Bleeding Heart Vine (Clerodendron thomsoniae)
A gorgeous, heat-loving plant, native to West Africa, that is only hardy outdoors in the southern U.S. but makes a fine houseplant. It looks best in a hanging container to show off its full, lush foliage and branches that spill over the edge of the container. The bark is reddish brown and has nicely shaped, dark green leaves. But, what really sets BHV apart from typical houseplants are its masses of stunning red and white blossoms. (This vine should not be confused with Bleeding Heart, a Decentra genus. That is a completely different plant.)
Great video teaser for Amy Stewart’s informative and entertaining book that anyone interested in gardening should read. It's fascinating how many deadly, intoxicating, and lethal plants there are out there. Who knew nature was so ruthless?
Bluestone, which is cut in Pennsylvania and New York quarries, is a sedimentary rock that is attractive, durable, low-maintenance and complements a wide range of landscaping styles. When installed, it yields a relatively smooth, flat surface. Though it is called bluestone, colors range from blue, blue/gray, greens, browns, and even lilac. For this project, I chose stones with an irregular cut since I wanted a more informal look, even allowing low plants to grow between the stones.
"Plants can't see or hear, but they can recognize their siblings, and now researchers have found out how: They use chemical signals secreted from their roots, according to a new study.
Back in 2007, Canadian researchers discovered that a common seashore plant, called a sea rocket, can recognize its siblings – plants grown from seeds from the same plant, or mother. They saw that when siblings are grown next to each other in the soil, they "play nice" and don't send out more roots to compete with one another.
But as soon as one of the plants is thrown in with strangers, it begins competing with them by rapidly growing more roots to take up the water and mineral nutrients in the soil...."
