Dracaenas are among my favorite houseplants.  They can be small enough to sit on a table or 7ft. trees large enough to take the place of a piece of furniture.  Even the least experienced plant enthusiast can successfully grow dracaena plants. Dracaenas thrive on neglect, grow well in low light, and need very little water. They are also excellent plants for cleaning the air, removing such harmful toxins as benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene.

Dracaena Janet Craig

Dracaena Janet Craig: A dracaena janet craig has sword- shaped, leathery, dark green, shiny leaves that are about 3” wide and 2ft. in length. This plant can be used as a table plant, bushy floor plant, or as a beautiful tall  tree. Read more about Dracaena Janet Craig houseplants and how to care for them at:

https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/how-to-grow-a-dracaena-janet-craig-plant-care-guide

Draceana massangeana Dracaena corn plant

Dracaena Massangeana (Corn Plant Dracaena): The corn plant dracaena is especially popular because of its long, graceful, green leaves that have a pale yellow and light green stripe running down the center. When small dracaena corn plants can sit on a table, but their claim to fame is as a stately cane plant growing up to 10-12 feet tall. Read more about a dracaena massangeana and how to care for it at:

https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/how-to-grow-care-for-a-dracaena-massangeana-corn-plant

Dracaena lemon lime

Dracaena lemon lime:  A dracaena lemon lime has 12”-24” long, sword-shaped leaves with bright green and yellow stripes. Like other dracaenas, the leaves of a dracaena lemon lime are arranged in a rosette and grow off a very thick stem. Read more about dracaena lemon lime houseplants and how to care for them at:

https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/dracaena-lemon-lime-how-to-grow-care-striped-dracaena

Dracaena janet craig compacta

The dracaena compacta is a really close relative of the dracaena janet craig, but quite different in appearance. The dracaena compacta plant has a thick green stem and several clumps of short, dark green leaves, 2″-4″ in length. It’s a beautiful addition to homes or offices, but it is a bit more difficult to grow and a bit more expensive than other dracaenas. Read more about a dracaena compacta and how to care for them at:

https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/how-to-grow-a-dracaena-compacta-plant-care-guide

Dracaena Reflexa (Pleomele)

All varieties of a dracaena reflexa have short, narrow, pointed leaves that are spirally arranged on the stem and tufted at the ends of branches. The regular dracaena reflexa, or pleomele, has dark green leaves. The dracaena reflexa, Song of India, has yellow stripes on the leaves, while the dracaena reflexa, Song of Jamaica, has off -white stripes on the leaves. You learn how to grow and care for a dracaena reflex at:

https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/how-to-grow-care-for-a-dracaena-reflexa-pleomele-care-guide

Dracaena Marginata (Madagascar dragon tree)

A dracaena marginata  can be used as a table plant, but they are really impressive as tall trees with multiple canes and hundreds of long, thin, green leaves trimmed in dark red. The canes are often thick, twisted, and woody, making them a desirable and expensive “specimen” plant. Read more about growing and caring for a dracaena marinate at:

https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/dracaena-marginata-how-to-grow-care-dragon-tree

Dracaena Warneki

Sometimes referred to as a “striped dracaena”, the dracaena warnekii has long, pointed, narrow green and white striped leaves and can be used as a table plant, bushy floor plant, or tall cane plant for home and office. A dracaena warnekii is one of the few colorful indoor plants that can survive in low lightWhen you select “Low Light” a list of the most adaptive plants in our database appears. These plants can live in lighting conditions too low to support any other plants in our database, but will grow faster in medium and high light. Variegation (color) in the leaves is often lost in low light. A plant in low light needs less water and fertilizer than the same plant in better light. Place a low-light plant within 2-3 ft. of a window with a northern exposure, 3-5 ft. of a window with an eastern exposure, 4-10 ft. of a window with a western exposure, and 10-18ft. of a window with a southern exposure. A low light area has between 50-150 ft. candles of light. The best low light house plants are: Chinese Evergreen, Dracaena Janet Craig, Peace Lily, Heart leaf Philodendron. if you are careful with your water. Learn more about growing and caring for a dracaena warneki at:

https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/dracaena-warnekii-how-to-grow-care-guide-striped-dracaena

Once the lovely flowers of an Easter Lily have died, most people don’t know what to do with the plant. Keeping an Easter Lily as a houseplant is not an option. It needs to be planted outside as soon as the weather is warm enough. If you have to keep it indoors until the temperatures rise, place your Easter Lily in a sunny window and water it when the soil is slightly dry.

