Plants on this page:
Aloe Vera, Anemone, Aster, Astilbe.Just scroll down to find the one you want.
Some day when I can make a link work properly,
you will be able to go to the exact one with a single click.
Aloe Vera
If you have a picture of yours, I'll put it on this site.
How to kill, or nearly kill an aloe vera:
1-Water it a great deal. This will cause the plant to rot.
2-Pour water on it where the leaves meet. Water will settle there and rot the plant.
3-Never, Never mist the plant. That would protect it from becoming infested with the insects that enjoy destroying houseplants.
4-To keep it alive, but not happy, leave it in the house in the summer time. The fresh air would help keep spider mites away. But if you wait until mid-July to put it outside and don't bother to get it used to being in direct sunlight gradually, it will look really sick the rest of the summer. I did that, and I am lucky that it is still alive at all!
5-Keep the plant in a dark corner of your home. It likes full sun, even the hottest south window.
6-Repot it every year. It only needs to be repotted the spring after it has flowered. It flowers in the winter. The flowers are supposedly bell-like and yellow or orange-red. Most of the flowers have a faint fragrance. Large varieties have flower stems a few feet tall while others may be only 4 - 8 inches. Should you be so lucky as to have one actually flower, send me e-mail and let me know. And if you could send me a picture of it in bloom, I would love to put the picture on this page, with your permission!
My plant is 3 years old and likes to go outside in the summer. I don't mist it, but it looks healthy as can be. Since ancient times, the thick sap of the exotic-looking Aloe plant has been esteemed for both its first aid and cosmetic value.
The Aloe group has over 300 members, all varying in size and shape. Most are natives of Africa, especially South Africa and Madagascar.
Medicinal plant
Aloe plants contain a thick fluid which seeps through if the plant is damaged. This sap is tapped from the plant, dried and sold and used as a laxative.
Many of the Aloe varieties grown as house plants can be used as first aid. Stroke a piece of the plant aver a burn to speed up the healing process.
Beauty Aid
Aloe plants have come into the limelight once again. Advertisements for beauty aids containing sap from the plant �Aloe vera� suggest they may benefit poor skin and improve the complexion in general. Aloe is said to help the skin retain its natural moisture. I have a wonderful Bubble Bath with Aloe Vera in it and I think it does help my skin from drying out so much in the winter.
A member of the Liliaceae family
Aloe belongs to the Lily family (Liliaceae) but looks much like Agave, sometimes called �American Aloe.� The two plants are botanically distinct, however, Aloe flowers, unlike those of the Agave, are bell-shaped, in shades of yellow or orange-red, and perch on the ends of long, slim stems.
Another difference is that Aloe leaves can be snapped to reveal a juicy pulp. The strong-fibered Agave leaves do not easily break.
A few common varieties
Arborescens, the Tree Aloe, and Aloe variegata, the Partridge Breast Aloe, are probably the most common house plant types. Aloe aristata, Brush Aloe, is a rather small plant with no stems. It grows a compact rosette of about 6 inches across. Eventually this sends out side shoots and produces a whole series of little tufts. The leaves are white-spotted and the flowers are orange-red.
Aloe brevifolia, Short-Leafed Aloe has short, mealy, triangular leaves covered with small hard teeth. This Aloe also grows into a series of clumps or tufts. The rosettes are about 4-5 inches across and the flowers are red.
Aloe striata, Coral Aloe, has unique smooth-edged leaves which are gray-green in color. Its' flowers are a beautiful pink to orange.
Anemone hybrida
ANEMONE HYBRIDA
Japanese Anemone
Zones 3-24, 30-39, 41
Partial shade
Regular watering
Anemone hybrida
Prized for its late-summer bloom, this graceful
plant bears loose sprays of slightly cupped,
gold-centered white or pink flowers that
resemble wild roses. Blossoms are single or double,
2 to 3 inches across,
carried on 2- to 4-foot flower stems
that rise from clumps of dark green, softly hairy
foliage. Leaves are three to five lobed, up to 6
inches across. Foliage clumps are low in early spring,
then increase in height as the season progresses.
Japanese anemone is especially attractive
planted in front of deep green shrubbery, where
its flowers stand out dramatically against the dark backdrop.
Japanese anemone prefers good, well-amended soil;
it will take claylike soil as long as drainage is good.
Plants tolerate some sun in cool-summer climates
but need protection from afternoon sun where
summers are hot. Where winters are severe, mulch plantings
heavily in fall.
Plants establish somewhat slowly but spread freely
by rhizomes when mature; you can pull up new shoots to
keep plants in bounds. Divide clumps every 5 to 7 years.
ASTER NOVAE-ANGLIAE
New England Aster
Zones 1-24, 31-43
Full sun, partial shade in hot-summer climates
Regular watering
Asters are on many a gardener's list of favorite
fall-blooming perennials. They're easy to grow and add
color to the landscape when most other flowers are
winding down for the year.
The aster is a stout-stemmed plant 3 to 5 feet tall
with hairy leaves to 5 inches long. Pink to deep purple
flowers are 2 inches across; two favorite varieties are
dark pink 'Alma Potschke' and deep lilac 'Treasure'.
Stake plants early in the season to keep stems from flopping
over. Compared to many other asters, New England aster
is more tolerant of climatic extremes, taking high
humidity and colder winter temperatures. It performs best
in rich soil. It prefers regular water and will thrive
even in wet soil; if it dries out too much between
waterings, it's prone to mildew. Divide clumps every 1 to 3
years.
ASTILBE
Zones 1-7, 14-17, 32-45 Part to full shade; accepts some sun in cool summer climates
Regular watering
Astilbe
Mainstays of the summer shade garden, astilbe provides
both bright flower color and attractive foliage.
Feathery, plumelike flower clusters in white and a wide
range of pink and red shades emerge from loose clumps
of toothed, dark green, almost fernlike leaves. Heights
vary, but plants typically average 2 to 3 feet tall
and wide. By planting varieties with staggered bloom
times, you can enjoy flowers from late spring through
summer's end.
Astilbe needs rich, moist, well-drained soil.
It does best in shade but tolerates sun if temperatures
are fairly cool and sufficient water is provided.
Survival in the coldest zones (1, 43, 45) depends on
good snow cover. During the growing season, apply
a complete fertilizer regularly (monthly to bimonthly,
depending on soil). Divide clumps when flower
production lessens, usually every 3 to 5 years.