Gardening isn't difficult if you do it in the right way. This article will help you by giving some tips about how you can keep your garden healthy and your plants long-living.

1. Examine plants carefully before buying

2. Use fully composted yard waste

3. Keep an eye on your bugs

4. Clean up in the fall

5. Apply the correct fertilizer

6. Plant disease-resistant varieties

7. Prune damaged limbs at the right time

8. Choose and site plants appropriately

9. Water properly

10. Don’t crowd plants

The air purifying benefits of indoor plants!

Plants have been proven to remove airborne harmful contaminants

Most people spend the majority of time indoors at home or work. Air conditioning, improved insulation, and energy-saving all reduce air exchange in buildings, so we breathe the same air again and again. Because the modern internal environment is virtually hermetically sealed and the construction materials used, modern synthetic furnishings, computers, electrical equipment, and everyday household products such as cleaning material, can produce harmful substances that are trapped inside the building. These all contribute to the well-recognized ‘sick building syndrome’. Polluted indoor air, contaminated by volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are a major cause of headaches, nausea, sore & itchy eyes, loss of concentration and other ‘sick building’ symptoms. The simple addition of interior plants is a natural way to help remove these pollutants significantly.

Humidity is another important and often underestimated factor in human health

When humidity levels are too low, individuals are more likely to develop viral infections; when humidity is too high, vulnerability to other disease increases. Plants tend to control humidity to within the optimum range for human health.

Plants absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen.

This obviously reduces your carbon footprint but also the increased oxygen level refreshes the air -and you! – leading to increased concentration and productivity (in various studies between 10%-15% increase).

A wealth of scientific study

There is a wealth of scientific study into the beneficial effects of live plants in the interior environment including a large NASA programme.

Some benefits of Indoor Plants

As well as purifying the air we breathe the presence of indoor plants have also been shown to have many other beneficial effects. These benefits include:

•Increased positive feelings and reduced feelings of anxiety, anger and sadness.

•Reduction of sound levels

•Reduction of stress levels

•Control of humidity to the within the optimum levels for human health

•Cooling effect

•Absorption of carbon dioxide and emission of oxygen refreshing the air

•Improved concentration levels leading to improved productivity particularly with those working with computers

•Reduction of absenteeism in the workplace

•Faster recovery from mental tiredness

•Interiors feel spacious, looked after and clean

•People prefer to occupy rooms that contain plants

•Improved image – interiors are perceived as “more expensive”

Rave - Raven, our Zamioculcas, is a gorgeous house plant with a taste for the dramatic. He's the brother of Cassie, the other Zamioculcas. His beautiful black foliage makes him a true original, and he’s also exceptionally low maintenance, making him a favourite at Patch.

Sharon - Sharon the Chamaedorea is a real looker, with elegant, arched-palm fronds that make our hearts swell. Originally from Mexico, this has been one of the most popular indoor plants since Victorian times (nicknamed the 'parlour palm'), and it will easily thrive in any spot you put her.

Rapunzel - Rapunzel, our devil’s ivy, is the most versatile of our low-maintenance house plants. The heart-shaped locks can hang beautifully off a bookshelf, or act as a privacy screen in a window. As well as greening up any nook, Rapunzel will get to work cleansing your air of unwelcome pollutants.

Suri - If you're nervous about the responsibilities of plant parenting, then we recommend adopting a succulent as a starter plant. These are fiercely independent and mostly self-sufficient, making them ideal for the forgetful gardener. Our succulent collection comes in a variety of colours, shapes and textures, so you’re sure to find one to suit your space.

Fidel - Originally from western Africa, Fidel the fiddle-leaf fig will give your space that tropical look with his lyre-shaped leaves. Fidel is a tough one who can cope with less-than-perfect conditions.

Kentia Palm - the Kentia Palm is a tough plant which won't be phased by difficult growing conditions. It is preferred to be kept  under a bit of shade and because it has long leaves that grow from a narrow base. This plant is perfect for filling a corner without taking up much floor-space. Place it in front of a blank wall, and his arching fronds will cast beautiful shadows.

Dracaena Fragrans – It is an impressive indoor plant who thrives on minimal attention and low light conditions. With just a bit of care, it’ll grow tall and strong — and can even sprout small, white flowers.

Snake Plant - Snake plants have an impressive list of nicknames, including "Viper's Bowstring hemp", "Saint George's Sword" and "Mother-in-law's tongue". This hardy house plant is a great option for new plant parents, as it doesn’t need much watering and will tolerate neglect easily. It also has a magic power: Snake plants release oxygen at night, which is said to help us drift off to sleep.

Peace Lily - Peace lilies can add a bit of zen to our space thanks to its soft, dark green foliage and year-round flowers. It is preferred to keep it in a shady spot, making it a great option to brighten up those empty corners in our home.

