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76thIssue Vol. 8 No. 1 ISSN 2094-1765 January 2015

BRINGING IN THE FESTIVE MOOD OF THE NEW YEARTHROUGH HOUSEPLANTS

Phalaenopsis or Butterfly Orchids are one of most popular home dcor for

the office and the home.

House plants make a wonderful decorations and gifts to help a loved ones whocan welcome the new year in style. In the Philippines, one could choose from a

variety of gorgeous tropical plant gifts and wish your friends and family with anamazing new year. Green foliage plants gives life in the home while bloomingplants adds color. Adding a few colorful and green plants as a decor into thehome will provide a cheery and festive mood in welcoming the new year. Hereare some 10 suggestions for you to choose from.

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Bromeliads. The bromeliadgroup is composed of pineapple-like plants with bright, long-lastingand gorgeous flowers. Theyrange from the small table top size

to the huge hallway sizes. Theyare ideal to be placed on corners,as border to pathways, or groupedtogether along with other plants inentrance doors. Miniatures canbe placed on table tops or oncenter tables in the living room.They are inexpensive, easy togrow, require very little care, andreward the grower with brilliant,long lasting blooms and

ornamental foliage.

Various colors of bromeliadflowers are spectacularly beautiful.

Flowering Bromeliads (top) are long lasting and versatile house plant with flowers

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Orchids. When it comes to beauty and duration of bloom, orchids will alwayscome in first place. The arching stems adorned with delicate butterfly-shapedblooms add elegance to any room. One of the easiest orchids to grow is thePhalaenopsis. Others includes the Cattleya, Oncidium, Dendrobiums, Vandasand the Cymbidiums. They come in various flower color, sizes and patterns.

Culinary Herbs. A basket ofculinary herbs, composed of

basil, mint, oregano, rosemary,dill, parley or others is a niceaddition to the kitchen. Basketcan be seated nicely intowindowsills, shelves andamongst your favorite kitchendecor on the countertop. Idealfor people who loves to cookand uses herbs in their dishes.

(Left) A selection of various culinaryherbs.

Flowering Bulb Plants. Bulbplants are composed of

Amaryllis and Hippeastrum hybrids, which have underground bulb stems, likethat of the onion, but with bigger and much colorful flowers. Flowers range fromwhite, yellow, red, pink, and even have variegation. These plants, often called

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lilies, have the ability to bloom indoors. They have flat long lanceolate leaveswith flowers borne on long erect arching stems.

Lilies like the brightly colored Hippeastrums and Liliums are popular decorations

Christmas cactus.Botanically known asSchlumbergera is asmall genus of cactired, pink or whiteflowers. Mostspecies ofSchlumbergera havestems whichresemble leaf-likepads joined one to

the other and flowersappear from areolesat the joints and tipsof the stems. Theyare floriferousbloomers especiallythe cool months ofthe first quarter of theyear, easy topropagate and totake care of.

Poinsettia or Christmas flower. The poinsettia is still a favorite holiday plantdcor up till January due to its vibrant red flowers. However, there are now othercolor variants like white, pink, and also variegated ones. They are long lastingand very tolerant plants inside the home.

Jade Plant. The money tree, botanically known as Crassula ovata, is alsocommonly known as the Money tree, friendship tree, or lucky plant. It is a

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succulent plant with thick fleshy oval leaves and small pink or white flowers. It isnative to South Africa, and is common as a houseplant worldwide. It is often tiedwith a red ribbon the plant is commonly placed in the entrance of homes or in theliving room.

The Poinsettia (left) is a favorite houseplant during Christmas, but its use can extend up till

the New Year as its vibrant red color signifies love, and the red color is very meaningful

toChinese. The Jade Plant (right) on the otherhand, is a succulent evergreen which signifies

wealth and life.

Money tree. The money tree isbotanically known as Pachiraaquatica , which is a tropicalwetland or swampland tree of themallow family Malvaceae, nativeto Central and South America.Seedlings are the one used as ahouseplant, wherein about threeseedlings are braided together inthe trunk area and tied with a redribbon. It has shiny greenpalmate leaves with lanceolateleaflets and smooth green bark.

Potted Chrysanthemums. PottedChrysanthemums with plenty of blooms aregorgeous accents in corners and also as acenterpiece in the house. One couldchoose from a variety of colors, from white,light blue, orange, yellow, pink, and red.The plant will keep on blooming for amonth, as long as you cut the dried flowerstalks and water them regularly.

