Let's assume you have the best boss ever. Not only does she allow you to keep office plants, she's incredibly tolerant towards their watering, fertilising, and sunlight requirements plus the odd motivational pep talk that invariably happens throughout the work day. She understands all this because you're the best employee she has and keeping you happy is her number one concern - apart from posting a profit, which comes a close second.

In fact, your boss actually gives you time to tend to your plants and understands when the call of nature...not that call...beckons and requires your immediate attention. Furthermore, they're happy to pitch in a little time when you need to move them all into the sunlight and are happy to ditch their important client meeting to offer a hand when your plants need watering.

And then your alarm goes off...and it's time to get ready for work. That dream was just that - a dream.

For the gardener who can't bear to be far away from plants and would rather spend each and every day in the garden it is possible to marry both. Your work, the necessary evil that keeps your wallet full so that you can continue to expand your garden hobby, is still very important and can't take second place to your office plants - but they can both work together.

Caring for your Office Plants

Tending your indoor office plants during business hours probably isn't a good idea if you're trying to keep the boss happy. However, there's nothing to stop you coming into work early or leaving later so that you can take care of your plants. Even lunch hours, morning tea breaks and the justified non-smoko "smoko" are good times to get in a little extra care and maintenance.

But, if you really want to keep your boss on the right side of the happiness ledger why not maintain a plant in their office too? Explain that her plant has air-purifying qualities and she'll truly appreciate your thoughtfulness - unless, of course, she assumes that you think she stinks and then takes offence!

You will need this time to take care of your office plants and in order to keep your boss happy, gardening chores shouldn't happen during work time. If need be, take a plant home overnight - or over the weekend - to repot, remove scale and fertilise. Then bring it back in the morning and continue the process with each of your office plants.

Another helpful tip may be restricting the amount of plants that adorn your office. Too many and you'll never see a lunch-break again while just the odd one or two may bore you to tears. Work it out with your boss to keep a happy medium.

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Growing plants actually INSIDE your toilet is not what this post is all about - although there are some charming ways to accomplish this. Instead, this post will attempt to unveil 10 plants that will offer some benefit to the smallest room in the house. Either they will help purify the air, mask any unwanted odours or just simply make your toilet a welcome pit-stop for your family and guests.

The first thing to consider in selecting plants for your toilet is that unless you have an outdoor bathroom garden your choices are limited to plants that grow indoors. Obviously this rules out a heap of plant options but it still allows some diversity in your selection making process.

Air-Purifying Plants

We all know how heavy the air can become around the toilet so rather than reach for a can of so-called "air-freshener" here are some options that can ease the situation more environmentally. Some of these featured on NASA's list of plants that they use in the International Space Station. You can see the rest of the list here.

1. Draceana Marginata

Native to the Canary Islands, Dracaena marginata is becoming a very popular plant. Not only does it have striking looks but its ability to purify the air of carbon monoxide has given it pride of place in this list. It filters the air through its long foliage saving your lungs from the burden.

2. Sansevieria laurentii

"Mother-in-law tongues" as they are so eloquently nicknamed are one of those plants that are seeing a fashionable comback amongst gardeners. Sansevieria have a lot to offer a small room such as the toilet as they are a great upright growing plant and can take up very little space. Caution may need to taken that the plant isn't positioned to close to the bowl, just in case someone accidentally sits upon them. Ouch!

3. Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily)

One of the most beautiful monocotyledons, Spathiphyllum are a very common houseplant. However, the benefits of growing these indoors hasn't been widely know and they've been selected for their foliage and flower well above their purpose as a natural air-purifying system.

4. Chrysanthemum x morifolium

And who wouldn't have Chrysanthemums growing indoors? Not only is the foliage a power plant for refreshing the air quality but you have something beautiful to gaze at when you're visiting the "john". Chrysanthemum x morifolium is a great specimen that will do really well indoors.

Odour-Eating Plants

With heavy air usually comes some fairly ordinary odours and while the plants above are on continual duty filtering the air quality you may want to employ the uses of some of these plants when they flower to remove any unwanted smells - and I'm guessing they're all unwanted.

5. Hoya bilobata

Hoyas are more commonly classed as tropical plants as most of them originate from Asia, and in particular the Philippines. When they flower their blooms give such a fragrant aroma that they can easily mask the smell of almost anything and in a small room such as the toilet should have no problems performing at all.

