Plants
How to Grow and Care for the Lucky Clover Plant in Containers
Intro: The 6- to 12-inch-tall lucky clover plant is known by many names, including iron cross, shamrock plant, lucky leaf and good luck plant. If growing in a feral state, it is often called four-leaf sorrel and four-leaved pink sorrel. Lucky clover, which is native to Mexico, is not a clover at all, but resembles a green four-leaf clover with an iron cross-shaped purple coloration in the center. The resemblance to the lucky four-leaf clover is what gives this Oxalis species its common names. This container plant blooms throughout the spring and summer with pretty little pink flowers. The good luck plant does well in plant containers indoors next to a sunny window or in a bright spot with indirect sun in a balcony container garden.
How to Grow and Care for Peace Lilies in Containers
Intro: Peace lily flowers are usually kept in indoor gardens, but if you have a dark balcony garden that doesn’t get direct light and you live in a warm area, you can keep peace lilies in your balcony container garden. The peace lily flower has large shiny, dark green leaves and large white flowers that can last for weeks or months. To keep your peace lily plant blooming with large, healthy-looking flowers, remove any flower and its stalk once the flower is past its prime. Once the flower starts turning green or gets brown spots, it is time to remove the flower. To remove the peace lily flower, cut off the flower at the base of its stalk without twisting or ripping it out.
How to Grow and Care for the Bleeding Heart Plant in Containers
Intro: Bleeding heart plants have ferny leaves that grow in a basal rosette form, and their dangling heart-shaped flowers bloom on leafless stalks. Their unique pink or white flowers are what give this plant its common name of bleeding heart. Blooms will appear in late spring to early summer and will last for several weeks (after which the foliage will begin to lose some of its attractiveness). Flowers of the old-fashioned bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) look most like hearts, while other flowers can have different shapes. The best bleeding heart plant species for plant containers is the smaller Dicentra formosa, which grows from 9 inches to 1.5 feet tall. Gardeners with shady balcony gardens should try this plant, especially if they have morning sun.
How to Grow and Care for African Lily in Containers
Intro: The African lily, also called Agagpathus, has 20 to 30 blue-purple or white flowers that bloom in a sphere on top of a 20-inch-tall central stalk. The ‘Albus’ cultivar has white flowers, ‘Sapphire’ has dark blue flowers, ‘Aureus’ has leaves striped with yellow and ‘Variegatus’ has white leaves with green bands. Other varieties include those with double flowers, and others grow larger or smaller flowers. The African lily is a great container plant because they seem to prefer being pot-bound, and containers make bringing this plant inside for the colder winter months easy. The African lily blooms in mid to late summer, and the flowers last for weeks, giving your balcony garden a nice splash of color.
How to Grow and Care for Vriesea Bromeliads in Containers
Intro: The epiphytic vriesea bromeliads are native to Central and South America. They are prized for their interesting and brightly colored flat (swordlike) flowers. They do well as indoor plants in shady conditions, and they can be kept outdoors as long as they are kept warm in shadier balcony gardens.
