Page 26 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • April 27, 2011 ����������������������������� (ARA) As the plants outside are sprouting and springing to life, there’s no reason your home can’t get in on the action. Adorning your home with houseplants is a great way to keep the good feelings of spring going within your home. Most houseplants add oxygen and humidity back to the air and some can even rid an area of toxins expelled through materials used to build, decorate, and furnish a house. Indoor plants are ideal to keeping the summer spirit alive, adding a splash of color or texture in your home and providing wonderful health benefits for you and your family. By following just a few simple steps, you can host healthy and beautiful houseplants in your living space. 3-2-11 karen/janine Location, location, location: After plants are arranged appropriately in their containers, you’ll need to find a HomeImpDecBanner6x suitable location for them. The first step in keeping a 6 x .75” plant healthy is to situate it away from any drafty areas or heat sources. For instance, do not place a fern by a front or back door, or on top of a heating vent. Heat sources such as fireplaces will also cause plants to dry out. Keeping hydrated: Many of us overwater our plants. Using a product that regulates overwatering and infuses soil with oxygen, like Safer Brand Oxygen Plus Plant Food, will allow you to avoid the woes of overwatering, which result in the wilting, dulling, and death of houseplants. Catching rays: Placing houseplants indoors where the sun will hit them only about four to six hours a day is sufficient. Sunlight results in denser, greener foliage, and overall healthier plants. Moving time: Plants would much rather be outdoors Houseplants can be good for home and health than stuck inside during warm and sunny days. Houseplants can be moved outdoors after the danger of frost has passed. This timing is dependent upon where you live and the time of the year. Moving houseplants outdoors is easy and will add a great decor element to your entryway, porch, or deck. Before moving plants outdoors, add about two inches of potting soil to their containers, as this amount has probably decomposed in the container during the winter months. Once outside, you should soak your plants from top to bottom. In the initial stages of a houseplant’s conversion outdoors, it is important to gradually introduce them to nature. Placing plants in direct sunlight for the length of a day will put them in shock, so it is best to acclimate them over a one- to two-week period. Introducing them to the outside under shade of a tall tree will ease them into this transition. The outdoors offers a houseplant many elements that allow them to thrive, but also exposes them to residents of nature they may not have encountered before. Using an organic insect killer, like Safer Brand Houseplant Insect Killer, will keep your plant from being eaten in the outdoors. When you notice that leaves or petals have been snacked on, or you actually see a bug on the plant, you can spray the entire plant to ensure the bugs will be killed organically and your plant will not be harmed. Not only do potted plants add design elements to interior and exterior living spaces, but they are also beneficial to your health. So go ahead, indulge in a houseplant or two. A little green can really do the body good. CIRINO LANDSCAPING Full Service Landscape Company Are you ready for Spring? Spring Clean-Up Personal Service Free Estimate New Clients Only • w/Coupon • Exp 5/31/11 • Not Combinable ANY 15% OFF SERVICE Tom Cirino (ARA) It’s planting season -- a prime time to share your love for nature with your entire family and spend quality time together in the garden. Getting kids excited about gardening is simple if they are involved with the planning process, which promotes a fertile imagination. Gardening is fun at any age. With a little help, even toddlers and preschoolers enjoy planting their own little posy or veggie patch. Kids love a theme. Get together with your children to plan and plant a themed garden. Center the theme on foods they already like, such as pizza or salsa, so the fun and learning experience of gardening combines with eating and enjoying what they’ve grown. What you plant in your pizza garden will depend on your family’s preferences, but tomatoes, purple and yellow peppers, oregano, and basil are staples for any pie. For your salsa garden, choose tomatoes, red and green bell peppers, red onion, cilantro, and hot peppers. A butterfly garden is another theme that appeals to children who love flowers, not to mention bugs. Planting sun-loving flowers like bee balm, purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, and butterfly weed are sure to attract plenty of butterflies. With luck, the adult butterflies will leave eggs behind, so children will witness the insect’s amazing life cycle firsthand. Give them the tools. Brightly colored small spades, totsized trowels, and a watering can are beginner gardening staples. Equip children with tools that fit their smaller hands and appeal to their sense of adventure. Scotts Feed creativity with fun garden ideas Miracle-Gro and Peachtree Playthings have teamed up to offer a line of gardening kits that incorporate products that have been helping adults grow successful gardens for decades. Ask your local nursery about the 3-in-1 Gardening Set, the Miracle-Gro Kids ModPots, Kids Terrarium, or the Grow-A-Plant set. Whether your family garden will be in the backyard or in containers on the balcony, porch, or patio, involving everyone makes gardening enjoyable. Let the kids select a garden site. Choose a place that is easily accessible with adequate sunlight - six hours a day - and good drainage. Children also like to choose what they want to plant. Often, they pick well-loved vegetables and flowers such as pumpkins, potatoes, daisies, or geraniums. Feel free to suggest easy-to-grow new plant ideas like zucchini, purple peppers, dill, chives, or tomatoes. During the summer and fall months, as your family comes up with ideas for next year’s garden, be adventurous and explore developed gardens where children can see what the plants look like. Cut out pictures and have kids make a collage of garden ideas. Visit friends and family gardens, tour a botanical or community garden, or simply stroll through the local nursery. Bring along a plant identification book and journal to write down the names, colors, scents and, if appropriate, tastes of the plants you like. Children will come up with plenty of planning activities for the long winter months as they begin dreaming of spring, planting, and tasting once again. ASK ABOUT OUR PRE-PAYMENT SEASONAL DISCOUNT! Call 201-891-0955 For Information The Scotts Annual Program Provides Nutrients Your Lawn Can Grow On! Scotts 4-step annual lawn care program takes the confusion and guesswork out of caring for your lawn. Each step provides your lawn with a constant supply of nutrients throughout the growing season, and at the same time, takes care of problems like crab- grass, weeds and insects. Best of all, the average 5,000 square foot lawn takes about 30 minutes, March/April four times a year. Imagine a great looking lawn with only a 2-hour investment in time! 4-20-11 pat/janine Cirino2x2.5SpringColor(4-20-11) 2x2.5” DESIGN • INSTALLATION • REPAIR Member N.J.L.C.A & N.J. Turf Grass Assoc. 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