Blue plumbago is both shade-providing and beautiful; as the weather gets hotter, why not grow a pot?
The weather has really been getting hotter and hotter lately. Every time I open the window, by noon I feel like the heat is drilling its way into the house. What to do about it? Today Huahua is here to offer everyone a tip: why not grow a plant curtain on the balcony? Not only is it beautiful, but it also insulates against heat. In summer you'll save on buying curtains!
Purple necklace curtain
Complete Guide to Growing Flowers
Among succulents, the purple necklace (Othonna capensis) is one of the fastest growers. From cutting to growing into a waterfall, it basically takes only half a month to get it done, perfect for lazy people!
Care tips:
1. Plenty of sunlight
The purple necklace loves the sun. It is best to grow it on a south-facing windowsill and hang the whole pot up, so its vines can trail down, and that way it will turn into a waterfall faster!
2. Water more
The purple necklace likes moisture; the more humid the environment, the more vigorously it grows. If it lacks water, the lower leaves will dry up, and even the whole stem will wither. Watering about once every 1-2 days is fine, but never let it get rained on.
3. Loose, breathable soil
The purple necklace fears stuffy heat, so the potting soil must be kept loose and breathable. You can mix peat soil (coconut coir) and granular soil at a ratio of 7:3 to ensure the roots can breathe normally.
Air plants
Complete Guide to Growing Flowers
When it comes to the easiest plant in the world to grow, the first thing Huahua thinks of is air plants (Tillandsia)! After all, air plants don't even need soil. As long as you mist them with a bit of water regularly, you can grow a beautiful curtain!
Care tips:
1. Mist more
Air plants mainly rely on their leaves to absorb moisture from the air to sustain growth, so you must promptly mist the plant and the air around the pot to ensure the air plant can grow healthily.
2. Pay attention to ventilation
No matter how much you water, you must ensure good ventilation, otherwise your air plant will die in no time. After soaking the air plant in water, you can put it directly on the windowsill to dry, to prevent stuffy heat from causing rot at the core.
Blue plumbago curtain
Complete Guide to Growing Flowers
The first one Huahua wants to introduce is blue plumbago (Plumbago auriculata)! With summer weather this hot, the color of blue plumbago is sure to bring everyone a touch of coolness!
Care tips:
1. Plenty of light
Blue plumbago is called a summer flowering machine, simply because it loves light so much. The stronger the summer sun, the more blue plumbago blooms, almost filling the entire windowsill! So placing it on a south-facing balcony is most suitable!
2. Water frequently
Blue plumbago loves water extremely. As the weather gets hotter, it basically needs watering once a day; if the temperature stays above 30°C, basically water 1-2 times a day, and choose to water in the early morning or evening.
3. Add a little monopotassium phosphate
If you want blue plumbago to bloom more during summer, you need to give it some fertilizer now. Pour a 0.2% monopotassium phosphate solution at the roots, or spray it directly on the plant, to make blue plumbago produce more flower buds and bloom more and more!
Lipstick plant
Complete Guide to Growing Flowers
Speaking of which, compared to the heartleaf philodendron, Huahua actually prefers the lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus radicans) a bit more. After all, the flowers it produces are especially cute. Keep one at home and it can not only serve as a curtain to insulate against heat, but also let you enjoy the flowers, killing two birds with one stone!
Care tips:
1. Low light requirements
The lipstick plant tolerates partial shade and can grow vigorously without direct sunlight, so it can usually be placed in a spot indoors with good indirect light.
2. Water more
The lipstick plant likes moisture, but there must never be standing water in the pot, otherwise it will cause root rot. Summer is the vigorous growth period, so you can choose to water once every 1-2 days, and at the same time mist the leaves more to increase the air humidity somewhat.
3. Propagation by cuttings
The lipstick plant is mainly propagated by cuttings. You can cut 7-10cm long branches from the mother plant and stick them directly into sandy soil. It takes only about 1 month to root. After rooting, transplant them into pots, and they will quickly fill the pot!
