Jamie Jamison Adams - Bloomin' Blog

Angel Trumpet Or Devil Trumpet?

May 12, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams Leave a Comment

Ask The Expert: What is the differences between an angel trumpet and a devil trumpet? – Elaine

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

It depends. Most of the time, devil’s trumpet is associated with the genus Datura. These herbaceous leafy annuals/short-lived perennials have lobed toothed alternate leaves with erect flowers and spiny fruit..

Angel’s trumpet are associated with the genus Brugmansia and have pendulous flowers, smooth fruit and are small woody tree/bushes. The large leaves of this plant have fine hairs along the coarsely toothed leaf margin.

Both plants belong to the Solanaceae family and contain toxins.

Hope this information was helpful. Please let me know if I can assist you with anything else!

Filed Under: Plant Identification Tagged With: Angel's Trumpet, Datura, Plant Identification

How To Prolong the Life of Cut Flowers

May 10, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams 2 Comments

Ask The Expert: just wondering, is there a way to prolong the life of cut flowers!!
thanks – bn

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:
Yes. The proper preparation will extend the life of cut flowers. There is some information on Flower Shop Network’s Blog that might be helpful to you.

Read Important Tips for Arranging Flowers at Home

Quick Tips For Prolonging The Life Of Cut Flowers:

Place stems or bouquets of fresh flowers in water as soon as possible.
Add preservative to the water. Preservative packets can be found at local flower shops.
Keep fresh flowers away from draft and extreme temperatures which can quickly dry the flowers and cause wilting.
Avoid placing flower arrangements in windowsills and other areas of full sun where flowers can wilt due to overheating.
All flower stems should be submerged in water. Decline of fresh flowers occurs much more quickly after stems have been removed from water.
To maintain fresh flowers longer, trim the stems and change to fresh water after a few days.
Immediately remove dead or wilting stems from fresh flower arrangements.

Hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if I can assist you with anything else.

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks Tagged With: arrang, Cut Flowers, Flower Arrangements, Fresh Cut Flowers, Fresh Flowers

Help! Bromeliad Is Growing Mushrooms

May 4, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams

Ask The Expert: We have a bermilliad in our office. Overnight it started growing mushrooms and we see baby ones coming up as well. It also has gnats. How do we get rid of both without killing the plant? -Sonja

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply: Sonja,
If you are having a gnat and fungus problem, your soil is too wet. You need to aerate the soil and make sure the container is letting excess water drain away from the Bromeliad houseplant. You can also rake the soil with a spoon to aerate the soil. Make sure not to go the other way and let the bromeliad get too dry. If the issue persist you will need a fungicide that is safe for Bromeliads. Your local garden center should carry a fungicide that will work.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Bromeliad, Bromeliad Plants

What Causes the Lack of Blooms on My Hydrangeas?

May 2, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams Leave a Comment

Ask the Expert: we have beautiful green healthy hydrangea bushes,
beautiful bushes, but not blooming. Approx. 1 year old;

Bob Geissel

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:When hydrangeas don’t bloom, you need to know a little about their environment and past to find the reason for the lack of blooms.

First, have you pruned the hydrangeas? If you pruned your plants at the wrong time, you may have removed the blooms without knowing it. Most hydrangeas should be pruned in the summer. Pruning in the fall, winter or spring will remove the blooms.

Planting hydrangea in the wrong area can also cause the lack of blooming. A situation that is too wet will cause the leaves to turn yellow and inhibit bloom formation. Planting hydrangea in too much shady will inhibit blooming although the leaves will still be green and lush.

Fertilizer can also be a factor. Too much nitrogen will give you green lush leaves, but will inhibit bloom formation. Make sure you use a fertilizer with a higher phosphorous content than nitrogen content in the fall and spring. However, don’t over fertilize the hydrangeas as this will also cause a blooming issue.

If you can determine which of these causes is the issue, you problem can be easily solved.

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Plant Care Questions

Help! How Do I Care For My Dish Garden?

May 1, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams

Ask The Expert: I just got the attached plant as a gift. It’s already starting to turn brown both at the edges and in the center of some of the leaves. I have several questions and concerns:

1) I have to keep my plants high up and away from the windows because of my pets, will this plant fare ok?
2) How often should I water it?
3) Should I remove the moss that it’s top soil came covered in?
4) It’s in a ceramic pot with no hole at the bottom, should I replant it?
5) It’s got several small, hard green balls under the moss. Picture of one is attached. Do you think those are time-released fertilizer pellets?
6) What kind(s) of plant is this?
7) Any other words of advice or suggestions?

