The Staghorn Fern – Platycerium

The Staghorn Fern – Platycerium

 

This unique fern is found wildly in tropical areas such as Southeast Asia, Australia and South America. It is a lithophyte. This means it is mainly an air plant, feeding on rain water and the decaying tissue of other plants, or its own decaying tissue. The plants can attach themselves to rocks, trees, or even wooden poles or fences.

At the greenhouse we sell them mounted to wooden plaques. In the wild, like in this picture, it is attached to a tree.

A mature plant in the right spot, with the right care, can grow up to 1 metre wide. The leaves of the Staghorn fern are very distinctive. The main leaves are somewhat antler shaped, hence the common name, and the base of the plant has leaves that grow to protect the roots. The defensive leaves are infertile and are grown only to seal themselves to the base for protection. The fronds that grow outwards will produce runners which are fertile and can be used for propagation.

There are a also few of these in the butterfly house if you want to take come in and take a look!

 

 

 

Everyone Should Have a Cactus

Cactus – any of numerous succulent plants of the family Cactaceae, of warm, arid regions of the New World, having fleshy, leafless, usually spiny stems, and typically having solitary, showy flowers.

 

These pointy little plants can have a happy life without water as long as the sun is shining on them. The way they photosynthesize is unique in that they do most of the work when the sun is down. The plants keep their stomas, or pores, closed during the day as not to lose water. Because of the dry condition that most cacti live in, this is very important. Instead they open up at night to “inhale” the carbon dioxide and use that throughout the next day for photosynthesis. This process if you would like to know is called crassulacean acid metabolism.

All of the photosynthesis is done in the cactus stem, where as most plants use their leaves. They also hold the water in their stems, which are usually larger with shallow root systems so they can react quickly to catch water.

If you are planting a cactus at home, make sure you have a good spot for it in a sunny window. When picking your pot, you don’t need to go big. Remember these guys have shallow roots so they do not need that much room. Come in and check out our selection, and remember you can mix and match with cacti and succulents to make a beautiful planter.

 

Call 403-526-3447 for questions!

 

The pictures of cacti and succulents are from a Thailand flower market, but many are available at the Windmill Garden Centre . Enjoy!

The Peace Lily

The second plant we are going to talk about is Spathiphyllum aka the peace lily! Peace Lily’s are a great house plant and one of the few that continuously flower. They are easy to take care of and don’t particularly need a lot of light. What they do need however is more consistent watering. If you do let it dry out however, it will tell you right away. The look of a Peace Lily that needs water is pretty obvious and it will perk up right away when watered.

The only thing people may worry about is the slight toxicity of Peace Lily’s. If you have a pet that likes to nibble plants, maybe consider our last plant, the spider plant.

The white flowers come from the centre of the plant and if in the right conditions will continue to bloom. If the leaves are looking a little brown it could be one a few reasons:

1. Too much light. High light will burn it.

2. Not enough water. or…

3. Not enough humidity. Mist your Peace Lily to save it from our dry winter prairie weather!

We have peace lilies in 4″ pots all the way up to 2 gallon. Come see them!

Tropical Plants Everywhere!

We have received a ton of tropicals at the greenhouse to make up for the lack of bedding plants we now have! That way, while you are inside this winter you will have the joy of seeing green plants. We also have some nice flowering tropicals, like the lipstick plant- in many different varieties, the goldfish plant, and the peace lily. Lot’s of our tropical plants you can see inside the butterfly house where we have created an indoor exotic garden.

Remember how much plants can do for your home. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but they also help clean the air in your house. Come down to see us and pick out your next green friend!

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New Friends in the Butterfly House

So we’ve had a few additions to the Butterfly House that we didn’t really expect. First off we spotted some new baby quail! Very cute I must say! Then we found that some of our atlas moth caterpillars had hatched and the caterpillars are eating and eating, getting ready to make a cocoon.  Here are some neat pictures, but nothing beats coming in and seeing it in person!

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Ugly Nest Caterpillars

There have been many people coming in lately with a silky mess in their trees. These are most likely Ugly Nest Caterpillars. Right now these guys have eaten their share of leaves in your tree but are getting ready to change to a moth and fly away from your sight all together. They are protected by their nests at the moment and cannot be treated with poisons. So don’t even bother! If these little devils are really bugging you, you can try removing them from your tree by hand. Simply cut off the branch nesting these caterpillars and throw them in a garbage bag, or burn them. They will not harm your tree, and they have most likely already eaten all they needed so no more leaves will go missing. Relax your garden and trees will be fine. Nature can be a little bit messy.

For any other garden concerns please call us or come to see us at the Windmill Garden Centre!

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Blue Morpho Madness

The butterfly house is stocked full of Blue morphos these days, and they aren’t afraid to land on you!

Come down for a beautiful experience with some beautiful butterflies!

We also have some great summer sales on right now. All bedding plants and flowering hanging baskets are on for half price, and our perennials are all 30% off! Come visit this weekend!

