Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis Blume flower

Orchid family

The Dutch botanist Blume, who first saw this plant in Indonesia, thought that exotic butterflies were sitting on the thin branches. “Like a butterfly” - this is exactly what the name “phalaenopsis” sounds like in Greek. Their flowers come in various shades of pink and purple, and can be pure white. The lower lip is usually more saturated in color and has a bizarre shape - with two protruding lobes at the base and forked at the top. Phalaenopsis is the most unpretentious of orchids. In addition, they can be made to bloom at any time of the year. IN favorable conditions they readily bloom two or even three times a year. Huge flowers, round in outline, collected in long spikes, are familiar to everyone from cut flowers, which often go on sale.
Phalaenopsis does not have a pronounced rest period, therefore all year round they need approximately the same conditions. The temperature should always remain around 18°C, but if the plant has not bloomed for a long time, lowering it to 12°C can stimulate flowering. Water generously with warm water all year round. Provide a moderately lit place (even entirely artificial lighting is possible). Transplantation and propagation are the same as for other epiphytic orchids.

Fatsia

Fatsia flower

Family Araliaceae

Fatsia japonica is a fast-growing tree, room conditions reaching a height of 1.5 m. Very decorative 5-7-lobed leathery shiny palmate bright green leaves from 20 to 30 cm in diameter. The flowers are inconspicuous, small, whitish, collected in a panicle. The variegated forms look very impressive. Young leaves are initially solid and only over time acquire a characteristic lobed shape. When young, the leaves and shoots are covered with soft reddish-brown hairs.
Fatsia and fatshedera are very unpretentious. They love a bright place, but not sunny, and easily tolerate shade (variegated leaves need more light; plants with solid green leaves are more shade-tolerant). In summer it is good to take them out onto the balcony, as they need fresh air. Optimal temperature air in the spring-summer period is 18-22°C.
Watering needs to be given time Special attention. On the one hand, water should not stagnate on the pallet, and on the other hand, the soil should not dry out. If you dry out the soil just once, the plant may drop its leaves, and it will be very difficult to return them to their previous position. Even very abundant watering will not help you. In this case, the leaves must be tied with spacers in a horizontal position. After some time, the plant may acquire its original characteristic silhouette. The leaves must be regularly wiped with a damp soft sponge or cloth.
In winter, it is better to keep Fatsia in cool, well-lit rooms at a temperature of 8-10°C. With this regime, watering is significantly reduced, without allowing the soil to dry out. But Fatsia and especially Fatshedera can adapt to higher winter temperatures.

• Temperature: Moderate, should be kept at a lower temperature in winter if possible. Does not tolerate temperatures above 20°C.
• Lighting: Bright light or partial shade. In winter it requires good lighting.
• Watering: Abundant from spring to autumn, moderate in winter.
• Air humidity:
• Transfer: Every year in the spring.
• Reproduction: Stem cuttings in summer or seeds in spring.

• Pale spotted leaves. Leaf tips are brown and brittle Cause: Insufficient watering. big plant In summer you need to water more often.
• Leaves turn yellow and fall off Reason: There can be two reasons. If the leaves are soft and limp, waterlogging of the soil is to blame. If the leaves are brittle, the air is too dry.
• Shriveled leaves Cause: Too dry air or sunburn. Don't forget to shade Fatsia in the summer.

Fatshedera

Fatshedera flower

Family Araliaceae

This unpretentious hybrid of common ivy and fatsia is deservedly popular. Prefers cool conditions, but can grow in a heated room, provided that winter temperature does not exceed 20°C, and the lighting is sufficient. It can grow as a bush, like fatsia (to do this, the tips of the shoots are pinched every spring), or curl along a support or trellis, like its other parent, ivy.

Types of indoor plants

F. lizei can reach a length of 2 m or more. Provide it with supports or pinch the ends of the shoots and grow Fatshedera as a bush. The variegata form with white leaf edges is more difficult to grow.

Secrets of success in flower care

• Temperature: Moderate, in winter not lower than 3°C.
• Lighting: Bright light or light partial shade; In winter it requires good lighting.
• Watering:
• Air humidity: Requires frequent spraying of leaves.
• Transfer: Every year in the spring.
• Reproduction: Stem cuttings in summer.

