HOW TO GROW PLANTS

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The entire world – except for beyond the arctic tundra’s – is covered with plants of one description or another. In fact, current thinking believes there to be an incredible 300-313,000 species of plants in existence today. But with so many unique plants growing in such a wide range of specialist environments, how on earth are you supposed to cope when it comes to growing non-native plants in your own garden?

Well, there are two ways to approach this:

1. Adjust the local environment in order to accommodate the plants you want ie. Improve/reduce drainage, adjust the soil Ph, increase shade/ remove shade etc.


2. Research what kind of environment you have and grow those plants which suit it.

Sometimes the plant itself will give clues that will help tell you about the environment it evolved from. Plants with silver of hairy leaves are generally from hot sunny climates. Broad leaved, low growing plants are often from a woodland or forest floor, while plants which have a silvery underside to the leaf tend to be an indication of specialised reflective cells within the leaf which it uses to maximise the available light in heavily shaded environments.

Plants which grow from bulbs tend to have originated from harsh mountainous areas, while plants with succulent stems or leaves often, but not always, come from regions with low rain full.

Some plant families carry relating characteristics. Those for the ericaceous family almost all require an acidic soil, while a large amount of the edible fruits we eat are from the Rosacae family.

In order to be absolutely certain of where your plant has originated from, always make sure that you have the correct name to match the plant. That way you can research where in the world it originated and adjust your local environment accordingly.

Of course, you also need to be aware that when it comes to looking after plants – kindness can kill! You may wish to feed and water your plants as much as you can, but remember that in the real world it doesn’t rain every day (unless you live in Wales) and water logged roots is the quickest way to kill off a good plant.

One more thing, cacti and succulents do not live in the desert. Sand dunes do as well as an occasional camel. These specialist plants do however live in arid conditions were it will rain occasionally. Therefore cacti and will need watering, just not very much and not very often. If you never water them then they will die like any other plant.

To find out more about how to grow plants, click onto any of the links below:
Aloe vera
Bird of Paradise Flower
Can You Over-winter Citrus Outside?
Choosing Hardy Cacti and Succulents for Growing Outside
Discovered - of New Species of Giant Carnivorous Plant.
Drought Resistant Plants and Gardening
Edible Crop Pollination and the Decline of Bees
Evergreens for Dry Shade
Flowering
Gardening in the Arctic Circle - Canada
Hibiscus
How and What do Worms Eat?
Hardy Cacti and Succulents for Growing Outside
How do I find out my Soil Type?
How do you find Truffles?
How do you Harden off Seedlings?
How to Break Dormancy in Seeds
How to Control Weeds in the Lawn
How to Get Rid of Moss in Lawns?
How to Grow Hibiscus
How to Harden Off Seedlings
How to Improve Drainage in Lawns
How to Kill Moss in Lawns
How to Winterize Geraniums
Plants for Late Summer/Autumn Colour
Green Manures for Autumn Planting
Hardy Exotic Plants for that Tropical Garden Effect
Historic Roses - Rosa Mundi
How and Why does Over-watering Kill Plants?
How Can You Improve Clay Soils?
How Does a Pitcher Plant Attract, Catch and Trap Insects
How to Choose Plants for Hot, Dry Sunny Borders
How to Cure and Store Pumpkins
How to Feed Orchids
How to Feed Tree Ferns
How to Look After and Care For Orchids
How to Look After and Care For Tree Ferns
How to Make a Leaf Mould Compost
How to Make an Asparagus Bed
How to Make and Prepare an Asparagus Bed
How to Make your Own Organic Pyrethrum Insecticide
How to Over-Winter Fuchsia's
How to Over-Winter Geraniums
How to Over-Winter the Glory Lily
How to Over-Winter Roses
How to Overwinter Strawberries
How to Plant and Grow Hellebores
How to Plant and Grow Hyacinths
How to Plant and Grow the Himalayan Poppy - Meconopsis betonicifolia
How to Plant and Grow Snowdrops
How to Protect and Over-Winter Bananas
How to Protect Tree Ferns Over Winter
How to Recognise Vine Weevil Damage on Plants
How to Repot an Orchid
How to Save and Recover an Over-watered Plant
How to Take Cuttings from Clematis
How to Water Amaryllis
How to Water Orchids
How to Water Garden and Container Grown Plants
How to Water Tree Ferns
The Himalayan Blue Poppy - Meconopsis betonicifolia
Native Plants - The Snake's Head Fritillary
Nectar Rich American Wildflowers for Attracting Native Bumble Bees
Old English Plants - Polyanthus 'Gold Lace'
Plants
Plants for Autumn Colour
Plants for Dry Shade
Strelitzia
The Blue Poppy
The Hardy Begonia - Begonia grandis
The 'Native Trees' of England
The White Bat Plant - Tacca integrifoilia
The Wollemi Pine
What are Mycorrhizal Fungi?
What are Plant Macronutrients and Micronutrients?
What are Plant Nutrients?
What Causes Blue Hydrangeas to Turn Pink?
What Causes Moss in Lawns
What is Chlorosis?
What is Cork Made of?
What is Crop Rotation?
What is a Leaf Mould Compost?

