When they’re unusually pale (The plant is: Hungry) “You should perhaps provide more frequent fertilizer,” For instance, if you noticed the leaves of plants looking pale, it might need more iron. You can transfer the plant to a larger container when you spot paleness. But the promotions should be gradual. You can increase the container size by two inches at a time. If the plant is already in a large pot, consider utilizing your used coffee grounds to feed your plants. They’re best at the nourishing soil. When they’re brown and crunchy (The plant is: Thirsty) Give your plants a new chance on life by watering until the soil is moist, but not overflowing. There’s often an interval between the problem at hand and the leaves changing colour. But that doesn’t mean you can’t fix the issue. As soon as you notice crispy leaves, begin using this watering method. Also, don’t discard your used tea bags and place them on top of the plant’s soil. This will help your plant absorb nutrients more readily. When they’re misshapen or discoloured (The plant is: Drowning with excess watering) “Overdoing on watering is the number one killer of houseplants,” It’s not just a heavy-handed approach to the watering can that does it either. Check to make sure that your plant pot has satisfactory drainage. A re-purposed vessel that doesn’t have holes in the bottom might mean too much water is holed up inside. Once the plant is repotted into a better ventilated pot, with holes at the bottom, just add water at decent rates and make sure you watch the plant to see any developments. Improvements should be seen in 1-2 weeks. When the leaves are absent (The plant is: Malnourished) “Plants won’t put out new growth if their diet and water needs aren’t met,” If your plant has lost leaves in the past few weeks and the stems look frail, you need to water your plant more often. If a plant hasn’t changed much after repotted growth since you bought it, you might need to water it more diligently. Consider making holes in your clay pot as this allows better aeration, leaving the pot to sit in a dish to catch the overflow and allow the roots to absorb the extra water when needed. When they’re yellow on the edges (The plant is: Over watered or has damaged roots) The sudden yellowing look is the sign of overwatering. “Watering less frequently but don’t withhold water entirely”Obviously, your plant still needs a drink, but it doesn’t need to be swamped with water. The yellowing could also result from damaged roots … roots that are compacted too tightly in the container or nutrient deficiencies. These things can be corrected by either re potting with the help of a gardener if the pot is too big or adding fertilizer. When they’re leaning to the side (The plant is: Desperate for some sunlight） Just like how office workers get cranky and irritable from a lack of natural light, so do sun-loving plants. It is recommended to relocate the pot to a sunny window if your plant seems to be changing the direction of its growth to the side, or maybe re-plant it outdoors if you have space. When they’re developing holes in them (The plant is: Infested by pests or insects) If you notice sudden holes on leaves or if they’re turning yellow despite adequate watering and fertilizer, you might want to look for some sort of pest infestation. Different bugs like different plants and if your leaves look damaged, you might have some bugs on the plant causing this mutilation. There are insecticides that are safe to use on houseplants to get rid of infestations. Neem oil or leaves are one of the safest insecticides to use and will not harm you, your children or your pets. read more

When plants reside Indoor, not only they make the environment more comfortable, they also improve air quality and increase the amount of oxygen in the room. But, plants don’t always do as well as we would like, even if you try really hard to take care of them & watering them regularly, they still look sad and wilted. Sound familiar? Parasites and pests are normally taking the blame, but they’re not always easy to spot with our naked eye. There are some people resort to chemicals, but then, it could end up damaging the plants even more 🙁 Fortunately, there is a very simple trick that can improve the appearance of your plants quickly. Forget about the aggressive chemical products. All you need is a simple, easy to find box of matches. Take some of them and stick them in the dirt surrounding the plant. Make sure you bury the head of the match in the soil. Your plant will recover quickly. The reason is in the head of the matches, more specifically of what they are made of. The phosphorus and the sulfur will get rid of the bugs in a safe and reliable way, and your plant will be able to breathe again. read more

Plants have a ton of benefits for office workers & indoor environment. – They can brighten up a drab cubicle – Make you happier & more productive just by looking at them – and even clean the air &etc… You are thinking of adding some living greenery to your dining room to dress it up a bit and give it a more natural, welcoming look and feel. Read on to see which plants are best for your desk/Office This chart lets you see at a glance which plants will grow in low light along with other helpful details. You will see which ones are easy to take care of, which make great screens to separate spaces in your home, and which can add nice colours or textures with their blossoms. You can save/print it out, so you’ll know exactly what plants you’re looking for your office/house! read more