Faucaria (tiger mouth)

Faucaria flower

Aizaceae family

Although other bush-like aizaceae also go on sale, faucaria are the most common on our shelves. Of course, this is one of the most spectacular ais plants.
The paired leaves are separated by very short internodes, and the edges of the leaves are seated with large projections so that the triangular leaves resemble the mouth of a predator. The British call faucaria “tiger mouth” because the most common is faucaria tiger with long, thick, curved “teeth” (up to 10 pieces) on the leaves. There are slightly smaller outgrowths (7-9 pieces) on the leaves of the wolf's faucaria, and the cat's faucaria is quite elegant with only 3-5 teeth. Occasionally they sell tuberculate faucaria, whose leaves, in addition to modestly sized teeth, have numerous convex tubercles, giving this plant a bizarre appearance.
In August - October, all faucaria produce golden-yellow flowers. Remember that faucaria needs to be watered even less than climbing aisas, otherwise it may rot and die.

Feijoa

Acca sellowiana. Burret flower

Family Myrtaceae

In autumn, green ones appear on the shelves of fruit merchants. fragrant fruits feijoa. A native of Brazil, feijoa relatively recently found a second home in the subtropical climate of Azerbaijan and Georgia. First time exotic fruits found no use. Then we learned to grind them with sugar. And when it turned out that feijoa can be transported well in its unripe form without losing its marketable qualities, trade in this South American curiosity also picked up. Rich in vitamin C and organic acids, these wonderful fruits are in great demand today.
Getting plants from seeds is very easy. Choose the ripest fruit with a yellowish skin. Place it to ripen in a warm place (you can do it on a sunny windowsill or on a closet). Once it becomes soft, open it with a knife and remove central part with numerous tiny seeds. Place the pulp on thick fabric and rinse with water. Dry the seeds slightly so that they easily come off the fabric. Then you can start sowing.
Apply seeds to a leveled soil surface and moisten with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate. Feijoa seeds need light to germinate, so they are not planted in the ground. Cover the crop with glass and place it in diffused light in a warm place. At a temperature of +20°C, the seeds will germinate in 3-4 weeks. All this time, you need to regularly ventilate the seeds and prevent the surface layer of soil from drying out.
After emergence, adapt the seedlings to dry room air and direct sunlight. Young feijoa plants grow very quickly. Plant them one by one in pots with a diameter of 4 cm.
Feijoa tolerates dry apartment air well, although it develops better when sprayed. IN winter time When kept in warm conditions and lack of light, the shoots become very elongated. It is better to keep the feijoa tub cool in winter at moderate watering. This tree will withstand even a short-term drop in temperature if the heating is suddenly turned off. It is not demanding on soils. You can provide the plants with a mixture of turf and humus soil with sand in equal proportions. The earth ball should not dry out, but excessive moisture is also detrimental to plants. Fertilize in spring and summer. Both mineral and organic fertilizers are useful.

Felice

Felicia flower

Family Asteraceae

Felicia can be recommended to fans rare plants. If you follow the rules outlined in the section “Secrets of success in flower care,” this plant will delight you with flowers all year round. Pinch the shoots regularly to make the bush thicker, but do not cut off the stems that have buds. Like many other indoor plants, felicia is demanding on lighting and does not like when the soil dries out.

Types of indoor plants

F. amelloides is a subshrub. Maintain the height of the bush at 35 cm by pinching the ends of the stems. It blooms most profusely in mid-summer with blue-yellow inflorescences that open only in sunlight.

Secrets of success in flower care

• Temperature:
• Lighting: Bright light should be shaded from the heat of the summer sun.
• Watering: Plentiful all the time.
• Air humidity: From time to time the leaves are sprayed.
• Transfer: If necessary in the spring.
• Reproduction: Stem cuttings in spring or seeds in summer.