6. Senecio rowleyanus - (String of beads)

String of beads is a slightly aromatic plant by itself but when it flowers this patio stalwart offers a very subtle smell de-odoriser. This is a great option for those who suffer from sinus problems and can't handle strong fragrances.

7. Jasminum polyanthum

Speaking of strong fragrances here's one that could mask any smell. Jasmine is a climbing plant so will need some support if you're going to grow it indoors and in a container. It only flowers for about three months of the year but for that limited time this plant will certainly pack a serious punch in the toilet. Not advisable for sinus sufferers.

8. Dendrobium miltassia

Another VERY strongly fragrant plant is this orchid, Dendrobium miltassia. When flowering you may find that it completely overpowers any odour emanating from the toilet but it may also consume the whole house as well. As a temporary odour-masker this will work fine.

Plants for the Toilet that Just Look Good

So you've now positioned an air-purifying plant, an odour-eating masker but the toilet's lacking in some colour and beauty. Here's where these plants come in,

9. Gerbera Daisies

These are just beautiful and should be grown in every room and in every garden bed. But, if you want to just settle for growing them in the toilet then this will still be a good use of these flowering plants.

10. Parlour palm

A Parlour palm has some benefits as an air-purifier but its primary purpose is just to look good in a small room and what better room to grow it in? These little palms offer a softening effect and will make your "little room" far more welcoming than if it were devoid of plants altogether.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

Arguably the most beautiful genus of tropical plants would have to be the bromeliads and it's close relatives, tillandsias, guzmanias and billbergias. Commonly known as the 'pineapple plant' these adorable plants are responsible for adding vivacious colour to tropical gardens where green foliage is the order of the day.

One reader emailed me yesterday asking for some info and growing tips on the bromeliad plant. I was bemused that I hadn't written on these tropical stalwarts before but after checking my archives realised that it was a plant that had been sorely missing. Not that it should have been for I have three different bromeliad plants in my garden and one tillandsia. Don't ask me their scientific names though as they were all given to me by my green thumb mother without id labels and I haven't taken the time to wade through the possible 2400 species and more derivatives. If you want to try and id yours here's a good place to start - The Bromeliad Society of Australia - and begin with the Photo Gallery.

How to grow a Bromeliad
Bromeliads are as diverse in their growing needs and requirements as they are in their structure, foliage and flower colours. Some, like many tillandsias are epiphytic - that is they can grow without soil - while others are trichomes (receive their water and nutrient needs through their leaves) and others grow just like normal plants. Due to their very different growing needs it pays to know which type of bromeliad you have unless you have already been informed how to grow and care for it.

Most bromeliads, although tropical, can grow well in milder climates provided they're not subjected to frosts. They can handle the occasional one but if your area is prone to a few each year you may want to limit their outdoor activity to a minimum. Don't let that stop you though as bromeliads make great indoor plants provided they can get enough sunlight each day they will grow just as well, and in some cases better, than those left to their own devices outdoors.

• Epiphytic tillandsias - as these don't need soil the best place to grow them is on a wall or in the limbs or trunk of a large tree. In most cases they will need to be supported by wire to keep them attached to their host and this is just a matter of keeping them in place rather than binding them completely.
• Trichome bromeliads - the obvious problem with growing trichome bromeliads is planting them in your garden and expecting that your reticulation will keep them watered. Due to most bromeliads height and structure they could easily avoid getting any water at all. For this type you're better off hand watering them and making sure that that each plant is supplied within their cupped foliage.
• Normal bromeliads - these are usually bottom-dwelling plants within a tropical rainforest and need to source their moisture and nutrients from the soil. Caring for this type of bromeliad should take little to no extra effort than most of the plants that already reside in your garden.

Taking care of your bromeliad plant

Most bromeliads are very hardy plants and can usually survive without too much maintenance. They are susceptible to some pests, especially scale - which should never be treated with white oil or any other chemical, but merely cut out of the plant - but in most cases bromeliads have few predators.

One of the major problems for the bromeliad plant is it's ability to clump, rot and die. It propagates itself by sending up pups alongside the mother plant. These can be cut off once they've reached a third of the size of the original plant and transplanted. If they're not, they will eventually grow up and take over the plant and the mother will die. This isn't completely problematic and it's not always necessary to remove the pups but if you have problems with your older bromeliads surviving then this may be the cause.