Rocks and stones are natural resources; you can get them quite easily from your house areas. But after some D.I.Y decorative works, rocks can be the beautiful elements to your garden with little or no maintenance. Look at these 15 beautiful ideas of the D.I.Y rock gardens Source : theage.domain.com.au Source : craftsbyamanda.com Source : gardentherapy.ca Source : patiosdepot.com Source : youtube.com Source : lushome.com Source : goodshomedesign.com Source : harvestheart.tumblr.com Source : countrywomanmagazine.com Source : day2daysupermom.com Source : instructables.com Source : pietrevive.it Source : craftberrybush.com Source : hometalk.com Source : nelliebellie.com Start Your Own D.I.Y Rock Garden Today :> read more

With imagination, all you need is a broken pot, plants, and maybe some pieces of the broken pot to create an amazing miniature garden. You can also incorporating miniature houses, glass mushrooms, and colorful bird houses into the beautiful potted garden. These D.I.Y potted gardens are the perfect craft to fill up your next weekend. Below is Step-by-step photo on how to start a broken potted plant, reincorporating the broken pieces as an entirely new addition, including little steps made of planter-pieces. Be inspired by these photos of brilliant potted garden from broken pots Mixing and matching plants is a great way to add contrast and a story behind your fairy garden, but make sure that all of the plants you pick go to together. In other words, all plants should require the same amount of food, water, and sunshine. Otherwise, some plants will thrive and others will rapidly decline. Growing succulent plants is a smart idea because they don’t require tons of water and tend to be low maintenance. You can plant the garden any way you like, but as the flowers grow in and bloom they always add a unique touch. read more

These Wonderful Books To Read For Garden Lovers & Family this Christmas Season… 1. Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life by Marta McDowell, Publisher:Timber Press Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life is the 1st book to explore the origins of Beatrix Potter’s love of gardening and plants and show how this passion came to be reflected in her work. It begin with a gardener’s biography, highlighting the key moments and places throughout her life that helped define her, including her home Hill Top Farm in England’s Lake District. Next, the reader follows Beatrix Potter through a year in her garden, with a season-by-season overview of what is blooming that truly brings her gardens alive. The book culminates in a traveler’s guide, with information on how and where to visit Potter’s gardens today. Richly illustrated and filled with quotations from her books, letters, and journals, it is essential reading for all who know and cherish Beatrix Potter’s classic tales. 2. Complete Book Of Vegetables, Herbs & Fruit In “The Complete Book of Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruit, a dream team of top gardening experts provides for each plant: A history of the its origins and how it has traditionally been used; common, family, and Latin names; a wide-ranging list of species from which to choose, detailing size, leaf shape, form, and color; information on cultivation and propagation, pests and diseases; and harvesting and storage tips. The book explores all uses–“medicinal, culinary, cosmetic and domestic–“and features more than 600 recipes for enjoying your bounty.And Fruits 3. Contemporary Designers’ Own Gardens Contemporary Designers’ Own Gardens offers a rare opportunity to view twenty gardens not generally open to the public, each one owned and designed by a garden designer Contemporary Designers’ Own Gardens is an inspirational, informative and beautiful work, which will appeal to anyone who is interested in gardening, landscape architecture and garden design, be they a beginner or a professional. 4.  Elizabeth David on Vegetables Elizabeth David revolutionized British cooking, her recipes bringing the color and vibrancy of Mediterranean dishes to kitchens everywhere. This beautiful new cookbook marks the first time David’s beloved vegetable recipes have been collected in one volume and celebrates her lifetime’s cooking by featuring a range of delicious, timeless dishes filled with irresistible flavors and scents. 5. Gardening in Miniature: Create Your Own Tiny Living World The next garden trend combines the joy of gardening with the magic of miniatures. Gardening in Miniature is a complete guide to creating lush, living, small-scale gardens. It has everything you need to pick up this new hobby, including scaled down garden designs, techniques for creating tiny hardscapes, miniature garden care and maintenance, tips on choosing containers, how to buy the right plants, and where to find life-like accessories. Inspiring step-by-step projects feature basic skills that can be recreated in any number of designs, like a tiny patio, a trellis, a pond, and a secret garden. 