Ficus

Ficus flower

Mulberry family

Among the ficus trees there are both impressively sized trees and tiny ground cover plants, although since the time of Queen Victoria (i.e. since the 19th century), the rubber ficus remains the recognized “head of the family”. Once upon a time, only the narrow-leaved variety of this ficus was grown, which today has been replaced by much more decorative forms - Ficus rubber decora and Ficus rubber robusta. Green forms of this species are easier to cultivate than variegated ones; most of all, these ficuses are afraid of waterlogging of the soil. It is useful to wash the leaves from time to time. Ficus benjamina is growing in popularity because it is an excellent plant for modern home. It has medium-sized leaves, but is much more tree-like and graceful than the rubber ficus. At the other end of the scale are the hanging forms, which are much smaller... and much more difficult to grow. They require high air humidity and are more demanding on the soil moisture regime.

Secrets of success in flower care

• Temperature: Moderate, in winter not lower than 12°C.
• Lighting: Bright for tree forms, partial shade for other types. F. rubber will adapt to a few hours of morning sun, but the same can be detrimental to the dwarf ficus.
• Watering: Watering should be done very carefully. In tree-like ficuses, the soil should be allowed to dry between waterings; ampelous forms require more frequent watering. Water with warm water, in winter - little by little.
• Air humidity: In summer it is useful to sometimes spray the leaves. Spraying is very important for hanging forms.
• Transfer: Frequent transplants should be avoided. Replant every two years in the spring until the plant becomes too large.
• Reproduction: Green stem cuttings in summer. For rooting, phytohormones and bottom heating are used. Tree forms propagate air layering.

Particular difficulties when caring for a plant

• Sudden leaf drop
  Reason: U different types it may be different. For rubber ficus, this reason is usually waterlogging of the soil. Other reasons may be low winter temperatures, lack of light, excess fertilizing or cold drafts. For F. Benjamin, the most likely reason is a lack of light or a change in the usual conditions of detention.
• Dropping of the bottom leaf
  Reason: The lower leaves of tree-like forms turn yellow and fall off over time - the exposure of the lower part of the stem over time should be treated as a natural phenomenon.
• Yellowing edges of leaves, dropping of some lower leaves
  Cause: This is an early sign of more serious problems or a consequence of poor nutrition. Feed at the recommended frequency throughout the growth period.
• Dry wrinkled leaves
  Cause: A common occurrence for ampelous forms - the cause may be sunburn, insufficient air humidity due to the fact that the leaves are not regularly sprayed, or drying out of the soil.

Phyllitis (leaf plant)

Phyllitis scolopendrium flower

Family Ferns

The plant has gained popularity for its entire fronds, which are quite rare among ferns. Sori in the form of stripes are located parallel to each other. Unlike the asplenium, the base of the frond plate is auricular, the midrib is light. The rosette is 35 cm high. In the wild, phyllitis grows in the Crimea and the Caucasus, where old fronds can withstand low temperatures and even frosts. Potted forms are more thermophilic. Thus, phyllitis with a curly edge of fronds - forms undulatum and crispum - were bred.
Phyllitis has a pronounced seasonal growth pattern. Starting in March, young fronds develop; in summer, new fronds practically do not grow. Each of them lives a little over a year. To maintain the seasonal rhythm in winter, phylllitis requires cool temperatures (10°C). It is very sensitive to dry air, especially during the period when the fronds are unfolding. The main symptoms of insufficient spraying are underdeveloped and deformed fronds.
Despite the abundance of fronds, phyllitis usually has a single growing point. New growth points are rarely formed, which greatly complicates vegetative propagation.

Philodendron

Philodendron flower

Family Araceae

Philodendrons have been grown as houseplants since Victorian times, and their popularity has only increased in recent years. For successful development, they need the conditions to which they are accustomed in their historical homeland - in the tropical forests South America, i.e. diffused light and high air humidity at relatively high temperatures.
Philodendrons are divided into two groups. Plants of the first group - vines - are well adapted to the conditions of an ordinary room and only need support for their stems. F. climbing is the smallest and lightest in culture from this group, it can grow even under unfavorable conditions. Many philodendron vines are characterized by the formation of aerial roots on the stems; These roots play a very important role in plant life. Direct them into the soil of the pot so that they deliver moisture to the top leaves.
In indoor conditions, philodendrons rarely bloom and bear fruit. Most of the plants of the second group, non-lianas, grow to large sizes. They all have large, notched leaves and are more suitable for public buildings than for a room in an ordinary house.

