Heller Greenhouse260-238-4040

I live in an apartment and my balcony faces north and is surrounded by big trees. It does get some sunlight but not a lot. I don’t want fake plants. What’s my best bet for plants and flowers that will survive in this condition.

Gerbera Daisies flourish in a partly to mostly shade environment. They like well drained soil that won’t retain moisture for long periods of time and they don’t like to be watered very frequently either. Their flowers last for weeks if not months and if you don’t over fertilize them they’ll produce new flowers all season long.

Growing them from seeds, however is no task for beginners so I’d recommend choosing plugs, starters or clones for your plants. But with all the amazing colors to choose from, who couldn’t resist. I love them for cuttings to, especially the 9" Californian varieties.

If I go away for a week, the Texas summer is very hard on my potted plants (peppers, tomatoes, herbs) because I have no one to water them for me. I’ve tried googling for a potted plant slow-release watering system I can put into my plant (changing pots not an option, this would be temporary thing) but can’t find anything.

Everything is set up for a huge garden and I’m looking for a couple of plants in pots!

I need something I can stick into my plants, leave for the week, and then come back and still have alive, healthy plants.

Thanks!
I repeat, "I have no one to water them for me".
I thought this would be too long-winded to add to the original question, but this will be a gift for my fiance, who is currently mourning the loss of his usual summer potted plants because he had to leave for a week. Little rainfall in his area of Texas.

I’m quite certain there are water ration laws where he is that forbids water consumption during certain hours/days, and I doubt he has access to an outdoor hose faucet. It is also unsafe to have it running from inside his apartment, say through a window, while he is away from the premises.

This device from a garden store that you can attach to a 2 litre bottle of water sounds ideal. It’s what I’ve been trying to find online with no luck. Where can I order one?

a neighbor kid??

I just moved to Jacksonville, florida and i have a screened in porch. The porch faces a wooded area so it causes alot of shade. i would really like to get some flowers to liven the area up a bit.

try impatients they have beauitful pink flowers and bloom all yearlong if brought in when winter comes around, and also Colous are colorful plants that like shade

My fancy fantail goldfish is becoming increasingly interested in the silk plant in his tank and keeps trying for a nibble. He loves peas and things but I thought it might be nice for him to have a real plant as its healthy for him to eat and oxygenates the water. What plants are low maintenance and ok for gravel digging fish like my fantail? And how would I look after this plant properly?

Any of these plants will do well for beginners. http://www.aquariumplants.com/Beginner_Plants_s/17.htm
You want to have some sort of lighting so that your plant will grow. I recommend full spectrum lights designed to give plants the full spectrum of visible light so they have a wide range of light wavelengths to get their energy from.
The plant species I linked you to don’t need CO2 injection (a pain in the butt) or fertilizer (dangerous to your fish). If your goldfish roots it up, just rebury it. These plants are hardy and will do fine.

I especially recommend aponogetons. My first plants were aponogetons; I bought a pack of bulbs from Walmart for three dollars for five to ten bulbs and two of them grew into very beautiful plants with no special care whatsoever.

If you want a plant that your goldfish won’t eat, try this one: http://www.aquariumplants.com/Ludwigia_Broad_Leaf_Ludwigia_repens_p/bp017.htm (read the review that someone wrote)

I’m especially interested in learning greenhouse and gardening techniques that aren’t expensive to maintain after the initial setup costs.

I would be in a colder climate with 500-10,000 dollars to invest. Its a relaxing activity I think I’d enjoy that could pay off as fuel and energy costs continue to rise.

I’m especially interested in websites or books you think might help me out.

Thanks!

When I first started it was the library, Barnes and Nobel (they have excellent books there), your local nurseries, and of course, catalogs which have enormous amount of information describing plants, flowers and pricing of greenhouses.(www.greenhouses.com)
The best books I have found were:
Better Homes and Garden "Garden ideas and Outdoor living"
Better Homes and Gardens "New Garden Book"
"1,001 Gardening Secrets The Experts Never Tell You"
"Jerry Baker’s" numerous books(Master Gardener)and of course my favorite, Paul James"Gardening by the Yard" on HG TV. Hope that helps!

i live in Nevada. I have no clue whatsoever on how to take care of a lawn let alone plant flowers but i know i want to learn being this as our first house with a backyard.

Pretty decent size i’d estimate around 25×15. The grass is totally dead (if any at all) at the moment but the owners are planning on resodding it for us.

So any tips or websites on how to care for it and what types of flowers to choose for Nevada’s climate.?? Really want something low-maintenence.

You can check at your local retail store that sells seeds and find out what zone your in. Any greenhouse in your area would be able to help you – most only sell plants that will grow in your area.

