A Shout Out to the Princesses of the Plantworld! Relatively unknown and hard to find, Pileas are small leafed foliage plants commonly known as Polynesian Ivy. The first Pilea I acquired was purely by chance. A friend asked if I was interested in cuttings from an overflowing bush of stunning green and white leafed plants in her front yard. At the time, I hadn't a clue which plant it was. Snapping up the offer gratefully, I hauled my bounty home, quickly researched and GUESS WH

How I came to love the unusually beautiful Sansevierias! Our first attraction with plants is to foliage. All of us have an almost automatic adoration of lush leaves - the bouncier the better, the more patterned the more desired, the more variegated the more sought after. And with the stunning variety of foliage that Nature offers, it's more than enough to keep us happy in our plant hobbies! At times, however, mad foliage love can breed snobbery of things "non-foliagey". And s

In appreciation of the actual awesomeness of Aglaonemas! Plant trends can be notoriously fickle. Today, Calatheas and Hoyas are all the rage, never mind how anxiety inducing they may be to actually grow and keep them alive, especially here in Mumbai. Not too long ago, we waxed lyrical about Philodendrons, and tomorrow we'll be chasing the newest Anthuriums and Homalomenas. But there's one good ole, reliable, down-to-earth, value-for-money, no-fuss and absolutely drama-free sp

And other unnatural diversions by indomitable city growers! If you're a grower, especially one who's growing under open skies, you've probably learnt by now who's the boss. No, I don't mean your spouse, or the manager cutting your cheques, or even those demanding kids of yours! It's Nature that calls the shots, right?!. There's simply no getting around climate, season, sun orientation, sunlight availability, moon phases, wind factors, precipitation, humidity levels, airborne

For the love of God, and all things good, PLEASE hole your containers! There are few things as contradictory as a self-professed plant lover growing his/her beloved plants in a container with no holes. What should seem to be common sense, that plants will need to vent, just as we humans do - especially if they keep getting watered and fed (!) - is apparently, esoteric wisdom to many. Here are some photos, mainly from gift shops, where neither the seller nor the gifter seem to

Common myths and uncommon truths about the industry's favorite fella! Much has been said and shouted from rooftops about the benefits of cocopeat. Born of humble origins as coconut waste and baptized in the waters of environmental correctness, everyone seems to be high-fiving cocopeat. Online horticultural and farmer's groups recommend it to new growers as the new "soil-less soil". Nurseries avidly sell plants in cocopeat filled containers. Houseplant parents happily accept