Secrets of success in flower care

• Temperature: Moderate, in winter not lower than 12°C.
• Lighting: Philodendrons do not tolerate direct sunlight. They grow well in the shade, but the usual lighting requirement for philodendrons is partial shade or bright, diffused light.
• Watering: In winter, watering is very limited; the soil should be slightly moist. At other times of the year, water regularly and mobile.
• Air humidity: In summer or in heated rooms in winter, high air humidity is maintained - the pots are placed in damp peat or the leaves are regularly sprayed.
• Transfer: Every two to three years in the spring they are transplanted into a larger pot.
• Reproduction: Cuttings are rooted at elevated temperatures. Propagated by stem cuttings and air layering in summer. In non-lianas, daughter shoots are used as cuttings.

Date fruit

Phoenix flower

Palm family

Like the coconut, many people try to grow date palms from seeds. Only fresh fruits are suitable for germination, since after storage the shoots are very unfriendly, solitary, and their appearance can take a whole year. So you have to try several different batches of dates. Prerequisite germination - high temperature (about 20-25°C).
Many hobbyists complain that date palm seedlings die after transplantation. This is most often due to damage to the main root. The second reason may be autumn replanting. It is also recommended to first cut off all the smaller seedlings with scissors, and transplant the largest seedling into a larger pot.
The date palm grows slowly in rooms and only after 5-7 years it acquires a decorative appearance. Therefore, we recommend growing other types of dates, which, although not edible, are more decorative and better suited for growing indoors. These are primarily the Canarian date with straight pinnate leaves or the more graceful Robelena date with curved leaves.
Dates require a bright location; only in summer they need some shading. Water the plants generously, leaving the water in the tray for 2-3 hours. Water should not contain a lot of calcium. Don't forget about fertilizers: from April to the end of August, every 10 days the plants need to be fed with mullein solution, sometimes alternating it with potassium nitrate (10 g per 10 liters of water). In winter, reduce feeding to once a month.
For the Robelen date, the temperature in winter should not be lower than 14°C. Canary date palm It can also winter at a temperature of 8-10°C with frequent ventilation. If you leave it to overwinter at room temperature, wash the leaves frequently. This should be done at least once every 2 weeks. The Robelena date especially suffers from dry air.
Typically, young palm trees are replanted more often, larger ones less frequently. You should absolutely not replant dates in the fall, otherwise the plants will lose a lot of leaves.

Fittonia

Fittonia flower

Family Acanthus

Many people purchased this squat ground cover plant to add a rare specimen to their collection, only to lose it a few weeks later. Unfortunately, ordinary forms with large leaves are very difficult to grow in a living room - they require constant heat and very high humidity around the leaves. As a rule, it is recommended to grow Fittonia in a terrarium or in a “bottle garden”. The culture has developed a variety with small leaves that can be successfully grown indoors. It is no less beautiful than its large-leaved parent, but grows well in a dry atmosphere, provided that it does not receive direct sunlight; In winter it is kept warm, and the leaves are sometimes sprayed.

Secrets of success in flower care

• Temperature: Moderate, in winter not lower than 17°C.
• Lighting: Penumbra; direct sun is harmful.
• Watering: Abundant from spring to autumn, moderate in winter. Water with warm water.
• Air humidity: Requires high air humidity. The pot is placed in moist peat and the leaves are sprayed frequently.
• Transfer: Every year in the spring.
• Reproduction: Creeping stems take root themselves - the rooted parts of the stem are cut off and replanted. In spring, the plant is divided.

Particular difficulties when caring for a plant

• Sudden death in winter
  Reason: Cold and moisture are destructive. In winter it requires warmth and slightly moist soil.
• Bare lower part of the stem
  Reason: Exposure of the lower part of the stem is natural for Fittonia. Prune shoots in spring.
• Shriveled leaves
  Cause: Too dry air or too much light.
• Yellowing, limp leaves
  Cause: Waterlogging of the soil.

