The most asked about plant these days is the magnificent String Of Pearls. Botanically called S enecio Rowleyanus and collaquially called  the Bataani plant by old bangloreans, this is a beautiful cascading succulent that is exquisite and was a collector’s pride in most banglorean homes. They are relatively easy to maintain and as any other succulent, thrive on neglect :) . Ideal spots to have them shine and prosper is shaded porticos, they also thrive well indoors - adjacent to open, airy windows, where they are get   a couple of hours of morning sun. These are some of the common complaints that I have seen from our dear customers.  Plant is looking too stringy and weak These plants do not have a great solid root system. So when we plant a   single stem in a pot, these long strings weigh out the root ( since we allow one string to grow robust). The best way to tackle the problem is  to make the plant stronger, its ideal to rotate the string withi...

Indoor plants are a wide variety of plants that need less light and usually good moisture all the time to thrive well. The varieties and species in this large umbrella are pretty huge and so there is no one secret mantra of their watering needs. Each species differs in its water needs. In fact, the same species of plant, when planted in different pots, may end up with different watering needs.  While most plants tolerate under watering, over-watering is what hurts them most. Here are some quick tips that will help you with the watering needs! ·         Always use the touch method. Gently stick the soil for about 1 inch with your fingers, if you see some mud on the fingers, there’s still some moisture in the pot. You can easily defer the watering to the next day or pour very little (in case of dry seasons, or if you are on high rise buildings or areas where they are likely to dry very fast) picture courtesy the Internet ·  ...

Growing succulents at home What would you be looking for while choosing plants for your garden? In case easy-to-maintain and good-looking top the list of requirements, then succulents totally fit the bill. Plants whose leaves and stems store water to become juicy and swollen are called Succulents. They do this to store excess water which they can use later in conditions of water scarcity. Plants from over 50 families come under this category, and include the ones native to dry terrains as well as some which thrive in rainforests. A few grow along the coast, where their succulent tissue adapts them to the high salinity in soil. Cacti are a subset of the succulents. Succulents make for great house-plants. Some of the commonly available succulents are Agaves, Aloes, Echeveria, Sedum, Sempervivum, few Euphorbias and some type of Orchids. You can find them in many shades of green to purple to orange and more colours that you can think of! This wide variety in this family makes th...

The Royal One The name Begonia brings to mind the word ‘royal’. With its large leaves, often seen having a metallic sheen and its beautiful flamboyant flowers, this plant is one royal treat to the eyes. Earlier known for its pendulous flowers (in the case of Tuberous Begonias), today this species is mainly known for its foliage variety which can be grown as ornamental potted plants in a greenhouse or at home. With 1,795 species, the genus Begonia is one of the largest genera among the Angiosperms. The genus was first identified and documented in 1700 and named in honour of Michel Begon, a French botanist and administrator of Santo Domingo in the West Indies. Begonias are widespread in the world, and have adapted to varying conditions, resulting in the extensive variety seen in the species. They occur in tropical and temperate climates of South America, Central America, Africa and South Asia. Some of the different types of Begonias are: ·       T...

Colour me Red! A plant that flowers all-year round; with bright, glossy leaves and flowers that look eternally new; so much so that you can fib to your friends that someone recently gifted it to you! That’s the exotic Anthurium . Anthuriums are well-known for their brightly-coloured and heart-shaped spathes. They are usually seen to have deep-red colouration; however they occur in many other colours like green, pink and orange as well. They belong to the Arum family, which is known for plants with bright foliage consisting of a central rod-like spadix enclosed within a brightly-colored spathe. They are native to the Americas, especially to countries like Mexico and Argentina.  The botanical details of this plant are as follows: Kingdom: Plantae Family: Araceae Genus: Anthurium Other names: Flamingo, Painted Tongue, Tail Flower Anthuriums are easy to grow in pots at home provided a few of their requirements are taken care of. Temperature Requirements ...

The story so far… There lived a couple in the quaint old town of Bangalore, in the quiet and empty lanes of Banashankari. That was the Bangalore of yore. It was truly the garden city then. The couple too had a small garden. But it was mo re than just a garden for them. Every day, the couple tended to their garden and sowed seeds and raised saplings. All year through and many years like this, the couple toiled to raise and nurture the greens growing in it. Soon there were Violets, Anthuriums, Chrysanthemums and Marigolds sprawling across the green space. From this humble beginning, many years later in June 2006, Blooms and Ivy took birth in a small store in Jayanagar, Bangalore.  The expert at the helm of affairs was Mr. Vishwanath, who had just retired from the famed Indo American Hybrid Seeds after 42 years of service as a Horticulturist.   Ably by his side was h is wife, Mrs. Uma who had spent 30-odd years magically growing practically anything and everyth...