Indoor Gardening - Purple Passion

The Purple Passion houseplant is a stunner with its soft velvet foliage and shades of purple veined throughout its jagged leaves. In fact, the leaves have a covering of soft ‘hair’ that gives this plant its other descriptive nickname of the Velvet Plant, and it’s more formally known as the Gynura Aurantiaca.

With origins in Indonesia, this exotic tropical makes a show stopping houseplant best in hanging baskets or containers. While it can be combined with other plants to make a gorgeous container for indoor gardening, its often used as a single specimen plant with its lovely purple color.

Tips for Care

While the Purple Passion is actually a vine that can grow up to eight feet in length, the older leaves will have lost its purple colors by the time it reaches this length. The Purple Passion vine looks best when kept trimmed to a neat three feet or less. Pinch back the tips to make the plant more lush and full for the best look and to keep the foliage color fresh.

If a Purple Passion becomes leggy or has lost its shape, during its dormant winter months it can be sheared back for fuller growth during the next growing season.

The Purple Passion plant loves bright light, but hot afternoon direct sunlight can fade and discolor the pretty purple color, so beware of direct lighting conditions.

Like many exotic tropicals, the Purple Passion loves humidity and moisture. The soil should not be allowed to dry out between waterings. If the indoor conditions are not humid enough for this plant to thrive, place the container on a damp pebble tray to produce more humidity. Misting also produces humidity which helps keep the plant happy and healthy.

While the Purple Passion does produce flowers, they are not as attractive as the foliage and they have an odd smell. They can be pinched off by those who prefer it not to bloom.

While the Purple Passion plant is not known to be poisonous, it can cause reactions in pets if eaten, so like all houseplants, keep Fido away!

Bottom Line

The Purple Passion is a stunner and easy care for to boot. Keep it watered and pinched back, and it will reward you with soft purple, elegant foliage for years to come.

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Container Gardening - Pothos Golden

Known as the Devil’s Ivy, Pothos Golden is the hardiest of container houseplants. Its tolerance for low light conditions gives the Pothos Golden versatility not often found in indoor gardening. It’s no wonder the Pothos Golden is the most popular plant for indoor use, take a look in any mall garden or office ‘garden’, and there’s sure to be a Pothos Golden with its heart shaped leaves and splashes of golden yellow.

Tips for Care

The Pothos Golden is oh-so hardy and surprisingly low maintenance. Because the Pothos Golden was originally found in the forests of the Solomon Islands north of Australia, it has happily adapted to low indoor light levels. Unlike other tropicals that demand sunlight, the Pothos Golden can be used to bring color to dimmer areas where other plants fear to tread. A good rule of thumb for this plant, if during the day there is enough natural light to read by, there’s enough light for the Pothos. Watch out for too much direct sunlight with this variant, as it can result in scorched leaves.

The Pothos Golden is quite happy being watered once a week, as it doesn’t like wet roots and should be allowed to dry slightly between waterings. In fact, a sure-fire way to kill them is overwatering and excess water should be drained from the base after watering.


The best indicator of a healthy Pothos Golden is the leaf color. Unhappy plants often turn almost completely green in color, while healthy, happy ones reward you with many splashes of golden yellow variegation throughout the plant.


The Pothos Golden only requires an annual liquid fertilizer, best applied in the spring, but it can be applied more often during the active growing time. While the plant is a fast growing vine, it’s happy being repotted every few years, and a general purpose potting soil with good drainage capabilities help this hardy plant thrive.


If the Pothos is used in a container rather than a hanging basket, be sure to give it a sturdy support to climb, something more than just a small stake.


Additional Tips


The Pothos Golden is poisonous to pets, both cats and dogs, so keep an eye on Fido. In fact, with plant munching pets in the house, the Pothos Golden is quite happy as a hanging basket with its trailing leaves creating a handsome display.


What the Pothos Golden also does for your home, and does quite well, is improve your indoor air quality. This variant is known for removing indoor pollutants, such as formaldehyde and benzene, and is considered one of the top houseplants for healthy indoor air.


Bottom LineThe Pothos Golden is one of the most popular houseplants, and for good reason. Its golden splashed leaves and low maintenance and lighting needs make it one of the hardiest houseplants around. It’s sure to become a staple in any indoor garden or container.

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Fern Maiden Hair

The Fern Maidenhair has its roots firmly dating back to ancient Greek civilization. Long thought to have medicinal qualities, the Maidenhair Fern was made into tea and used to treat coughs and respiratory problems.

Its delicate stalk and fan-like foliage has often associated ferns with hair in both folklore and herbal medicine, and it was thought that ferns could help prevent baldness when used in herbal remedies. Although no facts have ever shown the Fern Maidenhair to help with hair issues, it continues to be used in modern herbal uses for respiratory problems and coughs.