When you’re ready to move your Easter Lily outside, remove the Easter Lily from its pot, gently loosen the roots, and find a bright sunny spot in your garden to plant it. An Easter Lily is a bulb plant. Plant the bulb a few inches deeper than it was planted in the pot and cover it with soil. Water your Easter Lily Plant well and feed it with an all-purpose plant food. Continue watering and feeding your Easter Lily along with all of your other outdoor plants. Don’t be alarmed when the remaining green leaves and stems of you Easter Lily wither and die. Around July or August, your Easter Lily will send out new growth. A newly planted Easter Lily doesn’t usually bloom the first year; but the following summer it should produce some beautiful lilies.

If the winters are mild where you live, you can leave the bulbs alone while they are dormant. If your winters get quite cold, be sure to cover your Easter Lily bulbs with about 4” of mulch or dig them up and store them indoors in a cool dark area until spring.

What could be better than beautiful blooming Houseplant BulbsA bulb is that part of a plant that contains the tender shoots of a new plant. Many flowering plants such as tulips, hyacinths, and lilies are propagated by bulbs. The energy a new plant needs to develop is stored in the bulbs. There is a large variation in the size of houseplant bulbs. They can be as small as a pea or as large as 15 pounds (7 kg).  Plants that develop from bulbs produce leaves and flowers each season, then gradually die back and go dormant for a few months. During this dormancy or resting period, the plant stores the nutrients that will help it bloom again the following year. Bulbs can be forced to bloom almost any time indoors, brightening up your house during the cold winter months. to brighten your home and office this winter? If your flowering plant bulbs have been resting in a cool area for at least 12-15 weeks, it’s time to plant them. The longer the plant bulbs have been “resting” the larger the plants will be. Plant bulbs that have been dormant in a cold area for less than 12 weeks, produce small plants that may not bloom.

Lily of the Valley Plant

If you are buying new plant bulbs, they can be planted any clean clay or plastic pot that has drip holes in the bottom. Plastic pots do not dry out as quickly and they are much lighter to handle than clay pots. I like to make a soil mixture for my winter bulb plants using one part sand, two parts peat moss, and one part garden loam. You can fit 3 hyacinth bulbs, 15 crocus bulbs, 6 daffodil bulbs, or 6 tulip bulbs in a pot with a 6” diameter. Always buy large, good quality bulbs. Never select a flower bulb that is soft or has started to sprout. The quality of the bulb is extremely important because it contains the food needed for the flowering plant to eventually grow.

Place your pots of flower bulbs in a bright, cool area (50-60 degrees), water well, and feed with an all purpose plant food at ½ the recommended strength. Once leaves and buds appear, move the containers of bulbs to a warmer, brighter location (65-75 degrees). Never put them in the direct sun. Keep the soil damp but not soggy.

Once the flowers have died, plant the bulbs outside in your garden or store them in a cool place to be used again next year.

After paying all that money for an Amaryllis plant or Amaryllis bulbs this year, who wouldn’t want them to bloom again next year. Follow these simple instructions and that is just what will happen.

Amaryllis Plant Flowers

1. Cut the old flowers from the stem when they fade.

2. When the stem starts to sag, cut it back to the top of the bulb.

3. Continue to water and fertilize all summer or at least 5-6 months.

4. Allow the leaves to fully develop and grow. The leaves nourish the bulb and help it produce large flowers next year.

5. When the leaves begin to yellow, usually in the early fall, cut the plant back to about 2” from the top of the bulb

6. Now is the time to remove the bulb from the soil.

7. Clean the bulb and place it in a cool dark place (40-50 degrees) for a minimum  of six weeks. The refrigerator will work only if it does not contain apples. Apples will sterilize the bulbs and they’ll never produce another flower.

8. After six weeks replant the bulbs. Plant the bulbs about eight weeks before you want them to bloom for the holidays.

Late Winter/Early Spring

Poinsettias have long-lasting blooms so their colorful bracts (flowers) remain showy for several months. During this time, side shoots develop below the bracts. To have a well-shaped plant the following year, cut each of the old flowering stems or branches back so that they are about 4″-6″tall. Leave one to three leaves on each of the old stems; new growth comes from buds located in the leaf axils along these stems. Cutting the plant back in February or early March helps the buds grow and develop.  Keep your Poinsettia in a sunny area where the temperature is between 60° and 70°and fertilize every 2 weeks.

Late Spring and Summer

Between July and the first week in August prune all the stems to about 4 inches inheight, leaving one to three leaves on each stem.

