Hands-On Plant Care

Each week I personally tend to over 3000 plants in clients' offices. These are all live, indoor, tropical plants and since I have been doing this for more than 25 years, I have come to know them all very well.

An important objective is to keep the plants happy and healthy.

 Sure there are a lot of factors involved including proper feeding, fertilizing, environmental changes, temperature regulation, watering, adequate lighting, pest control, physical damage remediation, client abuse and so on. 

However, one of my best tools is touch.

 I feel my plants on a regular basis as part of my maintenance routine, or visitation, depending on your perspective. The instant I feel the leaves, I absorb an abundance of information about the well being of that plant. The plant 'tells' me about its environmental ups and downs since my last visit, often with great accuracy.


Many times I can tell if the conditions are right, or wrong, for the plant to be attacked by an insect infestation, just by touch. I can then take steps to change the conditions before a problem arises or becomes worse.


Before you think me mad, consider this - you can do it too.  Make touch one of the tools in your plant care and maintenance procedural toolbox. Be gentle. Be firm. Make a mental note of changes to how the plant feels from week to week, season to season. I only get to see each of my plants for about a minute, once a week.  You have the luxury of seeing and touching your plants several times each day.

You will soon become aware of subtle changes to your plants, your friends. You will get to know them better and want to know them better. Be careful touching your cacti; but there are ways to do this too.


Touch your plants - enjoy your plants.

One more thing:

Dracaena marginata staggered

We have a new plant as our in-store featured plant starting today. We have picked the Dracaena marginata staggered, a beautiful floor plant in a 10" grower's pot with 4 or 5 plants per pot.  Overall height is 5-6 feet. We normally sell this plant at $75 and as our in-store featured plant, we have priced it at $45 until Monday, May 7th. Check our website at http://www.plantsforall.ca for more info.


Have a great day!
Brian Osmond

Artificial Plants Have Their Place

Several months ago, Linda was interviewed by the local newspaper for her thoughts on displaying artificial plants outdoors. Over the last few years more people have been creating outdoor plant installations with artificial plants. After the expected first-installation eyesores, people are now applying live-plant landscaping techniques to the artificials.
Driving around our town there are some disturbing plantings of artificial palm trees 'growing' in the winter. (Guelph's latitude is about 45 degrees North and certainly not conducive to growing palm trees, outdoors, even at the best of times.)

People 'plant' the artificials to: 

• reduce maintenance  time and cost
• conserve water
• always have beautiful plants as good as the Jones'
• eliminate bringing in a 'plant sitter' while going on vacation.

Yes, artificial plants have their place in the great outdoors and they can beautify your yard or deck or porch or patio or walkway for many years; but please apply a little good sense.

• display plants that could possibly grow naturally outdoors in our climate
• display flowering plants only in their natural flowering season
• clean and bring your plants indoors for storage when the natural season is done
• purchase plants that are weather resistant and UV protected (they all aren't).

If you think you might want to outdoor landscape with artificial plants, we can help.We carry hundreds of artificial bushes, plants and trees suitable for both indoor and outdoor display. As well, we do represent an extensive line of Inside/Outside plants that are weather resistant and UV protected.
Contact us at plantsforall@ody.ca or call 519-767-2161 or stop into the Plants For All shop at 66 Dawson Road in Guelph. (We would love to see you.)

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One more thing :  This weeks featured plant is an artificial Pink Geranium Hanging Vine that is weather resistant and UV protected. Regular price is $48 and it is featured at $35 only until Monday, April 23.  Check it out in the Featured Plant page of our website at www.plantsforall.ca