THANK YOU!

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

I received your question and picture of your dish garden. I will try my best to answer all of your questions in the order listed.

1) Will the plants still receive light? If they will still receive a fair amount of light, then the plants should do well. However, if the plants are too close to a light fixture this may become a problem. The light may scorch the plants.

2) Since this is a dish garden and the various plants may need different water requirements, keep the soil moist but not soggy. This will require a physical check of the soil and not a “water every so often” requirement. If your air is dry you can also mist the air around the plants every few days.

3) The moss isn’t hurting anything. You can keep it if you like or remove it if you don’t.

4) It is always best to keep houseplant in a container that has ample drainage. For the best heath of the plants I would recommend repotting.

5) It does appear to be a slow release fertilizer.

6) Since this is what we call a dish garden, there are several types of plants in the container. I can easily recognize the parlour palm and the diffenbachia. The other plants are hidden and I can not make an identification.

7) When repotting you can keep the plants together or separate them into different containers.

If you send me pictures of the other plants I will try to identify them for you. Flower Shop Network has care instruction for many of the houseplants florists use in dish gardens or deliver separately. Once we identify all the plants in your dish garden, you can go to our houseplant gallery and find the individual care instructions for each plant.

Hope this information helps.

This post is brought to you by local Meridian MI florists.
Not in Mississippi? No worries, Flower Shop Network connects you to your real, local florist!

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Ask The Plant Expert, Dish Gardens, Plant Propagation

Watering and Fertilizing Lucky Bamboo

February 22, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams 6 Comments

Ask the Expert: Fresh Water and Fertilizer Question.

I have done a lot of reading on-line about how best to care for my lucky bamboo. There is a lot of conflicting information. I tend to change the water in my plants every 10-12 days and fertilize with lucky bamboo fertilizer every 6 months.

I have recently read to add fertilizer once a month and only change the water once a month when you add the fertilizer.

Is one way better than the other? Should I be fertilizing my plants more often? Is it okay to wait a whole month before changing the water? Jennifer

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert reply:

Every environment is different, so each lucky bamboo owner will have to determine what works for them. I tend to believe that lucky bamboo (Dracaena Sanderiana) does better when not heavily fertilized. I personally don’t like to change the water as often as you do, but may be that is because I’m a little lazy. I say, If your stalks are green and healthy proceed with the way you are doing it.

The real key is to whether to change the water is the color. Cloudy water should be changed asap and clear water not for a while.

Fertilizer less is more. Lucky bamboo is sensitive to over fertilization, so error on the side of caution.

This lucky bamboo post was brought to you by the local Nampa Florists. Not in Nampa ID? Find real local florists using Flower Shop Network.

Filed Under: Lucky Bamboo Tagged With: Dracaena sanderiana, Lucky Bamboo

Care Instructions For Rubber Plant

February 15, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams

Ask The Expert: i was given a rubber plant at my fathers furneral and i do not have good luck with plants.i live in the country and have a high ph in my water as well as other minerals,should i get water from town or distilled water.and it was a large plant when i got it and its roots look weird to me i mean i can see them up at the top above the dirt ,is this normal?and i am not sure i get what is meant by root ball when replanting.anyway i really want to keep this plant but if it would be better off in town i could give it to my mother.please help lorrie

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:Well water is usually fine for houseplants. That is unless your water ph is over 7 or your mineral content is way out of line. If you can drink your well water, you should be ok to use it.

The rootball is the mass of soil and roots attached to the base of the plant. Most plants want their roots to be covered, yet they don’t like soil pile up against their trunks. However, it sounds like your plant needs more soil to cover the roots. You need about a 1/4″ of soil covering the roots. You can do this by simply adding a little soil to your container or you can completely re-pot the plant. Do not pile soil up against the trunk.

Since you are new to Rubber Plants (Ficus elastica), you might want to follow these Rubber Plant Care tips:

Keep the plant moist but not soggy. Rubber plants love a humid environment, so mist the air area around them every few days. Be sure to use luke warm water when misting.
Give them light. Rubber plants like a lot of light just not all-day direct light.
Be sure to feed them. A general purpose water soluble fertilizer will work.