The bromeliad plant can often become a home for garden snails and it's not uncommon to find them within the safety of their foliage. This shouldn't be a concern as they won't harm your bromeliads but it may alarm you that this army of pests is snoozing in your garden.

Pictures of Bromeliads

Apart from the great collection of images stored at the Bromeliad Society of Australia (linked above) there are some other gardeners who have great photos of their own collections. Here's some of Rusty's fantastic collection of bromeliads and here's one of my bromeliads in bloom last year.

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Easily one of the most recognisable palms, and perhaps the most grown by home gardeners, is the sago palm (cycas revoluta. Its peacock-like fronds demand your attention in whatever setting their placed and their annual flowering display is not to be sniffed at either.

The sago palm isn't actually a palm but instead a cycad - more closely related to evergreen conifers than palm trees. Yet it somehow picked up the common tag of being a palm and is rarely referred to as a cycad other than by those who know. The difference: - palms are monocotyledons (seeds sprout only one leaf) while cycads are dicotyledons (you guessed it...they sprout two leaves from the seed). Hardly a big difference when you're trying to explain this plant's genetic background.

While this plant may not be a true palm, its shape and size make it one of the most utilised specimens in landscape tropical gardens. And why not? The foliage, as an architectural texture, is exquisite and as it grows the trunk adds the dimension of height.

Where can sago palms grow?

Almost anywhere the summers are warm and mild and where they will be sheltered out of frosts and snow. If kept in pots they can be grown in cold climates providing they are overwintered and your summers aren't too cold.

If your climate isn't characterised by frost-ridden winters then growing a sago palm in the ground is certainly an option. Obviously palms that grow in the ground have less maintenance requirements and can grow much taller than their pot-bound counterparts.

Problems with the sago palm

• Slow growing - while they look fantastic when they're a decent size waiting around for them to grow can be an exercise in patience. In most cases they will only add 1-2" (2-5cm) per year - and that's a good year.
• Great leaf catchers - because of their shape and growing habit, sago palms are great leaf catchers. This is a bonus if that's why you wanted to grow this plant but for most gardeners it can become they reason they rip them out. Therefore, plant them in a location that isn't beneath a deciduous or leaf-shedding tree.
• They need warm summers - while sago palms can put up with cold winters they really struggle if they can't enjoy some summer warmth. If your summers don't average at least 20°C (70°F) then the sago cycad may not be an option for your garden.
• They need sun - just like warm summers, cycas revoluta basks in full sun. While they will grow in shade and perform quite well in part-shade they can often become leggy and more disease-prone without at least half a day of full-sun.
• Deadly to dogs - for those gardening pet-lovers keeping a sago palm and a dog in the same confines is asking for trouble. The seeds from the sago palm are extremely poisonous and will kill a dog within a few hours of digestion. And, don't think your children are immune - this can seriously harm them as well.

Caring for a sago palm

Apart from the growing conditions mentioned above sago palms are quite easy to care for. A feed of a balanced fertiliser every six months and caution taken when watering (they don't need much) is really all these plants require.

If your sago palm has become a leaf catcher then removing the built up compost from with the plants centre is paramount. Leaving it to rot down within the plant can cause a myriad of disease and fungus problems which are better prevented rather than trying to cure.

Does Sago come the sago palm?

Most of us have enjoyed endured sago at one point or another in our lives so it's not a dumb question to think that this plant may be the source of our child-based memories. However, the true source is from another palm (a real palm) also commonly known as the Sago Palm Metroxylon sagu.

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One of the many joys of having friends and family who also garden is the oft chance of scoring some plant material to try your hand at propagating. And for most of us gardeners the plant specimen doesn't necessarily have to be one we want in our garden, it's merely the enjoyment of successfully reproducing something.

Fortunately for me, my MIL has been growing a plant that I've wanted to grow in my tropical garden. Plumeria rubra is the common frangipani and has been on my "TO-GET" list for some time. However, I didn't just want to the very common white flowered variety but was more interested in the coral-shades. I had seen frangipanis growing my MIL's garden before but never observed it flowering to know whether it was the correct colour.

On a recent trip to visit the in-laws in Perth, I took a small cutting - certainly not big enough to notice that it had gone missing - and began drying it out. The wound excretes a fair amount of milky sap that can be quite painful if it comes in contact with the skin. This sap needs to stop flowing and the wound harden over before it can be planted out.