6. RHS Botany for Gardeners This book makes for an extremely attractive and alluring package. If you have ever felt the urge to know exactly what a spadix or a corymb is, or what shape a panduriform leaf is, then the answer will be in here. It’s a beautifully illustrated and well-organised hardback, printed on buff-coloured paper to emphasise venerability and lasting value in spite of youth; it already looks and feels like a Victorian tome one might come across in the Lindley Library. As well as in-depth botanical summaries, there are sections on pruning and also biographical portraits of leading figures in the field (literally). 7. RHS Chelsea Flower Show: A Centenary Celebration Chelsea Flower Show is an annual, world famous and well-loved horticultural and social event. In May 2013 Chelsea celebrates its hundredth birthday. This book will be the essential centenary souvenir, and an enduring look at what makes Chelsea special. 8. The Gardens of Venice The Gardens of Venice and the Veneto takes in a varied selection of gardens old and new, large and small, public and private. It ranges from tiny monastery gardens tucked away within the walls of Venice to grand palatial landscapes in the former marshes of the hinterland. The book is divided into five sections as well as a lively introduction which captures the rich history of this region. The first section will show the extraordinary gardens still to be found locked behind high walls in the city itself.  9. The Manual of Seed Saving The Manual of Seed Saving is an authoritative guide from experts around the globe. Supported by research from the global conservation organizations Arche Noah and Pro Specie Rara, it features information on how to maximize seed quality and yield for more than 100 crop plants. It includes popular market plants like asparagus, carrots, corn, rhubarb, spinach, squash, and tomatoes. Plant profiles include critical information on pollination, isolation distances, cultivation, harvest, storage, and pests and diseases 10. The New English Garden The past ten to fifteen years has been an exceptionally rich period in English garden design, and for this book Tim Richardson has selected 25 gardens which have gone through an intense phase of creativity and innovation during this time span. The gardens chosen (most of which are open to the public), cover the wide range of styles flourishing in English garden design today and range from the Prince of Wales’s garden at Highgrove, through Trentham Gardens (a ‘Capability’ Brown landscape imaginatively reworked for the twentieth-century by Piet Oudolf, Tom Stuart-Smith and Dominic Cole), Arabella Lennox-Boyd’s own garden and ‘laboratory for design ideas’ at Gresgarth and Dan Pearson’s Gardener’s Cottage to Christopher Bradley-Hole’s Modernist garden at Crockmore House, Kim Wilkie’s astonishing Orpheus Landform, and Alasdair Ford’s truly original garden of sculptures and poetic inferences at Plaz Metaxu. read more

It is very hard for us to imagine life without air-conditioning we have become so dependent on it that we have forgotten how life used to be without it. Even our young children, if not babies, would complain when the air-conditioner is not switched on. There was always a dry and hot season in Malaysia. But how did our grandparents survive the heat back then? Turns out, the best way to keep cool in those days was through some clever home design. Traditional houses were very cleverly designed for thermal comfort. What were some of these traditional home designs? Let’s take a look: Roof design Traditional Malay houses had a double roof, with a gap between the top and bottom halves. These gaps, also known as ventilation joints provided airflow across the top of the house. Secondly, older homes had large roof overhangs to provide lots of shade to the veranda area. This allowed people to relax in front of their homes whether it was a sunny or rainy day. Stilts The method of building traditional Malay houses on stilts is another example of the clever design to reduce temperatures. Raising the house on stilts not only reduced damage from flooding, and intrusion from pests, it reduced the amount of humidity on the floor, making it more comfortable to sit. And, since the house is higher up, it gets more wind that would otherwise have been blocked by the surrounding vegetation. Even the improved airflow below the house contributed to reduced temperatures inside the house. High ceilings Another feature you may notice in older houses is their high ceilings. High ceilings allow hot air to rise above people so the room feels cooler to its occupants. They also provide more space for air to go around in a house and offer better ventilation. Air movement also exposes our skin to dryer air and helps us feel less humid in a room. In a modern home, homeowners can choose to remove their false or plaster ceiling entirely, exposing the wires and plumbing above. This immediately increases the ceiling height, allowing warm air to further rise to the top and away from the occupants. This industrial interior design style is getting popular, especially in cafes. Ceiling fans Ceiling fans are the more economic option to cool down a room. Before air-conditioners became common in Malaysian homes, ceiling fans were the best way to circulate air in the room and create an artificial breeze. The air movement evaporates moisture from the skin and makes you feel cooler in a room. However, note that if you want to install a ceiling fan, you will need a ceiling height of at least 9 feet. Otherwise, the fan will be too low, and will not have enough space above it to circulate the air in the room effectively. In such cases, it