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Planting Potatoes!

We have received our seed potatoes and onion sets at the Windmill Garden Centre!

We have a nice selection of specialty potatoes as well, like the Caribe which always goes quickly, so come down soon and pick up your bag today. If you aren’t sure how to plant potatoes but would like to start, here’s a little po-ta-to in-fo!

The first step to planting a high yielding potato patch is making sure you have fertile soil. Potatoes do well in a soil that is slightly acidic, loose, and sandy. There are certain things you must avoid with potatoes such as lime and fertilizers high in nitrogen as this can cause scabs on your potatoes. Use a fertilizer high in potash for nutrients, and add some aluminum sulphate if your soil is not acidic enough, just avoid getting any on your tubers.

To get the potatoes ready for planting, you have to let the eyes sprout, which is called “chitting”. To “chit” a potato simply means you are allowing the potato to grow a sprout. Just stand the potatoes with their eyes up in a tray, and in the company of some natural light. When the shoots are almost an inch long you may plant them outside! This is not necessary but apparently it helps.

Plant the potatoes outside when the soil has started to warm. This would be right away here in Medicine Hat. Be careful when you are planting not to break off the sprouts and make sure the sprouts are facing up. Lightly cover your potatoes with soil. As the sprouts grow taller, more soil should be added to the pile to keep the potatoes safe from the sun. Watering is essential especially in the hot summer months. For pesky bugs add nematodes to your garden. They will attack those pesky wireworms that like your potatoes as much as you do!
By June you should have enough potatoes to make some tasty French fries! Dig up the potatoes as you need them as they keep better in the ground, and most of all… have fun!!

The Herb Garden

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One of the most simple and useful type of gardens one can have, is the herb garden. If have just bought your first packet of basil seeds, or are a herb growing pro, a herb garden can bring you happiness. Gardening in general has already been found to be good for your health whether it is flowers, vegetables, or herbs. Herbs however, can also spice up your life!

There are many different kinds of herbs you can grow. Some are grown for cooking, some for teas, some even for medicinal purposes.

Basil, oregano, and parsley are great examples of cooking herbs. Simply find a spot in a sunny location, plant the desired herb in a pot or in the ground, and trim off what you need! Any recipe that calls for dried herbs can be replaced with fresh ones, and you will notice the difference in the taste.

Mint, chamomile, anise, lemon verbena, lemon balm, and sage are great for teas. There are many other hers you can grow for herbal tea so have some fun trying new mixtures and growing new things. All you need for tea is some hot water, a pot, and of course, herbs!

Another herb I would suggest trying this year is Stevia (Sugar Plant). It is a great substitute for sugar (and it won’t rot your teeth). Stevia is a lot sweeter than sugar and can be substituted in baking, sprinkled on fruit, or just chewed on for the fun of it. Try growing and drying Stevia to add to your her garden this year.

BREWING HERBAL TEAS
Pour boiling water over tea herbs: Use 1 cup of boiling water to 1 teaspoon dry or 1 tablespoon fresh herbs per cup. If making in a pot, add an extra teaspoon or tablespoon (if using fresh) – this is called “one for the pot”. Cover to prevent aromatic steam from escaping. Let steep for 3-5 minutes. Don’t steep longer because the tea will have a bitter flavour. If you want a stronger flavour, add more herbs.

Good herb combinations:
• Ginger, lemon, honey, cayenne pepper. Good for upper respiratory ailments
• Thyme and sage, with a bit of ginger – great for sore throats.
• Spearmint, lemon balm, hibiscus flowers, lemon peel, rose petals and cinnamon sticks.
To sweeten herbal tea: A natural herb, like Stevia or honey.

It’s beautiful outside, and trees are started to bud. Some people might start to wonder “what do I prune?”
Pruning is an important part of maintaining a healthy and beautiful garden, but it is also very important to do it right. When pruning take care to do it at the right time, and to do it correctly.

Early flowering trees and shrubs should usually be pruned right after flowering (LATE SPRING). If early bloomers are pruned in early spring you will be cutting away the new blooms and have decreased flowering. These lovely plants have already been working on its new blooms since the previous summer, so taking a knife to them would just be rude. Instead prune immediately after flowering for a clean, healthy, and beautiful flowering plant next season.

If you have some late bloomers, you can prune most of these now. Late bloomers develop their bloom on new wood and can be pruned late winter to early spring. Trimming these now would be ok, and may help the look of your plant if it is old and a losing its lustre.

Always, always use nice sharp pruners. Trying to gnaw off a branch or two with a butter knife could just damage the plant! If you are unsure about when and how to prune a specific plant, do your research before you start. There is a bountiful supply of information on the internet and usually people at your local garden centres can give you some information too! Our perennial house ladies are very knowledgeable. 😀

Here’s a helpful how-to prune site.

And here are some pictures of the new growth here in Medicine Hat!

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