Once this process has occurred the stalk can be placed into some potting medium and kept moist and out of full-sun. While it's best to start the process while the frangipani is dormant - during the winter months - it can still be successfully propagated in its flowering season.

TIP: Don't take a cutting longer than 20cm in length and certainly don't pick one that is carrying flowers.

As we head towards winter, this cutting will lose its few leaves and be a bare stick but will regain its crowning glory again in spring. Hopefully, it might even flower but they don't usually within the first two years.

Here's some more info on growing frangipanis.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (12)

The key to growing a syngonium - Neglect!

I'm not joking. This is a photo of the one that resides in my office at work and it has been with me for the past 9 years. I've never changed the soil or repotted it. It's never had any fertiliser. It gets very little sunlight. And there have been many times when I've forgotten to water it.

Yet, it keeps surviving. I would be amazed if I could actually kill it as it seems impervious to any form of neglect.

But I do feel a little sympathetic to my plant from time to time. It has been so faithful and continually bears new foliage despite my lack of affection.

Syngonium plants aren't high maintenance. This is why they are a common indoor plant that many home gardeners opt for and do well with. They enjoy a moist soil but can live in any medium even when it dries fully (though not for long).

Your syngonium does need light for most of the day for perfect growing conditions. However, they can extract enough sunlight from a room that is barely lit without needing to sit on a windowsill. This syngonium in its pot never sees the light so the foliage has climbed down and extracts what it needs.

Syngoniums can be propagated from leaf cuttings.

CORRECTION:

Gary from Plant-Care.com has picked up a wee error in my plant identification. In his recent comment he states;

I agree with the "neglect" aspect of care for this house plant or office plant I guess is more correct. Many plant owners give their plants way too much love and attention.

However, the plant in the photo is a pothos and not a syngonium. They are in the same family, require basically the same care but are two different plants.

I posted a few couple for reference. syngonium images and a pothos.

Keep up the good work and keep sharing your plant knowledge!

Thank you for being so polite in your correction Gary. This is certainly my bad and I apologise to my readers for getting this plant mixed up and leading you all astray. I must admit that I had never even heard the term 'pothos' until Gary mentioned it and now I'm wondering whether I've ever seen these plants marketed as such. I shall continue to investigate.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (6)

Dracaena Marginata is not a plant that you grow for flowers - it's the foliage you're after. You can either grow it in the ground, planted en masse, or as a stand alone feature planted by itself in a decorative container.

And, it can grow just as well indoors as it does outdoors (that's if you live in a semi-tropical to tropical planting zone, that is). Dracaena's aren't very fond of frost but they can tolerate colder climates so long as they're protected. They don't like too much water but prefer their growing medium to be moist.

Draceana's come from the Dragon Tree, dracaena draco, which is a native plant to the Canary Islands, so their growing habits, likes and dislikes, and temperamental preferences are all very similar.

They can grow to more than 4m (12-13ft) but can easily be kept smaller by pruning the stems prior to spring.

The stems of a draceana marginata are commonly flexible and thin and seem adequately disproportionate to its height and also the foliage that tops it. They can easily be bent and shaped to conform to your structural desires by using bonsai wire to contort each stem.

If your dracaena is only single-stemmed and you want it to branch out, cut the foliage from the top and reduce the stem to the desired height. Within a few months the foliage will begin to bud from the wound and new branches will grow.

How to propagate dracaena maginata

Draceana's can be propagated by a variety of ways but the most easiest is by taking a cutting from the stem and after applying some rooting hormone to the base (don't forget which end is 'up') firmly push it into some potting mix. Water frequently and apply a liquid fertilizer when the foliage begins to appear.

Other methods of propagating dracaena include air-layering and basal root cuttings.

Fertilising dracaena marginata

Soluble liquid fertilisers are the best form of nutrient release for dracaena's but during their dormant period you can also add some slow release pellets to their growing area or container.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (9)

Dracaena Marginata is not a plant that you grow for flowers - it's the foliage you're after. You can either grow it in the ground, planted en masse, or as a stand alone feature planted by itself in a decorative container.

And, it can grow just as well indoors as it does outdoors (that's if you live in a semi-tropical to tropical planting zone, that is). Dracaena's aren't very fond of frost but they can tolerate colder climates so long as they're protected. They don't like too much water but prefer their growing medium to be moist.

