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By Sandy, on April 17th, 2010
From the basic garden kneeling pad that simply is a piece of cushion to the latest garden kneelers that are ergonomically designed with easy-to-clean, water-resistant folding seat and kneeler, there are many different designs of garden kneeling pad available in the market. And before we begin to search for the perfect garden tools for our kneeling tasks in our garden, we should clearly know our needs in order to select the piece of garden kneeler that work best for us.
Basic Garden Kneeling Pad
 A basic garden kneeling pad is simply a pad designed to keep a gardener’s knees in comfort while she/he kneels in the garden for a prolonged period of weeding and other gardening work. These cushions are usually very light in weight and have a handle cut into the cushion that makes them easy to be carried or attached to our garden tool boxes. These garden kneeling pads are usually water resistant and available in bright colors. Due to the shape, size, and material these garden kneeling pads use, they look very much like a swimming float indeed. Continue reading A Garden Kneeling Pad, a Modern Garden Kneeler, or Garden Knee Pads?
By Sandy, on April 13th, 2010
 Garden kneeler is not just a fancy gardening tool, but a must-have for all gardeners, especially for those who work four to six hours a day that requires constant kneeling and squatting. A common misconception is that this garden kneeler is designed only for the elderly. But in fact, garden kneeler is a good . . . → Read More: The Importance of a Garden Kneeler
By Sandy, on April 12th, 2010
 A proper set of garden tools can make our gardening experience from a difficult, discouraging one to a fruitful, rewarding gardening experience. Similar to other pastime, it is important to have the right gardening tools for the job. This doesn’t mean that we have to buy a whole set of gardening tools at great expense. Yet, there are some basic tools that most gardeners should have.
Spade and Shovel
Some gardening beginners may not know the difference between a spade and a shovel (or is this only me?). The difference between a spade and a shovel is that a spade is best used to dig into and break up soil, while a shovel is meant to pick up and move loose material. Larger spades have space for our foot to bear down.
 
 Trowel
A garden trowel is a garden hand tool designed for small jobs like transplanting, digging holes, and mixing soil. Garden trowels come in a wide variety of styles and sizes, and many gardeners like to keep a few garden trowels of different sizes in order to be prepared for any job. Since we will use a garden trowel often, find those that feel natural in your hand.
Continue reading Basic Garden Tools for Starting a Garden
By Sandy, on April 8th, 2010
 In his talk, Kamal Meattle shows how an arrangement of three common houseplants – Areca Palm, Mother-in-law’s Tongue, and Money Plant – can result in measurably cleaner indoor air.
While I find this talk interesting, I have quite a few questions about the numbers that the speaker gives. Kamal Meattle claims that “we . . . → Read More: How to Grow Your Own Fresh Air
By Sandy, on March 25th, 2010
Hippeastrum (aka Barbados Lily, 朱頂蘭 in Chinese) is often been mistaken as Amaryllis.
Hippeastrum is a hardy plant. The flowers of Hippeastrum are red and pink and often striped with various amounts of white. Some hippeastrums have yellow, white, orange or pale green flowers. The flowers only appear for 2-3 weeks and they are unscented. With large rewards of big and beautiful flowers for little efforts, I always enjoy growing Hippeastrums. Continue reading Growing Hippeastrum
By Sandy, on March 15th, 2010
 Chinese love to decorate their homes with Narcissus (Chinese Sacred Lily in particular) during Chinese New Year. The beautiful white Narcissus flowers with orange cups blossom around 7-14 days, and when they bloom, they send out a very sweet fragrance.
Continue reading Have Our Narcissus Blossoms at the Right Time
By Sandy, on February 15th, 2010
 
Since Narcissus flower blooms around lunar January, it is one of the most associated flowers with the Chinese New Year. The Chinese like to decorate their homes with this beautiful white Narcissus flower and wait in anticipation of its blossom, which symbolizes good luck and prosperity for the coming year. In addition, Narcissus has one of the sweetest fragrances! Continue reading Narcissus Blossom – An Important Symbol in Chinese New Year
By Sandy, on January 8th, 2010
Have you ever bought a Spider Plant (aka Airplane Plant, botanical name: Chlorophytum comosum) that just never grows “baby spiders”, or runners, no matter how well you take care of it? Instead of questioning your method of watering or fertilizing your Spider Plant, may be first of all, you should examine your plant and check whether or not it really is a Spider Plant! Because instead of a Spider Plant, it could be a Bichetii Grass.
Bichetii Grass (aka False Lily Turf, Siam Lily, botanical name: Chlorophytum bichetii) is in the same genus as Spider Plant, a very common variegated form of Chlorophytum laxum. Continue reading Is It Really a Spider Plant? Or a Bichetii Grass?
By Sandy, on September 17th, 2009
We, women, sometimes complain that men only care about food and sex but nothing else (okay, also football games and gadgets). While it can be quite frustrating and disappointing sometimes, we can also try to be more sympathetic, and understand that these poor guys can really do nothing but try to meet their human biological needs. Food, sex, water and air are the four very basic biological needs that the survival of human race will become impossible if any one of these needs is not met.
It is just part of the nature. All animals know these biological needs, as well as all insects. And apparently, even orchids know this very well too. Indeed, the orchids understand this so well that the plants use these biological needs to lure different insects to work for them for free! Continue reading It’s Always about Food & Sex
By Sandy, on July 18th, 2009
Recently, I have noticed that my Episcia (aka Flame Violet) often folds up its top pair of leaves when the night comes. The leaves are near the horizontal during the day and close to the vertical at night. And while sometimes the pair of leaves moves just slightly, pointing to the ceiling, there are times the leaves fold up so tightly, sticking against each other with hardly any gap in between.
As ignorant as I may sound, at first, I suspected that this movement of the leaves of my Episcia was due to insufficient sunlight (it had been rainy and gloomy for over a week). So, to keep my Episcia “open” at night, I put my plant under artificial light for around 14 hours per day for several days. However, the artificial light didn’t help at all. The top pair of leaves closes at night regardless of the amount of light there is during the day.
 
My baby Flame Violet, which I have propagated a while ago, also has its own circadian rhythms.
Continue reading Our Plants Need to Sleep Too!
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