Fuchsia

Fuchsia hybrida flower

Fireweed family

Fuchsias vary in size, appearance and color of flowers. There are hundreds of hybrid forms with drooping, bell-shaped flowers. Flowers are single, semi-double and double in white, pink, red or purple. You can choose a collection of several hybrid forms that will bloom from spring to autumn; Some experts consider fuchsia to be the most wonderful of flowering houseplants. Unfortunately, almost all plants that are bought to decorate the home or received as a gift are thrown away after flowering ends, when the leaves begin to fall. However, fuchsia is easy to preserve in a cool room in winter. The leaves will fall off, but new ones will grow in the spring, and with proper care the plant can be grown for many years. Flowers appear on new stems, so in the spring, before growth begins, old stems should be pruned. The plant should be pinched and pruned regularly to encourage flowering and shape. In young plants, to encourage branching, pinch the ends of the stems; In flowering fuchsias, faded flowers are removed to stimulate the formation of new buds.

Secrets of success in flower care

• Temperature: Moderate or slightly below moderate temperatures above 20°C can be fatal.
• Lighting: Bright light, but not direct sunlight.
• Watering: Abundant from spring to autumn, moderate in winter.
• Air humidity: During the growth period, the leaves should be sprayed from time to time.
• Transfer: Every year in the spring.
• Reproduction: Stem cuttings in spring or summer. Phytohormones are used for rooting.

Particular difficulties when caring for a plant

• Leaf fall
  Cause: Probable Cause leaf fall - warm dry air; Spray the leaves from time to time and in warm weather expose the plant to open air. The usual cause of lower leaves falling off is insufficient watering or lack of light.
• Falling buds
  Cause: The probable cause is a violation of the irrigation regime (too much or too little water). Other possible reasons- insufficient lighting, too warm air or that the pot has been moved to another place or turned in relation to the light.
• Short flowering period
  Reason: The flowering period can be shortened for many reasons. This can happen if in winter the plant is kept in a warm room and watered abundantly, or if it is fed little and not watered enough, or it does not have enough light during the growth period.
• Brown spots with yellow edges on leaves
  Cause: Leaf spotting, which occurs when the soil is waterlogged in the cold season.
• Pests
  In a hot, dry atmosphere it may be affected spider mite and whitefly.

A list of plants starting with the letter F that are grown at home, in the garden and in the vegetable garden.

Plant vriesea (lat. Vriesea), or frisee, belongs to the genus of herbaceous epiphytes of the Bromeliad family, native to South and Central America. Today, Vriesea grows wild on the rocks and trees of Central America and the West Indies, as well as in the forests of South America as far as Argentina and Brazil. The genus contains about two hundred and fifty species, many of which are prized for their brightly colored bracts and grown as houseplants. The genus was named in 1843 in honor of the Dutch scientist Willem Henrik de Vries, a famous flora researcher. Many people confuse freesia with freesia flower, although they are not at all similar and belong to different families - freesia is from the Iris family.

Planting of hazel grouse (Fritillaria) is carried out only in autumn, usually in August. Many gardeners do not advise replanting fritillaria from permanent place 2-3 years in a row. At the same time, other professionals express the opinion that the imperial hazel grouse needs an annual transplant. Therefore, everyone must decide this issue for themselves, but if you see that in the second year after planting, the hazel grouse flowers have become smaller and their number has decreased, this is a serious reason for replanting the bulb. Before planting hazel grouse, you need to choose the right place; it is also important to correctly perform the ritual itself. But before all this, it is necessary to prepare the bulbs for planting.

Hazel grouse are considered an unpretentious plant and capable of growing in any conditions. Grow - yes! But don't bloom. In order for fritillaria to bloom, it is necessary to follow certain rules for caring for it. The characteristics of flowering are associated not so much with caring for hazel grouse, but with their correct planting. But even after landing, you should not rely only on fate, because there are several reasons, and some of them are mutually exclusive.