What is Lavender?
What is Lobelia?

What is a Truffle?
What is a Wormery?
What is an Epiphyte?
What is Frankincense?
What is an F1 Hybrid?
What is an Orchid?
What is Over-watering and How to Recognise it?
What is Pricking out?
What is Rhubarb Poisoning?
What is the Biggest Flower in the World?
When and how should you prune back Lavender?
When should you Re-pot an Orchid?

When do you Prune Roses?
Why Grow Green Manure?

If you also want to know how to propagate ornamental plants, click onto any of the links below:

Growing Orange Trees from Seed
How to Break Dormancy in Seeds
How to Collect and Prepare Hardy Passion Flower Seed for Sowing
How to Grow Amaryllis from Seed
How to Grow Agave from Seed
How to Grow Aloe vera from Seed
How to Grow the Angel's Trumpet from Seed
How to Grow Auriculas from Seed
How to Grow Autumn Sowings of Sweet Peas
How to Grow Banana Trees from Seed
How to Grow the Bat Plant from Seed - Tacca chantieri
How to Grow Bird of Paradise Plants from Seed
How to Grow Citrus from Seed
How to Grow Eucomis Plants from Seed
How to Grow Foxgloves from Seed - By Terence Baker
How to Grow From Seed
How to Grow Geraniums from Seeds
How to Grow the Glory Lily (Gloriosa superba) from Seed
How to Grow Grass from Seed
How to Grow Hardy Passion Flowers from Seed
How to Grow Himalayan Blue Poppy - Meconopsis betonicifolia from Seed
How to Grow a Lemon Tree from Seed
How to Grow Lemons from Seed
How to Grow Crocus from Seed
How to Grow Mistletoe from Seed
How to Grow Native Wild Primroses and Polyanthus from Seed
How to Grow an Orange Tree from Seed
How to Grow Palm Trees from Seed
How to Grow Plants
How to Grow the Pyrethrum Daisy from Seed
How to Grow Roses from Cuttings
How to Grow Roses from Seed
How to Grow Species Tulips from Seed
How to Grow Sunflowers from Seed
How to Grow Sweet Corn from Seed
How to Grow tree Ferns
How to propagate and Grow Eucomis from Leaf Cuttings
How to Propagate and Grow Mistletoe
How to Propagate Box Hedging
How to Propagate Cowslips and Primroses
How to propagate Daffodils and Narcissus
How to Propagate Dahlias
How to Propagate Hellebores
How to Propagate Hyacinths
How to Propagate lavender from Cuttings?
How to Propagate Snowdrops
How to Propagate the Saffron Crocus
How to Propagate Tulips
 How to Take Cuttings from Box Hedging
How to Take Cuttings from Clematis
How to Take Chrysanthemum Cuttings
How to take Cuttings from Fuchsia
How to Take Cuttings from Lavender
How to Take Geranium Cuttings
How to take Cuttings from Rosemary
How to Take Hydrangea Cuttings
How to Take Hardwood Cuttings
Peppadew Pepper Seed
Organic Seeds with the Royal Connection
What is an F1 Hybrid?
Why haven't my Seeds Germinated?
What is Seed Dormancy?
Based on an article invented in my head
Photos care of http://lovelle.blogg.se/category/reserelaterat-2.html and http://entertainer.mvourtown.com/2010/11/23/a-recipe-for-the-perfect-snow-day/ and http://www.bbg.org/bloom/9 and http://www.free-desktop-backgrounds.net/Nature-landscapes-wallpapers/Desert-wallpapers/Small-desert-oasis.html