more about: houseplants

Plants To Dye For

January 27, 2013 | By | Comments (7)

Grumpy is a tolerant guy. He didn’t go postal when he discovered blue-and-purple poinsettias with sparkles on the leaves for sale at Christmas. And when he chanced upon white moth orchids with their flowers dyed blue, he forswore his usual reaction of biting the head off of a doll. But today, he was presented irrefutable evidence of a crime against […]

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4 Bad Bugs to Watch for This Winter

January 13, 2013 | By | Comments (0)

Just because it’s cold and miserable outside doesn’t bugs are miserable too. Some are living quite warm and happily inside your home right now, feasting on your indoor plants. Here’s a helpful roundup of 4 of the most common bugs, how to indentify them and the damage they do, and how to kill them dead, dead, dead. And dead.

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Tiny Trees for Christmas — Bonsai!

December 2, 2012 | By | Comments (2)

Don’t you just hate it when your Mom unwraps her Christmas presents and finds out you and your brother gave her the same thing? Well, here’s a unique gift Grumpy guarantees no one else in the family will think of. A miniature tree or shrub that’s a true work of art. It’s called a bonsai.

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6 Gardening Tasks for Hubby at Halftime

November 4, 2012 | By | Comments (2)

Well, we’re nearing the peak saturation for TV football in America, which means your garden is probably going to the dogs. Don’t despair, ladies! Here’s Grumpy’s list of quick gardening tasks your husband can do at halftime, once you pry him off the sofa with a crowbar.

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Clean the Air with Houseplants

March 25, 2011 | By | Comments (10)

You’re concerned about air pollution, right? Did you know that the air inside your house is usually more toxic than the air outdoors? And I’m not just talking about the 10 minutes after your husband walks out of the bathroom. Lots of volatile organic chemicals (VOC’s) float through the air of an average home. Stuff like formaldehyde (mmmm, remember that […]

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Miami Nice — 60 Acres of Ferns!

April 7, 2010 | By | Comments (0)

Morning, Grumpians. Today finds me in the warm breezes of south Florida gazing at more ferns in a greenhouse than there are losers in a casino. One-and-a-half million ferns, to be exact, covering 60 acres. I'm visiting Costa Farms, just south of Miami. Costa is the largest grower of indoor plants in the country, supplying the likes of Home Depot, […]

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A Flower for Allison

February 16, 2010 | By | Comments (6)

The Grump misses Allison. For years, Allison wrote for the “Healthy Living” section of Southern Living and sat just a short distance from my office. She was always upbeat and positive, loved to laugh, and her smile could light up a cavern. On those days when the Grump was feeling even grumpier than usual, Allison could turn the darkest skies […]

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A Flower for Allison

February 16, 2010 | By | Comments (0)

The Grump misses Allison. For years, Allison wrote for the “Healthy Living” section of Southern Living and sat just a short distance from my office. She was always upbeat and positive, loved to laugh, and her smile could light up a cavern. On those days when the Grump was feeling even grumpier than usual, Allison could turn the darkest skies […]

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Winter’s Brightest Hollies — The Sequel (& Other Inspiring Stuff)

January 22, 2010 | By | Comments (5)

You’ve seen the sequels to “Rocky” (all 112 of them), “The Godfather,” “Star Wars,” and “Harry Potter.” Now for the most exciting sequel of all. (Excuse me while I lower my voice two octaves.) “In a world torn by strife, disaster, and chaos, one plant rises above the destruction to bring hope and beauty to mankind — the deciduous holly.” […]

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Anthurium Is Glad to See You

January 4, 2010 | By | Comments (3)

They call it “Hawaiian love flower.” From the looks of things, they might as well call it Cialis love flower. Now the true scientific name for this beauty (which all enlightened Grumpians recognize) is anthurium. Native to the rainforests of tropical America, anthuriums are prized for handsome, heart-shaped, dark green leaves and colorful, remarkable flowers. And what most folks think are […]

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