Fall

In order for the Poinsettia bracts to turn color again, the plant must be kept in complete darkness for 12-15 hours from the end of September until color shows in the bracts in early to mid-December. The temperature should remain between 60° and 70°. Night temperatures above 70° to 75° may delay or prevent the plant from turning color. Hopefully you’ll have a beautiful plant in time for Christmas.

We’ve all seen the poinsettias arrive at grocery stores, garden centers, Costco and Sam’s Club looking absolutely beautiful and then, a few days later, looking like they needed to be thrown out. This isn’t because they’ve been neglected, it’s because they’ve been over-watered and are not getting enough light. Poinsettias are part of the Euphorbia family and their leaves should become soft and droop a little before you water them. The green leaves fall off from too much water and then you’re left with an ugly bare stem that has a few red bracts on the top. If your poinsettias already look like this, go outside and cut a few small branches off of a fir or pine tree and fill in the bottom of the plant.

Follow these simple care instructions, and you’ll have lovely poinsettias into January.

Poinsettias need very bright indirect light but no direct sun. The light from a north-facing window is not adequate. If you place your plant close to a window, be sure none of the leaves touch the glass since the cold damages poinsettias.

Allow at least the top 50% of the soil to dry out before watering to prevent root rot, green leaves falling off, and bare stems. Severe under-watering, when the plant badly droops, causes both green and colored leaves to fall off.  Water drops on the leaves makes unsightly white marks.

Poinsettias last longer and look better when the temperature is between 65-70 degrees during the day and about 60 degrees at night. Temperatures that are too hot or too cold damage the leaves and can also cause leaf drop. Keep Poinsettias away from drafty doors and windows, fireplaces, heaters, and the tops of appliances that give off heat.

Poinsettias, despite all rumors, are not poisonousPlants are a great addition to homes and offices, but it’s important to know whether your plants are dangerous to children, pets, or even adults. Some plants contain chemicals such as oxalates, solanine, glycosides, or alkaloid lycorine that may cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, swelling and redness of the mouth, throat, and lips, and trouble breathing. Touching parts of certain plants, especially the sap, may cause various skin irritations. The weight and age of the human or pet involved, and the part and amount of plant eaten determine how severe the reaction to the toxins will be. Although plants may be listed as non-toxic, they can still cause individual allergic reactions. If there is any question after a houseplant has been ingested or touched immediately call the Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222 The Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants [Paperback]is an excellent reference to keep around if you have young children and pets., though themilky sap of the plant may cause minor skin irritations, especially for people who are allergic to latex.

Christmas trees such as firs, pines, and cedar are mildly poisonousPlants are a great addition to homes and offices, but it’s important to know whether your plants are dangerous to children, pets, or even adults. Some plants contain chemicals such as oxalates, solanine, glycosides, or alkaloid lycorine that may cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, swelling and redness of the mouth, throat, and lips, and trouble breathing. Touching parts of certain plants, especially the sap, may cause various skin irritations. The weight and age of the human or pet involved, and the part and amount of plant eaten determine how severe the reaction to the toxins will be. Although plants may be listed as non-toxic, they can still cause individual allergic reactions. If there is any question after a houseplant has been ingested or touched immediately call the Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222 The Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants [Paperback]is an excellent reference to keep around if you have young children and pets., sometimes causing drooling in pets and vomiting in children. The good news is that a child or pet would have to eat quite a bit to become sick and people and pets usually don’t like to eat Christmas trees.  The toxicity of the tree may be increased if it has been sprayed with a fire retardant.

Although the oil from Christmas trees can irritate the mouth and skin, the real concern is that if a small child or pet eats only a few needlesLeaves that are slender, narrow, and do not have a leaf blade are called needles., which are almost impossible to digest, the needlesLeaves that are slender, narrow, and do not have a leaf blade are called needles. could puncture or obstruct part of their intestinal tract.

Eating parts of an artificial tree is also dangerous since there can be toxins in the tree material and pieces of the tree can cause intestinal obstructions.

Another thing we tend to forget is the water the tree is sitting in to keep it looking fresh. This water may contain preservatives, pesticides, fertilizerPlants need fertilizer only when they are actively growing. Slow growing plants in low light require very little plant food. Too much fertilizer is worse than not enough. Most plants prefer a water soluble plant food at 1/2 the recommended strength. Plants that are in bloom or dormant should not be fertilized. Houseplant food contains nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). A fertilizer containing these elements in equal proportion is considered a balanced plant food. Nitrogen helps in photosynthesis and encourages the growth of leaves and stems. Potassium and phosphorus also help in photosynthesis and aid in root and flower development. Most fertilizers have trace elements of other minerals that are lacking in the soil but are necessary for good plant growth. Fertilizers have a high salt content. If a plant is not producing new leaves and doesn’t absorb the fertilizer, salts build up in the soil. These salts can burn the roots, discolor the leaves, and cause new growth to be small.  s, or some people even put aspirin into it. Cover the water dish so that cats and dogs don’t drink from it and small children don’t play in it.