Fritillaria or Grouse- a genus of perennial bulbous plants of the lily family, which has about one hundred and fifty species, sometimes very different from each other. Fritillaria are widespread in temperate latitudes of North America, Asia and Europe and are represented by both low-growing (5-10 cm in height) and very large (up to 120 cm) species. The flower's Latin name comes from "fritillus", meaning "chessboard" or "dice container", with the first meaning describing the variegated colors of some species, like the Russian name "hazel grouse", and the second meaning describing the shape of the flower.

Perhaps the most common type of fritillaria in our country is imperial hazel grouse (Fritillaria imperialis). Its bright orange flowers bloom in the spring and decorate the flowerbed with their unusual appearance until almost mid-June. The imperial hazel grouse expels the peduncle early, and therefore sometimes the budding period occurs during spring frosts. This may prevent fritillaria from flowering. But if the area with the imperial hazel grouse is sheltered from cold winds, then the plant can withstand frosts.

Grouse, or Fritillaria (lat. Fritillaria)- a genus of herbaceous perennials of the Liliaceae family. In nature, about one hundred and fifty species of plants are known, growing in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, in East or West Asia. The hazel grouse plant received its Latin name due to the similarity of the shape of the corolla of the flower with a glass for throwing dice, which is called “fritillus” in Latin. The Russian name comes from the word “pockmarked”, which popularly means “motley”.

I already told you how I became the owner of Phalaenopsis (in the article “Watering orchids”). But I would like to talk in more detail about the features of keeping and caring for this flower. After all, this is the most accessible and common type of orchid among novice gardeners. Phalaenopsis are considered to be unpretentious and easy to grow. But, as my experience has shown, any plant requires a special approach, especially exotic ones. So, how to grow.

Phalaenopsis flowers (lat. Phalaenopsis)- herbaceous plants of the Vanda tribe of the Orchid family, native to the rainforests of Australia, Southeast Asia and the Philippines. Phalaenopsis orchids are mostly epiphytes because they grow on trees, but sometimes they also grow on rocks. The first phalaenopsis on one of the Moluccas islands was discovered by the German naturalist Georg Rumph, but the flower received its name from Karl Blum, director of the Leiden Botanical Garden, who, looking at the exotic orchid through binoculars, mistook it for a butterfly, and therefore called it phalaenopsis - “like a moth.” And to this day, flower growers call these flowers “butterfly orchids.”

The Phalaenopsis genus has about seventy species. The phalaenopsis flower, which is sold in flower shops, is incredibly popular not only because of its exquisite and extraordinary beauty, but also because growing and maintaining phalaenopsis does not cause trouble and does not require costs.

Plant beans (lat. Phaseolus) belongs to the type genus of the Legume family, which includes about 90 species growing in warm regions of both hemispheres. From the Greek phaseolus is translated as “boat, canoe,” apparently because beans resemble a boat in outline. Spanish Franciscan monk and missionary Bernardino de Sahagún, who lived and worked in Mexico in the 16th century, in his opus “ General history Affairs of New Spain" described the Aztec evidence about the properties of beans and the diversity of its species, since the birthplace of this plant is precisely Latin America. Beans were brought to Russia from France and Turkey in the 16th century and were first grown as an ornamental plant.

And today, in garden floriculture, multifloral beans, or fiery red beans (Phaseolus coccineus), with attractive fiery flowers, which are most often called Turkish beans, are in demand. IN XVIII century Beans began to be grown as a garden crop. Of the types of beans cultivated today, the most common is the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), with all the variety of its varieties and varieties, which are grown for their fruits and seeds. Beans are among the top 10 most healthy vegetables, and its unpretentiousness makes growing beans open ground accessible even to a beginning gardener. However, planting beans in the ground, fertilizing beans, and harvesting beans have their own characteristics, and you need to know them.

Fatsia – description

Fatsia (lat. Fatsia)- monotypic genus, part of the Araliaceae family - Fatsia japonica (Japanese fatsia).

Since 1910, a mixture between ivy and Fatsia - Fatshedera - has often been grown at home.

House fatsia is often used to decorate pillars, walls and shop windows. The interiors are also decorated. Fatsias growing in pots decorate baskets. The plant can grow up to 1 m in height in just a couple of years if you take good care of it. proper care and constantly feed. To form a beautiful crown, nothing should interfere with the plant.