For more in-depth information go to our Rubber Plant Care Instruction page.

One more tip: Don’t be surprised if it drops some leaves. Anytime you move Rubber plants from one location to another, they go through transplant shock. If you follow the rubber plant care tips, the plant will bounce back in couple of weeks.

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Ficus elastica, Rubber Plant

Need Help With Lucky Bamboo

February 12, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams Leave a Comment

Ask The Expert: We have had 6 bamboo in a vase for about 2 years in an office. The air isnt so great, since some of our white paper signs on cabinets have gotten brown twice during that period. The bamboo have been great, but during the past month two stalks, one thick and the other a thin one, just developed yellowed and wilted leaves. Unfortunately we have not been good about changing water, but the roots seem fine, although rusty. There are small brown papules, like measles on the small one, and on one other. At the prior water line, there seems to be a brown blemish, but not soft or rotten on each of the stalks with several yellow leaves.

All the stalks appear dehydrated, with vertical palpable striations we think are due to shrinkage of the stalks. Others in other areas are smooth and plump. What is this due to, if their leaves are green and OK otherwise?

We changed the water, put the two with yellow leaves aside. Going to distilled water only.
Do you think it is a good idea to cut the stalks with yellow leaves at the bottom above the two blemish areas, assuming they are infected?
Do you have any suggestions re anti fungal ideas as a precaution?

In general, what fertilizer is best for bamboo? How often? Michelle

: Lucky Bamboo Yellow Leaves

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:
Michelle,

It does appear that you plant is developing a fungus. I don’t know of a good fungicide for lucky bamboo. I would do the following thing:

1. Cut the damaged part off. To do this you will basically have a section the has no roots and a section that has no leaves. Not a problem. On the section with no leaves – you will need to make the cut well below the compromised section. On the section above the [Read more…]

Filed Under: Lucky Bamboo Tagged With: Dracaena sanderiana, Lucky Bamboo, Lucky Bamboo Diseases, Yellowing Lucky Bamboo

Help My Lucky Bamboo Is Turning Brown And Droopy

February 4, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams 2 Comments

Ask the Expert: Bamboo Leaves Drooping
Hello I took this bamboo plant I purchased 5 days ago to work. Today I noticed the leaves are drooping and it isn’t crisp anymore. Slightly turning brown. I live in Canada and is -17 degree Celsius outside when I bought it to work. I wasn’t outside too long just during the waiting for my bus to arrive. The temperature at work fluctuates but I will say it is cold most of the time. Today is Friday I will probably bring my plant back home on Monday if it does get worst. What can I do to save my poor plant? Janice

: Dracaena Sanderiana

: Sprial Lucky Bamboo

: Top Of Spiral Lucky Bamboo

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert: First – It needs to be kept some where between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius. As long as your office stays above 15 degrees Celsius (that would be 59 degrees Fahrenheit), then leave it at your office – if not take it home.

Once it is in its permanent home leave it alone. It needs time to adjust. Give it a couple of weeks and the browning as well as the drooping should stop.

In the meantime make sure it is getting adequate light – bright filtered light no direct light. Make sure you keep the water level the same. When you add water use distilled water or tap water that has been exposed to air in an open container for 24 hours. It might help to read Caring For Lucky Bamboo.

I really think your lucky bamboo will be ok. It looks very healthy.

This lucky bamboo question was brought to you by Rutland Florists. Not in Rutland VT? Use Flower Shop Network to find a local florist near you.

Filed Under: Lucky Bamboo Tagged With: Dracaena sanderiana, Lucky Bamboo

Please Idenitify This Plant And Is It Poisonous To Cats

January 22, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams Leave a Comment

Ask The Plant Expert: Hi Jamie, I came across your info via google and was wondering if you could possibly help me identify two plants that we have at our house.

I am ultimately trying to find out if they are hazardous to cats but have not had any success at identifying the names. I would sincerely appreciate any help and have attached pictures.

Sincerely,
Karen

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply: What you have are Chamaedorea elegans also known as parlor plams, Neanthe bella palms, or table top palms. They are not poisonous to cats or dogs.

Filed Under: Plant Identification Tagged With: Cats & Plants, Chamaedora elegans, Parlor Palm

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