Stay safe this Christmas, keep pets and small children away from holiday plants and trees!

The old tradition of kissing under the mistletoe has been around for a very long time, and the temptation for a small child or pet to munch one of the pretty red berries is always there. So is mistletoe really poisonousPlants are a great addition to homes and offices, but it’s important to know whether your plants are dangerous to children, pets, or even adults. Some plants contain chemicals such as oxalates, solanine, glycosides, or alkaloid lycorine that may cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, swelling and redness of the mouth, throat, and lips, and trouble breathing. Touching parts of certain plants, especially the sap, may cause various skin irritations. The weight and age of the human or pet involved, and the part and amount of plant eaten determine how severe the reaction to the toxins will be. Although plants may be listed as non-toxic, they can still cause individual allergic reactions. If there is any question after a houseplant has been ingested or touched immediately call the Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222 The Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants [Paperback]is an excellent reference to keep around if you have young children and pets. or is it just an old wives tale? The truth is that it really depends on the variety of mistletoe that you have and what part is eaten. Since the side effects of eating mistletoe, such as nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, and diarrhea, can be very serious; and since we are really never sure what type of mistletoe we have, always keep mistletoe away from children and pets. The poisonousPlants are a great addition to homes and offices, but it’s important to know whether your plants are dangerous to children, pets, or even adults. Some plants contain chemicals such as oxalates, solanine, glycosides, or alkaloid lycorine that may cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, swelling and redness of the mouth, throat, and lips, and trouble breathing. Touching parts of certain plants, especially the sap, may cause various skin irritations. The weight and age of the human or pet involved, and the part and amount of plant eaten determine how severe the reaction to the toxins will be. Although plants may be listed as non-toxic, they can still cause individual allergic reactions. If there is any question after a houseplant has been ingested or touched immediately call the Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222 The Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants [Paperback]is an excellent reference to keep around if you have young children and pets. ingredient, Phoratoxin, is found in all parts of the plant, but especially in the leaves. If any part of mistletoe is ingested immediately call:

American Association of Poison Control Centers

                                    1-800-222-1222

Poinsettias, with all their new colors and shapes make wonderful cut flowers if you just follow a few simple rules. 1. Cut some poinsettia stems with colorful bracts. The bracts are what most people refer to as the flowers of the plant. Think before you cut, so you won’t have to cut the stems a second time, you’ll see why in a second. 2. As soon as you cut the stems, singe the cut ends with a candle or long match to stop the sap from dripping out.  Poinsettia stems and leaves excrete this milky sap when cut or damaged in any way. If you don’t stop the sap from dripping out, the poinsettia cutting quickly droops and fades. The sap isn’t poisonousPlants are a great addition to homes and offices, but it’s important to know whether your plants are dangerous to children, pets, or even adults. Some plants contain chemicals such as oxalates, solanine, glycosides, or alkaloid lycorine that may cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, swelling and redness of the mouth, throat, and lips, and trouble breathing. Touching parts of certain plants, especially the sap, may cause various skin irritations. The weight and age of the human or pet involved, and the part and amount of plant eaten determine how severe the reaction to the toxins will be. Although plants may be listed as non-toxic, they can still cause individual allergic reactions. If there is any question after a houseplant has been ingested or touched immediately call the Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222 The Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants [Paperback]is an excellent reference to keep around if you have young children and pets., but is very irritating if it gets on your skin, so be sure to wear gloves. If you have to re-cut the stems at a later time because they’re too tall for the arrangement, you’ll have to singe the cut ends again. 3. The poinsettia flowers are now ready to be placed in a vase of water. Be creative, add some evergreen branches and some berries. Don’t just stick with red or white flowers, try some of the new colors like marble, jingle bells, salmon, and pink. The new Winter Rose poinsettia has  a very different flower that resembles a large, open rose. 4. Cut poinsettias that have had their cut ends singed properly can often last up to two weeks in a cut flower arrangement.

Most plants grow very slowly during the winter months some even become dormant. They have very different care requirements when days are short and the weather is cold

LESS is the word to remember. Since there is less growth, less light, and less humidity, plants need less water and less plant food.