Phacelia (lat. Phacelia)- a genus of herbaceous annuals and perennials of the Borage family, which, according to various sources, includes from 80 to more than 180 species growing in South and North America in open sunny places with well-drained soil. The name of the genus comes from the Greek word, translated meaning “bundle”: this is what the phacelia inflorescence looks like. In culture, the Phacelia tansy species is grown primarily as green manure. The beneficial properties of phacelia improve the structure of the soil and enrich it with nutrients. Several species of the genus have established themselves as ornamental garden plants. In addition, phacelia grass is an excellent honey plant that attracts bees and other pollinating insects to the garden.

Feijoa (lat. Acca sellowiana), or aka sellova, or acca feijoa- an evergreen shrub or low tree, a species of the genus Akka of the Myrtaceae family. Sometimes feijoa is classified as a separate genus. The species was named in honor of the Portuguese naturalist Joao da Silva Feijo, who discovered this plant in late XIX century in Brazil. And feijoa received the specific epithet in honor of the German naturalist Friedrich Sellow, who studied the flora of Brazil. IN natural conditions Feijoa, in addition to Brazil, can be found in Colombia, Uruguay and northern Argentina. Feijoa is a typical subtropical plant that does not develop well in tropical climates.

Feijoa first appeared in Europe in 1890. Today it is grown not only in South America, but also in the Caucasus, Crimea, Abkhazia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, France, Greece, Portugal, Spain and on the Pacific coast of the USA .

Common fennel (lat. Foeniculum vulgare) is a species of the genus Fennel of the Apiaceae family. Popularly, this herbaceous plant is called pharmaceutical dill, or Voloshsky. In the wild, common fennel is found in countries North Africa– Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia; V Western Europe, in particular in Italy, France, England, Spain and Portugal; V Southeast Europe– in Greece, Bulgaria, Albania and the countries of the former Yugoslavia. In addition, it grows in North, Central and South America, New Zealand, and Western and Central Asia. Fennel is easiest to find on rocky slopes, ditches and weedy areas. Fennel is cultivated in many countries around the world.

The first mentions of this plant are contained in herbal books Ancient India, compiled about five thousand years ago. Fennel was also known in Ancient China, where it was used not only in cooking, but also for cosmetic purposes, and in Ancient Egypt It was believed that, in addition to its taste and healing properties, fennel also had power over evil spirits. The ancient Saxons also believed in mystical power fennel and protected their homes from witchcraft with bunches of its herb, and the Greeks used it as a diuretic, choleretic and abortifacient, as well as a remedy for fleas. Hippocrates, Dioscorides, Pliny and Avicenna wrote about fennel in their works. In the Middle Ages, fennel spread throughout Europe, and the Czech physician Matthiol, who served at the court of Archduke Ferdinand, dedicated a treatise to the plant entitled “The Power and Effect of Fennel.” In the 18th century, the English Parliament decided to pay the pharmacist Stevenson a decent compensation for his publicized recipe for a very effective medicine for stomach and kidney diseases, which the pharmacist made from fennel.

Fennel is used as a spice national cuisines many countries, both European and Asian. We will tell you in this article how to grow fennel from seeds, how to care for the plant in open ground, as well as what medicinal properties it has, what are the benefits of fennel and to whom it can be harmful.

Room violet (lat. Saintpaulia), or Usambara violet- a genus of herbaceous flowering plants of the Gesneriaceae family, widespread in indoor floriculture. In nature, the violet flower grows in the mountainous regions of East Africa - in Tanzania and Kenya, most often choosing places on river terraces and near waterfalls. There are more than 20 types of Uzambara violet. Opened this one amazing flower in 1892, Baron Adalbert Walter Radcliffe le Tane von Saint-Paul, military commandant of the Uzambara district, which at that time was part of a German colony. The district was located on the territory of modern Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania. Saint-Paul sent violet seeds to his father Ulrich Saint-Paul, president of the German Dendrological Society, and he gave them to the botanist Wendland, who in 1893 grew a flower from the seeds and described it as Saintpaulia violetflower, identifying it as a separate genus.

