Growing Cauliflower Many cultivars of cauliflowers have been developed over the years and these days the Australian varieties such as Wallaby and the Snowball which is very adaptable to various conditions. The Wallaby cauliflower even allows for out of season cultivation. Other cultivars include the Boomerang, the Canberra, the Early Erfurt, the Snowcap and the…
Growing Carrots Carrots are commonly available vegetables and in many cases it is taken for granted. However, if we stop to think a bit about carrots then we can truly be astonished at this little powerhouse. Carrots are packed with nutrients, anti-oxidants, and beneficial qualities. Carrot origins can be traced to the Afghanistan region as…
Growing Beetroot There are few things prettier than a beetroot with its dark red stems and bright green leaves that resemble beautiful umbrellas with dark red lacework on the edges. As a vegetable the beetroot is attractive enough to earn its place as a huge asset in any type of garden. Just imagine how eye-catching…
Growing Pleione orchids (Windowsill Orchids) The Pleione Orchid is a terrestrial temperate orchid group of around twenty five cool and alpine growing orchids that prefers cool conditions. They originate from areas such as East and Southeast Asia, more specific Taiwan, China and the Himalayas (Nepal) where they thrive on the rocky outcrops and close to the snow line at the edges of woods and forests. These orchids…
Growing Zygopetalum Orchids Zygopetalum orchids are a small but very attractive group of orchid species in white or cream with lilac patterns on the flowers that can be found in shades of green, purple, burgundy, and raspberry. The Zygopetalum orchid’s name is derived from the Greek word zygon, which means “yoked petal” and refers to the Zygopetalum flower with its yoke-like growth at…
Vanilla orchid –Vanilla planifolia (Vanilla Vine)Care Guide The Vanilla orchid’s natural habitat is in the neo tropics and includes areas such as Mexico, Guatemala, and tropical Asia, New Guinea and West Africa and other parts of Central America. Vanilla is well-known to most people and is arguably the world’s most popular spice. The orchid plant itself is a climbing orchid and sometimes also a vine and belongs to the Orchidacea family. The Vanilla orchid…
Growing Vanda Orchids The Vanda Orchid is not very different from the Ascocenda orchid and the Phalaenopsis orchid or the Moth Orchid as it is fondly thought of. All these orchid species are totally tropical. The Vanda orchids are no more difficult to grow than other orchids, but they do have special cultural needs if you want to bring out the best in this orchid species….
Growing Paphiopedilum Orchid or Lady Slipper Orchid Paphiopedilum orchids are one of the best orchid species to cultivate under artificial lighting. They are superb as house plants with their long lasting orchid flowers on their elegant stems. There are many spectacular hybrids available, and are about 60 species from tropical Asia extending through to India, the Solomon Islands, and New Guinea. Paphiopedilum orchids come in…
Growing Oncidium orchids The Oncidium orchid is also known as the golden shower orchid, and in some areas people also refer to the Oncidium orchid as the Dancing Lady Orchid because the Oncidium orchid flowers resemble dancing ladies. This is an extraordinarily large and diverse New World genus with an equally diverse number of habitats. Oncidium orchids occur naturally throughout the American Tropics from Florida to Argentina. This obviously makes cultural generalizations difficult….
Growing Miltoniopsis orchids The genus Miltoniopsis was established by Godefroy-Lebeuf in 1889 in honor of Fitzwilliam and Milton. The Miltoniopsis orchids are intermediate climate orchids. This means that they can be warm-growing orchids as well as cooler-growing orchids. Although the Miltonia orchids and Miltoniopsis orchids are similar, the distinction between the two is made by referring to the Miltonia orchids as the warmer-growing orchids which come from Brazil, and the Miltoniopsis orchids as the cooler-growing orchids which come from Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. It is…