may be better to install one or more wall fans. Sun orientation The orientation of different rooms in your home can influence how hot they get during the day. Since the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, a North-facing room window will get an even amount of sunlight through the day. This is suitable for the living room. The kitchen may benefit from an East-facing room, to enjoy the morning sun during breakfast, but stay cool in the evening while preparing dinner. Air-bricks If the house is made of bricks and mortar, it can absorb heat and release it into the home. To reduce the temperature increase, that hot air needs to escape. Since hot air rises, many old homes would add bricks with ventilation holes just below their ceilings, above the windows and doors. These “air-bricks” allow warm air to escape from the house while cool fresh air flows in through openings in the lower areas. These exchanges ensure better ventilation within a house. Wall material Traditional houses were built with wood, bamboo and attap. All these materials have good thermal insulation. In other words, they don’t absorb heat, and cool quickly at night. This prevents heat from building up within the house. Of course, you would not be able to build your house out of bamboo or wood these days. The use of bricks and mortar and glass means that new homes need to find other ways of keeping the house cool. Inner courtyard Many old houses in Melaka & Penang are of Baba-Nyonya or Peranakan heritage. These houses adapted the traditional Chinese architecture of building an indoor courtyard in the middle of a house. The indoor courtyard is normally without the roof to provide natural lighting to the otherwise dark house, and serves as natural ventilation as it brings fresh air into the house. This design made the courtyard and its surrounding rooms and architecture feature brighter and cooler, especially during daytime. Air well A similar feature to the inner courtyard can be found in terrace houses. Since terrace houses do not have any windows or doors on the sides, an air well is built in the middle section of the house. Air wells in terrace houses may be covered for security and privacy reasons. The ceiling at the air well area is higher with windows that allow fresh air to flow into the house. With natural lighting from the windows, it helps the house to stay bright without having to switch on any lights during daytime. Greenery It is common to see tall trees, especially fruit trees like mango and rambutan trees, growing within the compound of old Malaysian houses. The relatively larger compound in older houses also made it easier for tall trees to be planted and grow within the compound of a house. Trees are natural air-conditioners in two ways. 1st. They provide shading to a house when they are planted at the right position and absorb heat gain from the sun. 2nd. Trees help reduce temperatures when water evaporates from the surface of the leaves. When water turns air into vapour in a process called evaporative cooling, it removes heat from the air. The evaporation from a single 5m-tall tree is equivalent to an air conditioner operating 24 hours a day. Greenery Plants https://www.plantsupply.com.my/products/palms-cycads/ https://www.plantsupply.com.my/products/trees/ https://www.plantsupply.com.my/products/shrubs/ https://www.plantsupply.com.my/products/climbers-ferns/ https://www.plantsupply.com.my/products/fruit-seedlings/ Cool home design: Many old techniques are still relevant today These days, we are seeing fewer of these features in modern houses and building for different reasons. However, they provide some good references for modern architecture design, especially for the construction of green sustainable buildings. Naturally, some methods, such as building your home on stilts, or building it out of bamboo and attap would not be possible today. But many techniques remain relevant and can be incorporated into the design of new homes for better energy efficiency. read more

Trees add a lot to the home landscape. Planting in the right location and practising proper tree maintenance such as pruning and watering is critical to the tree’s health. A shade tree is an investment in your home’s future and in the environment. A misplaced tree is doomed to a stressful and perhaps short life. A tree that outgrows its space can damage and endanger nearby structures. No matter what type of shade tree you choose, you need to consider the following: Here’s some advice on choosing, planting and caring for shade trees. Benefits of Shade Trees     Reduce heating and cooling costs both indoors and out.     Drop the temperature during the hot season.     Reduce heat reflected from paved areas.     Attract and sustain wildlife.     Convert CO2 to O2     Help prevent soil erosion.     Increase your property value.     Provide leaves for the compost. Choosing Shade Tree Location     Soil – Do a soil test and follow the recommendations. Urban areas often have shallow or compacted topsoil that needs amending.     Sun – How much sunlight does the site get? Most shade trees prefer full to partial sun. Check the plant tag for sunlight requirements.     Wind – Strong prevailing winds dry out the tree and the soil. Trees with dense foliage can be toppled by severe storms.     