While rooted in folklore and remedies, the Fern Maidenhair, also known by its more formal name Adiantum pubescens, is best known for its stunning foliage and delicate stems. It is an endangered species in its wild form in some Eastern US states.

Tips for Care

Many have had their heart broken by this delicate fern, and it has been considered somewhat finicky. There are two must-haves to keep it thriving and that is moisture and low light.

The Fern Maidenhair loves humidity and in dryer parts of the home, it can be set on a tray of damp pebbles to help add moisture to the air. It should not be allowed to dry out between waterings and is not forgiving when allowed to become dry. Water as soon as the surface of the soil is nearly dry or just barely moist. Misting with warm water is also a good way to add humidity for the Fern Maidenhair. Terrariums are an option for the driest of indoor climates.

Since the Fern Maidenhair Is not known for pests and fungus, its best to avoid application of fungicides and pesticides if possible, as Maidenhairs are notoriously sensitive to them.
While the Fern Maidenhair loves sunlight, it does best in bright indirect sun. It tends not to like drafty areas, as the sharp temperature changes can cause leaf loss. In areas where summers are hot and humid, it’s happy in a shady place outside on occasion when fresh air is needed.

As for fertilizer, feed the Fern Maidenhair every two weeks during the spring and summer with a water soluble fertilizer diluted to a 50% mix with water. Trim off dead leaves to keep the plant happy and healthy and looking nice.

Bottom Line

With moisture and indirect sunlight, the Fern Maidenhair will be a stunner well worth the effort. Avoid handling the leaves of the fern, as they can bruise, keep it watered and happy, and you will be rewarded handsomely.

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Exotic Angel Plants - Lipstick Rasta

Lipstick Rasta

You would think the Lipstick Rasta came straight from Jamaica, but it originally hails from the rainforests of Malaysia. Also called the Aeschynanthus radicans, the Lipstick Rasta is known for its curly, dense vines that look like dreadlocks from afar. To add even more appeal to the stunning foliage, the Lipstick Rasta offers gorgeous long red blooms that grow in clusters.

In fact, it’s the red, trumpet shaped blooms that give the Lipstick Rasta its name, as the flowers look just like a red tube of lipstick when they begin to bloom.

In its natural habitat, the Lipstick Rasta trails from the branches of trees in the tropics. The cultivated variety is best displayed in hanging baskets or containers to show off its long trailing ‘locks’ of dark green leaves crowned with its bright blooms for an attention getting contrast.

Tips for Care

These plants prefer warmth, humidity and medium lighting conditions. The Lipstick Rasta is just as happy with artificial light as it is under natural lighting conditions. As a tropical plant, it of course needs a warm climate and it grows best in 65-70 degree temperatures.

The Lipstick Rasta is a thirsty plant, and needs regular watering, particularly if kept in a hanging basket. In drier areas of the home, misting between the watering can help make up for the lack of humidity, but the Lipstick Rasta does forgive a slight drying-out between waterings.

During the winter, temperatures can be kept slightly cooler and the plant a bit drier to encourage the buds for new flowers.

Bloom time usually occurs late summer into early fall, although some have been known to bloom year round.

During warmer months, the Lipstick Rasta can really put on a show with the underside of leaves turning purple or burgundy. Once the leaves have their color, moving the plant to a lower light area can help prolong the leaf color without it ‘tarnishing’.

Light sandy soil with a mix of peat/humus is preferred and fertilizing can be once or twice per month with a common houseplant fertilizer is best to keep the this exotic houseplant happy and healthy.

The Lipstick Rasta is quite forgiving when it comes to outgrowing its pot. In fact, being pot-bound actually encourages flowering in this plant, and they usually require repotting only every two to three years. They do like haircuts after flowering, and they can take a hard pruning if necessary. Leggy stems can be cut back to about 4-5 inches to encourage a fuller growth.

Bottom Line

For an easy care houseplant that puts on quite a show, the Lipstick Rasta is a hardy choice. Keep it moist, warm and in medium light, and it will put on a year round display with its foliage and then blooms for an encore.

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Indoor Gardenig, Exotic Angel Plants

Hoya Regalis

The Hoya Regalis is also known as Indian Rope and with its three to four foot long swirls of twisted foliage, it’s easy to see why. Also known by its more formal name of the Hoya Carnosa Compacta, not only does it boast spectacular foliage, but fragrant pink showy blooms as well. The Hoya plants are known for their wax-like flowers that are so lovely they can look plastic and be mistaken for faux plants.
This exotic tropical hails from Southeast Asia, where they can still be found growing wild, and has made quite a splash as a houseplant in both hanging baskets and containers. While many of these exotic plants with long trailing foliage can become climbers in containers, because of the twisted shape of the leaves, the Hoya Regalis cannot cling to a support. If not used in a hanging basket where it can trail its showy leaves, it should be kept trimmed down to be more compact and dense.