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Citrus Plant. Thecitrus plant, usuallyCalamondin (Citrusmadurensis) is a smallmandarin like plant

from Southeast Asia,which is commonlygrown for ornamentalpurposes. This varietyis widely cultivated inthe Philippines,Hawaii, United Statesand Europe and isoften given as a giftduring the ChineseNew Year to signify

good luck. The leavesare small and dense,giving the tree a finetextural appearance,and the fruits aresmall, round and

orange at full maturity. Widely used as a house or patio plant, the fruits are verysour when eaten raw but can be processed into preserves and jams. The plantis usually used in Chinese communities, but it is becoming popular here in thePhilippines.

With all these plants, one can make your home as vibrant and warm for thecoming of the new year. Bright colored plants or with those blooming plantscreates a welcoming ambiance both for the homeowner and also visitors andfriends. Aside from their aesthetic beauty, they also absorbs carbon dioxide anddetoxify fumes inside the home. They also give life and a sense of cheerfulnessinside the home, which is what we really be as we welcome a new start for thecoming 2015 and leave the past behind.

The Coralberry Plant is a familiarplant used as a lucky charm for theNew Year is the Coral Berry, orscientifically known as Ardesia

crenata. This is due to its attractivered berries which is also a symbolof prosperity, continuous growth,wealth and fortune. The long-lasting berries, which hang down inclusters, are quite showy as theyripen and turn to shades of coraland finally bright scarlet.

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The Coralberry, is also known asChristmas berry, money plant,spiceberry, coral bush, and hen's-eyes. Its leaves are dark green,

thick, glossy, and have tightlywaved edges The flowers aresmall, white or reddish, fragrant,and form clusters. The fruit is aglossy, bright red drupe. The seedsare able to germinate under adense canopy and are dispersed bybirds and humans.

This attractive shrub producesabundant, long-lasting, coral-red to

scarlet berries, which stand outagainst dark-green, serrated,glossy leafy background. As anornamental plant, it can be plantedon 6 -12 inch pots, however, whenthe plant matures, it can grow froma height of about 6 to 10 feet tallusually on a large clay pot orplanted directly to the ground.

OTHER POPULAR PLANTS FOR THE NEW YEAR

The Pineapple is one of themainstay fruit for both Filipinoand Chinese celebrating theNew Year. The sound of theword Pinya is almost thesame sound in Chinesewhich means let the goodfortune in. With this simpleand literal meaning, thepineapple has always beenused as a decoration towelcome the New Year.Aside from the ripe ediblefruits, even the smallimmature inedible fruits asused for decoration, even theitchy or somehow toxic dwarfornamental pineapples.

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The Lucky Bamboo, or Dracaena sanderiana, with its other variegated forms andarranged in groups, is a favorite affordable welcome plant for the New Year.

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Another table-top plant is the potted Pony Tail or Bottle Palm - Beaucarnearecurvata (left) and the Creeping Juniper Bonsai type Juniperus horizontalis.Bonsai trees are welcome plants as the growing leaves signifies new vitality andgrowth in the coming new year.

Succulent mix like that ofKalanchoe, Aloe, Agave, andSansevieria are nearlyindestructible as they are veryhardy and will withstandneglect. However, do notexpose them to too much sun ortoo much rain, as they will rot.They are best planted on glazeddecorative pots, with sandy soilas medium and top-mulchedwith sphagnum moss ormedium sized gravel.

Red Aglaonemas hybrids has becomevery popular and affordable nowadays.This plant may someday replace thePoinsettias and can be ideally placed inshady or semi-exposed lighted areas. Thered color gives life to monotonous lazycorners of the house or office. It is veryeasy to propagate, cultivate and maintain.

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The Urban Gardener is an official electronic publication (in PDF Format) of the Plant

Biotechnology Project, Research & Development Center, Rizal Technological University, Boni

Avenue, Mandaluyong City, Philippines. It is published monthly. For more information, please

inquire thru email: rdc_rtu@yahoo.com or plantbiotech_rtu@yahoo.com and landline(+632) 534-8267 Local 135 or Fax (+632) 534-9710.

Edited by N.R. Bautista January 2012The Plant Biotechnology Project Committee is composed of:Alexander B. Quilang, Norberto R. Bautista, & Jovita A. Anit.

Various species of flowering orchids are ideally displaced near glass windows exposed to

filtered light. Whats good about some orchids is that some has mild fragrant scents, thus gives

a very unique fragrance inside the home or office. For Plant Decoration ideas inside the

home, some of the shade

tolerant plants like aglaonemas,

Heliconias, Ficus, English ivy,

Orchids, Philodendrons,

Dieffenbachia, Candle Tops,

Syngoniums, Ferns, Palms, and

many others are sure significant

plant displays indoors as they

give life inside the home.

However, they need tender

loving care for them to thrive

inside the comfort of your home.

MAY THE PLANTS BRINGJOY & EXCITEMENT FORTHE NEW YEAR!!!