The last Root Awakening column for Year 2008 was published today in Straits Times Life! In it, Lily’s talk on growing hoyas have been mentioned too. Members of the public can now have a chance to find out more about this delightful group of flowering and fragrant plants.
This week, answers to three questions were provided. The first was about the recommendation of plants for the office while the later two were on edible plants.
It is a good thing if one has a working desk near a sunny window in an air-con office. The sunshine that shines in offers a multitude of selection of plants that can be grown. One should take advantage of the lower temperatures to grow some temperate or subtropical flowering plants. Even at a temperature of 25 deg C in a typical office, one can grow African violets, fuschias and pelargoniums quite well. These plants are flowering plants that provide a colourful working environment via the wide colour pallete of their flowers.
The next question was about the growing of chilli plants in a high-rise apartment. Chillis are sun-loving plants and one has to be able to provide at least 4 to 6 hours of direct sunshine to have healthy and rewarding plants. It is best to locate them in an Eastern or Western location in the house where direct sunshine is available. Watch the number of hours that the sun shines in as architectural features of the apartment, such as overhangs at the windows, can shorten the duration.
The last question pertained to leaf miners which are relatively common pests in citrus and various shrubs grown outdoors. Usually the infestation is minor and one can just physically remove the infested leaves and throw them away accordingly, without having to resort to the use of chemicals.