In the same year, Saintpaulia was presented at the flower exhibition in Ghent, where the right to its industrial cultivation was sold. In 1927, Saintpaulias came to North America and immediately gained unprecedented popularity on this continent - by 1949, more than 100 varieties of indoor violets were already known. Today, the violet plant has more than 32 thousand varieties, which are hybrids of Saintpaulia violet and Saintpaulia erroneum.

- this is an old and, fortunately, mutual love my mother. For a long time I could not understand why she adored these particular flowers. I myself love plants with a dense crown, large, bright. And violets - they’re small, what’s so special about them, I thought...

And then I realized that I didn’t understand anything. Every year, new varieties of violets appeared in our home collection, one more beautiful than the other. I myself didn’t notice how I became fascinated by violets and began exchanging cuttings and leaves with my friends in the hope of growing a species that we didn’t have before. From grandmothers who sold cuttings, I found varieties that were more original in terms of color or shape. But it is simply impossible to collect all existing varieties of violets in a collection!

A great relief for the collector is that the rules for caring for violets (or Saintpaulias) of any type and variety are almost the same, but they must be strictly adhered to.

Plant physalis (lat. Physalis) belongs to the largest genus of the Solanaceae family, which includes about 120 species growing in Asia, Europe, as well as South and North America. Translated from Greek, physalis means bubble - the name is given because of the shape of the growing red-orange calyx of the plant. Gardeners sometimes call physalis earth cranberry or emerald berry, as well as bladderwrack, dog cherry and maroonka. Physalis is often compared to tomatoes - plants from the same family, and although these plants are similar in many ways, planting and caring for physalis in open ground has its differences.

Plant physiostegia (lat. Physostegia) is a herbaceous perennial of the family Lamiaceae, or Lamiaceae. By different sources The genus includes 3 to 12 species native to North America. The name of the plant consists of two Greek words, meaning “bubble” and “cover”, and refers to the swollen shape of the flower’s calyx. Because of this original shape, the Physostegia flower has another name - false snakehead. Of all the known plant species, only Physostegia virginiana is grown in culture. The topic of our article is planting and caring for physiostegia in open ground.

Do you know what the most popular Google search for the word “ficus” is? Most common tags "Ficus benjamina" And ". This means that no matter how many pages about this plant exist on the Internet, amateur flower growers will still have questions related to caring for Ficus Benjamin. On our website, in one of the articles - “Caring for ficus Benjamin at home” - we talked in detail about growing ficus, but today we decided to pay attention not to care, but to the problems associated with it. And the most common problem that occurs is the falling of ficus leaves.

Ficus rubbery, or ficus elastica (lat. Ficus elastica) - a species of the genus Ficus of the Mulberry family. The plant originates from northeast India and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java. Why is ficus a rubber plant? The plant received this name because of its thick juice, which contains large quantities of rubber, necessary for the production of rubber. In areas of natural growth, ficus is revered by Buddhists as a sacred plant. In home floriculture, the rubber ficus and its cultivars are the most common species of the ficus genus.

True, the plant, fashionable in the years of our grandmothers’ youth, due to the “fight against philistinism”, was condemned and equated with the notorious “seven elephants”, as a blatant symbol of bad taste, and it was consigned to oblivion for many years, but, thank God, in last decade This beautiful plant, easy to care for, elegant and cozy, thanks to the flower growers of Holland, has once again settled in our homes.

Whatever new exotic plants no matter how they appear in our stores, Ficus will always have its admirers. For example, I remember this plant from my childhood. Therefore, it is not surprising that as an adult I decided to get a Ficus as a reminder of my childhood. And although this plant looks unpretentious, its cultivation requires compliance with certain rules. It’s not for nothing that newcomers to Ficus breeding often (especially in the autumn-winter period) begin to panic: they say, the Ficus has dropped its leaves - what to do. It also happens that this flower begins to wither - although it is watered and sprayed. Yes, it’s really not that easy to grow Ficus. Care at home requires unquestioning adherence to the rules. Let's figure out which ones.