Draceana's come from the Dragon Tree, dracaena draco, which is a native plant to the Canary Islands, so their growing habits, likes and dislikes, and temperamental preferences are all very similar.

They can grow to more than 4m (12-13ft) but can easily be kept smaller by pruning the stems prior to spring.

The stems of a draceana marginata are commonly flexible and thin and seem adequately disproportionate to its height and also the foliage that tops it. They can easily be bent and shaped to conform to your structural desires by using bonsai wire to contort each stem.

If your dracaena is only single-stemmed and you want it to branch out, cut the foliage from the top and reduce the stem to the desired height. Within a few months the foliage will begin to bud from the wound and new branches will grow.

How to propagate dracaena maginata

Draceana's can be propagated by a variety of ways but the most easiest is by taking a cutting from the stem and after applying some rooting hormone to the base (don't forget which end is 'up') firmly push it into some potting mix. Water frequently and apply a liquid fertilizer when the foliage begins to appear.

Other methods of propagating dracaena include air-layering and basal root cuttings.

Fertilising dracaena marginata

Soluble liquid fertilisers are the best form of nutrient release for dracaena's but during their dormant period you can also add some slow release pellets to their growing area or container.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (9)

If you live in a cold climate you've probably already written off palms as a plant that won't grow in your garden - and you would be partly right.

Most palms are tropical and can't exist in temperatures less than 15° C (59° F) but there are many cool climate palms that colder areas can grow quite successfully. Dwarf Sugar Palm - can grow at temperatures of less than -6° C (21° F) and reach heights of nearly 5m (15ft). Also the more common, and much larger, Bismarck Palm [pdf] can grow within the same climate while the Chinese Windmill Palm shouldn't be grown at all in warmer climates.

While these are only a few of the cool climate palms available to gardeners, there are more comprehensive lists available, tropical palms have a beauty and majesty all their own.

The fabulous Kentia Palm is one example. The Golden Cane Palm, Parlour Palm and the gorgeous Raphia Palm are some of the many others.

So, while we can all grow grow palms the question we need to ask is do we want to? I've been a major cynic of palms in the garden for quite a few years mainly because they have become the tree of choice here in Australia for landscaping new subdivisions. It seems every second home has littered their garden with fast-growing Bangalow Palms. Why? Very little maintenance is required. They don't drop leaves and they don't take much to keep looking good.

One day a friend inspired me with his plans to create a tropical rainforest garden in Perth, Western Australia. I cynically assumed he was off his rocker but after some investigation found that not only was it possible but I could also create a similar design to my garden in Busselton (250km south of Perth).

Caring for your palm

Palms don't require pruning but the removal of spent fronds will help keep them looking neat and tidy. Some palms send up suckers which will need to be cut out at base level but apart from sustaining them with a moderate weekly watering they don't need much else.

Palms naturally crave iron, magnesium, manganese and potassium so finding a fertiliser that contains higher levels of these nutrients will be helpful.

You can transplant palms and this is best done during their growing season (early spring) and provided that most of the rootball can be kept intact. Transplant your palm into a whole twice the size of the rootball and water copiously for the first month or so. Then resume normal watering and apply some fertiliser.

To keep your palm warm in winter wrap the trunk with bubble-wrap and mulch it well or wrap plastic sheeting over its drip line.

Growing palms from seed

Palms can be grown quite successfully from seed but palm seeds have a long gestation period. Kentia's for example can take between 2-3 years before sending up shoots. To aid their success, remove the fleshy coverings and soak the seed in tepid water for at least 24 hours. Discard any that are still floating after this period and plant the ones that have sunk to the bottom. Plant them in a good seed-raising mix and keep warm in a greenhouse or on a window sill.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (9)

I have fallen in love with these species of plant over the past couple of years for a number of reasons. Firstly, bromeliads require so little attention yet produce amazing blooms. In fact, it seems that the less you look after them the more they want to show off. Maybe it's just a matter of it wanting to remind us that it still exists.

Our future rainforest garden will feature many of these bromeliads and tillandsias because they're a great tropical plant. They receive their required water via their funnel-like foliage rather than through the soil and these also house many snails, but they're easy to pick out. The flower is not a true bloom rather colorful bracts that appear on an annual basis and can really enhance a tropical garden.

These bromeliads have been sitting in pots for a couple of years and still produce a wonderful show year after year.

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