Tips for Care
While many exotic houseplants require special care and feeding, the Hoya Regalis is blessedly low maintenance. Soil should be kept moist and the Hoya requires regular watering. Like most tropicals, it loves humidity. In drier areas of the home, misting and damp pebble trays can help produce enough humidity to keep the Hoya happy.

Unlike other finicky exotic houseplants, Hoyas can be placed in a window facing any direction, although flowering can be slightly stunted in Northern windows. They tend to be happiest in South or West facing windows and do need to be protected from direct burning sunlight in the height of summer.

The Hoya Regalis is one of the more forgiving exotic houseplants, as a forgotten watering or two does not result in certain death. During the warmer months, watering one or two times each week is sufficient, and in the winter even less water is necessary. The soil can be allowed to dry slightly between waterings.

Fertilizing once or twice each year using a high phosphorous fertilizer makes for a happy, healthy Hoya. In the autumn, a good dose of fertilizer encourages hearty blooms, but over fertilizing will definitely cramp its blooming style.

The Hoya Regalis is not particularly susceptible to pests, but its curly leaves do provide good hiding places for aphids and mealy bugs. Keep an eye out for pests and use a soap and water spray to address them if necessary.

Bottom Line
If you are looking for a lot of impact with just a little care in a houseplant, the Hoya Regalis delivers with foliage and flowers to delight both sight and smell.


Exotic Angel Plants - Exotic angel plant is a term used to describe a wide variety of tropical foliage plants bred to thrive in indoors in containers.

Hoya Regalis - This lovely plant comes in 8 hanging basket, and it is perfect for patio or veranda hanging. The hangers are easily detachable to convert this plant into an attractive tabletop item.

Canning

Home canning is not complicated. It is a simple procedure of applying heat to food in a closed jar in order to interrupt the natural decaying that would otherwise take place. It requires “processing” or “heat processing” foods according to up-to-date, tested home canning guidelines. Proper home canning includes:

General canning guidelines described below should be followed for all home canning. Information specific to the selection, preparation and use of home canning jars and two-piece vacuum caps applies to Ball® home canning products and Kerr® home canning line.

The air we breathe and all foods in their natural state contain microorganisms, such as molds, yeasts and bacteria as well as enzymes. Food spoils when enzyme, mold, yeast and bacteria growth is not controlled. Proper, safe home canning procedures control the growth of spoilage microorganisms, allowing us to keep food beyond its normal storage period.



Home canning is not complicated. It is a simple procedure of applying heat to food in a closed jar in order to interrupt the natural decaying that would otherwise take place. It requires “processing” or “heat processing” foods according to up-to-date, tested home canning guidelines. Proper home canning includes:

* placing prepared food in Ball brand or Kerr brand home canning jars which are then sealed with Ball brand or Kerr brand two-piece vacuum caps;
* heating the filled jars to the designated temperature using the correct type of canner for the food being processed;
* processing the filled jars for the required time as stated by an up-to-date, tested recipe in order to destroy the spoilage microorganisms and inactive enzymes;
* cooling jars properly, allowing the lids to vent excess air from the jars to form a vacuum seal.

When followed exactly, the processing methods and times of up-to-date, tested home canning recipes adequately destroy normal levels of heat-resistant microorganisms. After processing and upon cooling, a vacuum is formed and the lid seals onto the jar. This ensures that home canned foods will be free of spoilage when the jars are stored properly and remain vacuum-sealed. This seal prevents other microorganisms from entering and recontamination of the food.

If you are located at an elevation higher than 1,000 feet above sea level, it is necessary to adjust the processing time when using the boiling-water method and the pounds of pressure when using the steam-pressure method. Make the appropriate adjustment for your elevation as indicated by the Altitude Charts.

BOILING-WATER CANNER Altitude (Feet) Increase Processing Time

1,001 – 3,000 5 minutes

3,001 – 6,000 10 minutes

6,001 – 8,000 15 minutes

8,001 – 10,000 20 minutes

STEAM-PRESSURE CANNER Altitude (Feet) Weighted Gauge Dial Gauge

0 – 1,000 10 11

1,001 – 2,000 15 11

2,001 – 4,000 15 12

4,001 – 6,000 15 13

6,001 – 8,000 15 14

8,001 – 10,000 15 15

NOTE: The cooking time necessary for recipe preparation before the food is placed in the jars is not a part of the processing time. It does not alter the processing time required for safe home canned foods. To thoroughly destroy all microorganisms that may be in a specific food as it is ladled into the jars, always process the filled jars for the time specified in a tested recipe from a reliable source, such as the Ball Blue Book® of Preserving.

Pressure Canning

Canning Essentials