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Houseplants

Snake plant is a very common houseplant that is easy to care for making it an excellent plant gift for your Valentine this year.

Houseplants for Valentines

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, many of us are seeking floral gifts to express our affection for family, friends, and significant others.  While nothing beats the spectacular blooms and intricate arrangements that cut flowers offer, we all know their lifespan is limited.  This year,...
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Poinsettias are one of the most popular holiday plants in the US.

Poinsettia Myths

Poinsettias are a symbol of the holidays that have adorned wintertime homes in the US since their rise in popularity almost 200 years ago.  These gorgeous plants are native to Mexico and naturally reach full bloom near the holidays, making them a ubiquitous plant of the holiday season.  On average...
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The yellow lady’s slipper orchid is an Illinois native that can be grown in cultivation. Photo credit: Chris Benda.

Mysterious Orchids

Over the past 200 years or so, orchids have went from a mysterious and challenging plant, barely sustained in cultivation, to a fixture in many homes and businesses. Today, easy-care varieties of these beautiful flowering houseplants can be purchased just about anywhere, including the supermarket...
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Poinsettias are the quintessential holiday house plant with nearly 30 million sold each year.

Houseplants for the Holidays

Are you searching for the perfect holiday gift for that plant lover on your list?  Hoping to inspire a new plant enthusiast with the ideal plant-related gift? Houseplants are one of the best and most affordable gifts for someone interested in a plant-themed gift this holiday season.  Before you...
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Houseplants provide beauty as well as a plethora of human health benefits during winter although indoor plant care can often be challenging this time of year.

How to overwinter house plants

Winter is a stressful time for many plants in the landscape, given the drought conditions brought on by freezing temperatures and the effects of extreme cold. Although these stressors typically don’t impact our houseplants the same way, indoor plants experience their own form of winter stress,...
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Houseplants and Indoor Air Quality

The last thing any homeowner wants this time of year is a cold draft from the outdoors.  We humans have become exceedingly good at sealing up all of our indoor spaces in the interest of trapping heat during the winter or cooled air during the summer.  These type of improvements in home construction...
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Holiday Cacti

Nothing symbolizes the holiday season to a horticulturalist like a holiday cactus in full bloom.  These fascinating plants are cacti, but not at all like the full-sun, desert loving specimens we commonly think of.  Instead, these plants hail from the treetops of forests in Brazil, which is quite...
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Mistletoe

Have you ever heard of a plant with no roots? How about a plant that has no roots in the soil, but rather root-like structures that grow into other plants to steal water and nutrients?  Doesn’t that sound like something right out of a sci-fi movie?  Well, every holiday season, many of us hang a...
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