Clematis
Complete Guide to Growing Flowers
What is most suitable to plant in spring and summer? Of course, it's clematis! Clematis blooms abundantly and densely, and it easily climbs walls. Growing it into a waterfall is a matter of minutes, isn't it?
Care tips:
1. Loose, breathable soil
Clematis has fleshy roots and is relatively poor at tolerating waterlogging. Once water accumulates, the roots will rot, so the soil should be chosen to be loose and breathable. You can mix peat soil, perlite and pine needles at a ratio of 2:1:1.
2. Full sun
If you want clematis to bloom more, you must give it plenty of sunlight. Place it on a south-facing balcony or south-facing windowsill, ensuring at least 6 hours of light every day. Without enough light, it definitely won't bloom.
3. Support
If you want clematis to become a waterfall, you must let it climb walls and give it enough support points. You can build a wooden frame on the balcony, or use thicker string to support the clematis vines, so that it can quickly turn into a waterfall!
String of pearls or string of tears
Complete Guide to Growing Flowers
String of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus) and string of tears (Senecio herreianus) are similar, except that string of pearls has rounder beads, while string of tears has beads that are long like teardrops. These 2 kinds of plants with slight differences are both very easy to grow into curtains!
Care tips:
1. Indirect light care is enough
String of pearls or string of tears likes a partially shaded environment. If exposed to direct sunlight for a long time, the leaves will turn yellow-green, which means they are scorched, and over time they may even wither and die.
2. Put tiles or coal cinders at the bottom of the pot
String of pearls or string of tears has thick leaves, so it is relatively drought-tolerant. You must water less to prevent water accumulation and root rot. Therefore, you can put broken bricks and tiles or coal cinders at the bottom of the pot to achieve drainage and breathability.
3. Water with a little rice water
If you want string of pearls or string of tears to become a curtain as soon as possible, you must add more nutrients. You can use fermented rice water or yogurt water, diluted with water at 1:50, to water the flowers, supplementing enough nitrogen fertilizer to make the plant grow more and more vigorously and turn into a curtain as soon as possible!
Rosary vine
Complete Guide to Growing Flowers
If Huahua could choose, Huahua would definitely want to grow a pot of rosary vine (Ceropegia woodii) at home. The leaves of the rosary vine are heart-shaped. Growing a pot and hanging it as a curtain, how romantic!
Care tips:
1. Likes plenty of indirect light
The rosary vine likes places with plenty of indirect light. Summer light is intense and can easily scorch the leaves, so you can let it receive 2 hours of direct light in the early morning and evening.
2. Loose, breathable soil
Use a terracotta pot for the rosary vine to ensure breathability. For the potting soil, choose soil with good drainage and good breathability. You can mix peat soil, perlite and river sand at a ratio of 3:1:1.
3. Watering and fertilizing
The rosary vine cannot tolerate water accumulation. Normally wait until the potting soil is dry before watering. You can lift the pot and, after feeling it become noticeably lighter, water it thoroughly once; applying a compound fertilizer about once a month is enough.
Hoya
Complete Guide to Growing Flowers
If you can't grow any of your other flowers into a waterfall curtain, then Huahua recommends you definitely grow hoya! Don't believe it? Come take a look!
Care tips:
1. A suitable flower pot
Don't choose too large a pot for hoya, otherwise hoya will only grow roots and won't climb walls. You can choose a suitable pot according to a ratio of 1.8:1 between the length of the young plant and the pot diameter, so that after the roots fill the entire pot, the stem nodes will grow as quickly as possible.
2. Cuttings
Choose branches that have bloomed for hoya cuttings; the survival rate is highest! Select 7-10cm branches, which must have stem nodes. After cleaning the cut, insert them directly into sand, and they will root in about 20 days!
As for flowers that can be grown into waterfalls,
that's all Huahua will introduce.
If fellow flower lovers know any other flowers that can become waterfalls,
why not leave a message for Huahua right away?
?