Light: During the winter, the sun is lower in the sky and light coming through the windows can be up to 50% less than the light during spring and summer months. Plants near a northern or eastern facing window may need to be moved to a southern or western facing window. If possible, move all of your plants closer to windows. Keep plant leaves dust free so they can absorb as much light as possible, and, if necessary, add fluorescent bulbs to provide an additional light source.

Water: Over-watering is the main reason houseplants die during the winter. When not actively growing, houseplants need to practically dry out before being watered. Checking for moisture on the surface of the plant isn’t enough. You need to find out how wet the soil is near the roots. One way to do this by lifting the plant right after you’ve watered and feeling how heavy it is. When the soil is dry, the pot will be much lighter. I like to check the soil by getting my fingers dirty and sticking them into the soil as far as possible. Sometimes I use a long pencil to carefully dig a hole deep into the soil, being careful to avoid damaging the roots. If it comes out with wet soil stuck to it, I know the plant doesn’t need water. It’s like using a toothpick to test if a cake is done. Ferns are the exception; they need to stay moist even in winter.

fertilizerPlants need fertilizer only when they are actively growing. Slow growing plants in low light require very little plant food. Too much fertilizer is worse than not enough. Most plants prefer a water soluble plant food at 1/2 the recommended strength. Plants that are in bloom or dormant should not be fertilized. Houseplant food contains nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). A fertilizer containing these elements in equal proportion is considered a balanced plant food. Nitrogen helps in photosynthesis and encourages the growth of leaves and stems. Potassium and phosphorus also help in photosynthesis and aid in root and flower development. Most fertilizers have trace elements of other minerals that are lacking in the soil but are necessary for good plant growth. Fertilizers have a high salt content. If a plant is not producing new leaves and doesn’t absorb the fertilizer, salts build up in the soil. These salts can burn the roots, discolor the leaves, and cause new growth to be small.  : Houseplants need plant food only when they are producing new leaves. When you feed plants that aren’t growing, the fertilizerPlants need fertilizer only when they are actively growing. Slow growing plants in low light require very little plant food. Too much fertilizer is worse than not enough. Most plants prefer a water soluble plant food at 1/2 the recommended strength. Plants that are in bloom or dormant should not be fertilized. Houseplant food contains nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). A fertilizer containing these elements in equal proportion is considered a balanced plant food. Nitrogen helps in photosynthesis and encourages the growth of leaves and stems. Potassium and phosphorus also help in photosynthesis and aid in root and flower development. Most fertilizers have trace elements of other minerals that are lacking in the soil but are necessary for good plant growth. Fertilizers have a high salt content. If a plant is not producing new leaves and doesn’t absorb the fertilizer, salts build up in the soil. These salts can burn the roots, discolor the leaves, and cause new growth to be small.   is not absorbed. As the salts in the plant food build up in the soil, they cause ugly brown tips on your plants.

Humidity: Due to the heat used during the winter, relative humidity in our homes and offices is reduced to only 10-15%.  Houseplants prefer 40-50% relative humidity. When the humidity is too low, plants develop brown leaf tips and often get infested with a Plant PestLearn how to identify and treat the plant pest called Whitefly at https://www.houseplant411.com/glossary/whitefly-plant-pests called spider mitesLearn how to identify and treat Spider Mites on plants. This sucking plant pest causes yellow blotchy leaves with a red haze and a gritty feel to them.. There are several ways to increase the humidity. Group plants together to create a mini greenhouse effect. Place a small humidifier in the room. Set your plant on a wet pebble tray. This is simply a shallow dish lined with small rocks or pebbles. Keep the water just below the pebbles so that the plant never sits in the water. As the water evaporates it increases the humidity in the air. Refill the water as needed.
Pruning: By pinching back stem tips during the winter, you’ll be rewarded with lots of new growth and a bushy plant in the spring.

See pictures and learn more about identifying and caring for your plants in the Popular Houseplant section of the website. Use the Plant Wizard to select the right plants for a specific location. Send your houseplant questions to Ask Judy; please include a picture if possible.

Please keep Poisonous HouseplantsIn her new book, Don’t Feed Me to Your Cat!, plant care professional Judy Feldstein shares information about twenty-five common houseplants, each with various levels of toxicity, and the possible consequences if your pet or child snacks on them. away from small children, cats, dogs, birds, and other pets. See pictures and learn more about Poisonous HouseplantsIn her new book, Don’t Feed Me to Your Cat!, plant care professional Judy Feldstein shares information about twenty-five common houseplants, each with various levels of toxicity, and the possible consequences if your pet or child snacks on them. in
Don’t Feed Me to Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous HousePlants
Keep this information handy as a quick reference not only for yourself but for babysitters and pet sitters as well.