Any seed/plant catalogue will give you some great ideas and show you what the flower will look like then you can start to decide exactly what you want your back yard to look like.

Good luck and have fun with it. Gardens can give you years of pleasure.

I’ve had plants before but they turn yellow after a week so I removed them. My other 20 gallon tank has fake plastic plants. I am starting a new 20 gal tank. I want to fill it with plants before I add any fish. I know that I need to care for the plants as much as I would for the fish. So I want to know what kind of plants I should get for starters. What else do I need to know?

I know this is a commerical site, but it does give pix and facts about plants. I’ve always like Amazon sword plants and used those for angelfish spawning.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=768+802&pcatid=802

If you are hay bale gardening, tell me what plants are working for you and what plants aren’t. Do you have any helpful tips about hay bale gardening?

I started doing this 3 years ago and I love it! It is so much easier than regular gardening. You’re further off the ground, there are far fewer weeds and pests, it takes less water, you don’t have to "till" and the old hay turns into compost when you’re done!

Thanks!

Hmm…gotta say my favorite plant is eggplant. I like the Bell Peppers the least. =)

I am wanting to plant my first flower garden in front of my house, I have never really planted anything! What kind of flowers can I buy that are easy to take care of, easy to plant and that I do not have to worry about planting every couple of months, preferrably ones that grow back? Thanks.

For low-maintenance plants, use perennials in your garden, especially native plants, because they’ll be hardier, better at adapting to your area’s weather conditions, & will therefore will require less care. Try Ornamental grasses, Coneflowers (Echinacea), Salvia, Sedum, Coreopsis, Daylilies, hardy Geranium, Butterfly Bush (buddleia ), Liatris (Blazing Star), Peony, Black-Eyed Susan, Echinacea, Gaillardia, Asiatic Lily, Russian Sage, Lupines, Aster, Mountain Bluet, (Centaurea montana), Bluebells, spring bulbs, Campanula, Lamb’s Ears, Yucca, & Yarrow (Achillea millefolium).

The Daylily now has colorful "everbloomers" … that bloom all summer until frost.
Echinacea isn’t just a "Purple Coneflower" anymore because it now comes in various colors: rose-red, pink, lime, orange, yellow:
http://www.itsaulplants.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=gallery.viewCategory&catID=2

"Knock Out" Roses will bloom all summer & are almost carefree. I only trim them to shape them or take out the branches that look untidy, criss-cross, broken, etc.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/cemap/roseknockout/index.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfiyWZtYaiM&feature=related

Use ornamental grasses for contrasting textures & impact (even in the winter). Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) Viridescens Black Fountain only grows 20 "…The folliage dries in winter, but still looks good.
http://www.bluestem.ca/grass-scapes/pennisetum-andropogon3.htm
http://www.outsidepride.com/catalog/Black-Flower-p-16494.html
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/grasses/types.cfm
Front yard landscape using ground covers & short ornamental grass like Blue Fescue:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41642339@N00/134059193/
http://www.pathwayperennials.com/FgEB.htm

For a beautiful groundcover, Liriope, or "lilyturf" (Liriope spicata), reaches only about 1′ in height, & has a spiky flower, ranging in color from white to lavender. In autumn it bears a dark berry. I have a variegated variety which is stunning. These plants & the ornamental grasses have some varieties that are hardier than others, so look for those that will suit your zone.
http://www.ag.auburn.edu/hort/landscape/PERENNIAL_Liriope.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78358180@N00/255911573/
http://www.natorp.com/PL-Liriope.htm
http://www.saxonholt.com/webgalleries/jems_liriope/link.html

For your shadier areas choose ferns, Hosta, Lily-of -the-valley, or Foam Flower. Coral Bells (Heuchera) can grow in between areas from sun to partial shade:
http://www.peak.org/~jnelson/coralbellspalasepurple.htm
Foamflower with Heuchera:
http://lesliet.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/foamflower_and_heuchera.jpg
Variegated Periwinkle is a nice evergreen groundcover, forming a dense mat:
http://www.perennials.com/seeplant.html?item=7.655.180

Here’s a slideshow of front yard garden plans:
http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plans/special-spots/colorful-front-yard-garden-plans/?page=16

Garden tour featuring Daylilies with mostly other perennials:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8IQg0HBfy4&feature=related

Good luck & happy planting! Hope this is helpful.

In an effort to save money, I plant a lot of my bedding plants from seed instead of buying blooming plants. Does anyone know how long those plants that nurseries sell have been growing? It seems like my seedlings (particularly dianthus, sweet william, and snapdragon) are very straggly that whole first growing season, winter over nicely (we have fairly mild winters), and look great the following spring.

seven or eight weeks at least in ideal light and moisture conditions.