “Quality Close” is stated as follows: “PDI has decided that it would be easier to explain price one time than it would be to apologize for quality forever.” This means that for just a small amount more paid in a monthly fee, PDI can give you allot more in green plant service. Weekly service pays for itself in fewer headaches in plant appearance and fast green plant replacements. A more qual-ity oriented PDI staff, sensitive and more responsive to your interior green plant needs.


Why Plantscape Designs Inc. Supports Protection of Our Deciduous Forests?

Deciduous forests, composed primarily of hardwood trees that lose their leaves each autumn, are generally located at eleva-tions up to 6000 feet; along this elevation gradient, average hu-midity may be low to high, and rainfall usually averages 25-60 inches per year. Trees provide shelter and habitat for various species; prevent soil erosion and maintain watersheds; provide food to many insects, birds, and mammals; absorb potentially harm-ful carbon dioxide gases during photosynthesis; and sequester large amounts of carbon. Human benefits from forests extend beyond ecosys-tem benefits, as forests have long provided building materials for shelter, food for consumption, and wood for fuel. In some regions of the world, forests are being harvested for human use at rapid and unsustainable rates. This is particularly true in economically disadvantaged regions where forests are cleared for agriculture or grazing, cut down as an only source for fuel, or harvested for export to “first world” nations PDI of Boston, MA supports the further environmental safe guards of deciduous forests worldwide.


How Can Plantscape Designs Inc. Add Botanical Value to Your Interior Office Plant Design?

PDIPlants can add value to your interior plant office design by show-ing you our true worth, which is determined by how much more we can give you in service and green plant design than we take in payment. PDI ‘s compensa-tion is determined by

how well we serve you and your company.

Weekly service.

Rapid replacement of unhealthy plants

Unlimited guarantee of the life of your office plants

Responsive and sensitive staff

New and exciting botanicals and designs

Open free style contract guarantee


Who Said Latin Was Difficult? Plant Care Services Testimonial from Biogen Idec

Our client, Syntonix/Biogen Idec of Waltham, has chosen Plantscape Designs Inc. because they care about their em-ployees. In a letter of recommendation to PDI, Keri Campbell stated “We are pleased to have had Plantscape Designs provide us with plant service since I’ve been at Syntonix/Biogen Idec [of Waltham] (2001). The service is great and the plants are always so bountiful and lovely. It is important for staff to feel that they work in a warm environment and the plants allow for this. We are adding another site in Waltham and it is imperative that we have flowers and plants there. It really spices up the look of the space.”


Bibliography

Benson, Lyman. 1962. Plant Taxonomy, Methods and Principles. New York, NY: The Ronald Press Company. Burg, Bob and Mann, John David. 2010. Go-Givers Sell More. New York, NY: Penguin Group. Cave, Yvonne. 2002. Succulents for the Contemporary Garden. Portland, OR: Timber Press Glimn-Lacy, Janice and Kaufman, Peter B. 2006. Botany Illustrated, Second Edition. New York, NY: Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. Jensen, William A. and Salisbury, Frank B. 1972. Botany: An Ecological Approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc. Jerome, Kate. 1995. Indoor Gardening. New York: Knopf Publishing Group. Kramer, Jack. 1977. Cacti and Other Succulents. New York: Abrams. Powell, Charles C., Ph.D and Lindquist, Richard K., Ph.D. 1997. Ball Pest & Disease Manual, 2nd Edition. Batavia, IL: Ball Publishing. Smith, Gideon. 2006. Cacti and Succulents. Batavia, IL: Ball Publishing. Stephenson, Ray. 1994. Sedum: Cultivated Stonecrops. Portland, OR: Timber Press.


About the Author

In 1972, I created PDI as a way to supplement my per-sonal income as a high school teacher. Having studied biology, botany and ecology in obtaining my BA & Masters degrees, I was able to apply my knowledge of plants to help further enhance the esthetics of offices and building lobbies as well as augment the health aspects of interior workplaces by using live green plants. As the years passed, not only did PDI grow in number of new clients and staff members, but also the need for environ-mentally safe workplace interiors became more of a consumer demand. PDI, since its inception, has emphasized the importance of proper care of plants in business environments. I have found that a staff of caring and knowledgeable technicians, visiting once a week to care for the plants, results in a more beautiful environment. The plants remain healthier, enabling them to do the job of cleaning the air of toxins which are emitted into every office environment. The PDI staff recognizes that quick and efficient re-sponse to our customers needs is our highest priority. We take great pride in making your workplace a healthier, safer and more beautiful place to be every day. I decided to write this simple to follow guide to help my staff as well as office personnel who must deal with these everyday issues concerning with interior office plant care in the Boston, MA business community.

Documents

101 Plant Care Tips for Your Interior Plants Cape