Philodendron - Philodendron is a popular choice amongst house plants, thanks mostly to its dramatic heart-shaped foliage. It’s not just a pretty face, though — it’s also super easy to care for, as long as we keep an eye on the light levels and the right amount of watering.

This time we will be telling you all about how to make natural plant fertilizer. We tend to throw the waste materials into the dustbin and   that's what a mannered person should instead of littering it here and   there, but have you ever wondered that these waste materials of your   kitchen can be helpful in making fertilizers for your plants ?

We will be telling you about how you can make natural fertilizers at home.

Firstly make a habit of maintaining a flowering pot of plastic or maybe of mud  to collect the materials - that will be your composting bin.  In kitchen when your mother cooks food so she definitely would be peeling vegetables. So, that's one of the materials you can save for make natural fertilizers. The peels of potato skin, tomato tops, onion peels, fruit peels (like banana, orange etc.), leftover tea leaves after making tea, and coffee grounds. You can simply grind those materials or may directly add them but then it also depends on the material, like you may grind banana peels but you cannot grind the tea leaves. Now these were some do's but the don'ts don't forget that never - ever add plastic to your fertilizer. The other materials which you should never add are - dairy products, fatty foods, etc. That was all about making natural fertilizers, now you are all ready to make one yourself and save your planet.

Baking soda gives us sweeter tomatoes

When sprinkled on the soil, baking soda decreases the acidity levels of the soil. In   turn, sweetens up the tomatoes. The flavor of the tomato comes from the balance of   acidity and sugar in the crop. Tomatoes that taste the most acidic have a lower level of   sugar in them.  Sweeter tomatoes, on the other hand have a low level of acid and a   higher level of sugar in them. If your plant is low in both acid and sugar it will be   bland. The ideal tomato, for many people, is one that is high in both acid and sugar. But   there are varieties of tomatoes having different qualities.. so don't forget to choose the   right type! 

  Happy gardening !

Choosing the Right Type of Tomatoes

Contrary to popular thinking, not all tomato varieties give   off the same kind of sweetness. Just because a tomato is home grown   does not mean that it is automatically sweeter.  The actual flavor of a   tomato comes from a combination of the plant chemistry and also   variables that are present in your gardening spot such as the air   temperature, your soil type and the amount of sun and rain that you get   during the growing season. The flavor of the tomato comes from the   balance of acidity and sugar in the crop. Tomatoes that taste the most   acidic have a lower level of sugar in them.  Sweeter tomatoes, on the   other hand have a low level of acid and a higher level of sugar in them. If   your plant is low in both acid and sugar it will be bland. The ideal   tomato, for many people, is one that is high in both acid and sugar. The single most important thing that you can do to ensure that your tomatoes will be sweet is to grow the right cultivars. For the sweetest varieties, choose cherry tomatoes known for their sweetness, such as sweet million and sun sugar varieties.  Heirloom varieties are known for their intense flavors, but be sure to check the description on the package of seeds to see whether the tomato is know for its sweetness of tartness. It does not matter whether the plant is a determinate or indeterminate type of tomato plant. Both have varieties that give some tomatoes that are sweeter than others.

Hand Trowel

  A hand trowel is a small tool   that is essential for planting,   transplanting and potting.   Look for one with a sturdy connection   between blade and handle, and a comfortable grip on the handle to avoid hand fatigue and give you optimal control.

Gardening Gloves

  Thorns and splinters are as   annoying and uncomfortable.    They can be prevented with help of a   good pair of gardening gloves. Gardening tasks can wreak havoc on your hands, leaving them sore and irritated. To help us out there is a large range of gardening gloves available.

Ghost orchid : Scientific name- Dendrophylax lindenii

The ghost orchid, named so because of   the shape of its petals. It is rare   because it is   almost impossible to propagate. It   has no leaves, does not depend on photosynthesis and does not manufacture its own food. It uses chlorophyll in its roots to prepare food

 Flame lily : Scientific name - Gloriosa superba.

Native to Asia and tropical and   southern Africa, these beautiful    unique flowers are also   regarded as the national flower of Zimbabwe. These should be handled with care as parts of it are poisonous.

Jade vine : Scientific name- Strongylodon macrobotrys

Restricted to the rainforests of the   Philippines, this beautiful claw-  shaped flower is in danger, going   extinct in   the wild because its natural habitat is being destroyed at an alarming rate. The flowers vary in color from blue to light green. Their natural pollinators are bats.

Chocolate cosmos: Scientific name- Cosmos atrosanguineus

Native to Mexico, this flower has   reportedly been extinct in the   wild   for over 100 years. The flowers have a   rich deep-brown color and emit, as the name suggests, a rich chocolate fragrance. Today, the clones of these flowers exist in protected areas.