Space – How much space do you have? Plan for the tree’s size at maturity. The mature height and width should be on the plant tag. You can also check a plant guide for these key measurements. Remember the space needed for proper root growth. A tree’s roots can grow up to 3 times the diameter of the canopy. Consider your neighbours when choosing and planting – they might not enjoy raking leaves as much as you do. Don’t plant a shade tree too close to other trees. They’ll compete for water and nutrients and none of them will thrive.     Utilities – If you have wires overhead, your tree can only reach a maximum of 20 feet in height (maybe less) before interfering with utilities Shade Tree Consideration     Maintenance     Healthy shade trees require little maintenance other than occasional pruning and feeding. And of course, there’s the raking. A mature tree can produce a lot of leaves. Make sure you’re up to the challenge. Also keep in mind how you’ll be mowing around the tree. Unless you enjoy whacking your head every time you pass underneath it on a riding mower, look for a tree without low-hanging branches.     Appearance     Trees will mature into distinctive shapes. Make sure the tree fits the overall design of your landscape.     Planting     All of your thought and research when selecting a tree is worthless if it doesn’t grow. Make sure that you plant the tree correctly and get it off to a good start.     Pruning and Trimming     Lower branches help support the tree and trunk and provide balance. Cut sparingly or consult an expert before pruning anything other than dead wood. Don’t top trees – if your tree has overgrown its bounds there are alternatives to giving it a flat top. Crown reduction is a technique that allows the tree mass to be reduced without changing its natural shape or endangering its health. Again, consult an expert about these techniques.     Trimming Around Trunks     Avoid string trimmers unless you have a very steady hand. Even small wounds to the outer bark allow insects and disease inside. When the bark is stripped from around the trunk (called girdling), the tree eventually will die.     Grass underneath     sometimes trimming underneath a large shade tree is a non-issue since very often no grass will grow there anyway. The fact is, maintaining turfgrass under shade trees can be a challenge. When grass and trees compete for water, nutrients and sunlight, usually the trees win. If you insist on grass, there are shade-tolerant grass varieties available. The alternative is to make the area under the tree a turf-free area. Mulch 2-4 inches deep (more than 6 inches is too deep – water and air won’t get through). Keep the mulch 1-2 inches away from the trunk.     Feeding and Watering     Healthy trees generally don’t require much fertilizing. If you notice reduced growth, give them a feeding. Provide water regularly, but only if you’re able to water the tree deeply. Remember that a tree’s roots are normally in the top 6-12 inches of soil and any water or chemical (fertilizer or pesticide) will be absorbed by the tree. read more

Clumsy, neglected landscaping not only hurts your house appearance, it can cut the value of your property and make it harder to sell. Even more important, bad landscaping is a downer that hurts the way you see and enjoy your home. Don’t let bad landscaping happen to you.  Here are the 5 landscaping mistakes to avoid 1. Planting Without A Plan To come out with a landscaping design plan & also resolved some landscaping related challenged, landscape architects/designer are worth the investment. They will render elevations of your future yard, and provide plant lists so you can install landscaping yourself. 2. More of the Same Resist the design temptation to fill your garden areas only with your favorite plant or shrub, because it will create a boring, monochromatic landscape. Always design your landscape by following with a theme or two likes: Balinese style, Contemporary design, Japanese-style design, English garden, Zen-style design & etc. 3. Too Much Planting in Clusters Yes, planting in clusters looks way better than installing single plants throughout your yard. But make sure your groups of shrubs, and trees have plenty of room to spread, or they’ll look choked and overgrown. Also, over-crowded landscaping competes with itself for food and water, putting the clusters at risk. Find out how high and wide the mature plant will be, and then combine that info with the spacing suggestions on planting labels. At first, garden beds of young plants will look too airy and prairie-like. But within three years, your beds will fill in with room to grow. 4. Dispose Or Bury Your Dead Plants Dead or dying shrubs and plants are eye soar in a garden, so quickly remove your dearly departed landscaping from your garden. Spent plants that lived their natural lives are good choice for a compost pile – you can grind them first to make them decompose faster. And Of course, if your landscaping succumbed to disease or infestation, it’s best to dispose them in black plastic bags, and then throw away. 5. Letting Weeds Gone Wild Weeds not only make the look of your landscaping very messy, they also compete with plants for water and food.  Weeds also can shorten the life of brick, stone, and pavers by growing in mortar cracks. The best way to stop weeds is to spread a pre-emergent about three weeks before weed seeds typically germinate. If you can’t stop them from growing, at least get rid of weeds before they flower. read more