ARTICLES - GARDENING AND FLORAL

by Joelle Steele

These are some of my articles that appeared in a variety of gardening publications over the years. You might want to read my gardening advice column too. And, I have written a few books on gardening, some of them free. The main one is for professional interior landscapers, English & Spanish Guide to Interior Landscape Maintenance. And if you're a professional in the landscape industry, I have many customizable contract templates for those trades, only $24.95 each.

INDOOR GARDENING

A Brief History of the Interior Landscape & Floral Industries: An overview of the industries from the dawn of time until the early years of the 21st century.

A Brief History of the Use of Poisonous Plants: For centuries, people have been using poisonous plants to commit murder.

Basics of Foliage Diseases: Descriptions of some of the most common diseases of tropical plants.

Bromeliads: A brief plant profile of these epiphytic plants.

Carnivorous Plants: A brief description of the characteristics and growing conditions of insectivorous plants.

Design Process: Breaking down the design process into manageable steps, including examining the space and the client's needs, the design details, and appropriate design format. Also some basic design terminology.

Feng Shui Your Home or Office with Plants and Flowers: A quick look at how you can improve your life with plants and the ancient art of Feng Shui.

Fertilizers-A Feast for Foliage: A quick look at fertilizers as used in the interior landscape. How to select and apply.

Hydroponics and Hydroculture: A beginner's guide to gardening without soil.

Indoor Dracaenas: A brief plant profile of these larger species of the lily and other plant families.

Indoor Ferns: A brief profile of ferns used as houseplants.

Indoor Ficus Trees: A brief profile of these popular houseplant trees.

Indoor Ivies: A brief plant profile of some of the most common ivies used in the interior landscape.

Indoor Prayer Plants -Marantas and Calatheas: A brief profile of some of these colorful plants.

Indoor Orchids: A brief profile of some popular orchids used in the interior landscape.

Myths Behind Plant Names: The myths and legends that led to the names of some of our common garden plants.

Plants Clean The Air We Breathe: A summary of the research studies by Dr. Bill Wolverton that found plants removed toxic chemicals from our indoor environments.

Plant Consciousness - Do Plants Think? For thousands of years people have been trying to determine whether or not plants can think or react to various stimuli. Here's a quick history of that subject.

Roots of Biophilia: To understand the history of this 21st century interior landscape catch-phrase, you have to go back to the 1920s-30s.

Winter Gardening Indoors: How to overwinter your garden plants indoors, and water and feed them correctly until spring comes back.

OUTDOOR GARDENING

Biblical Herbs: Information regarding the herbs mentioned in the Bible, problems with some of their Biblical translations, and finding suitable substitutes.

Building Retaining Walls: A few basic guidelines for building retaining walls and for regular inspection of those walls to prevent damage that results if/when they fail or collapse.

Deer-Resistant Plants for Pacific Northwest Gardens: Before you build an electric fence, try some of these plants to repel deer.

Feng Shui Your Garden: Some tips on using Feng Shui to improve your life with plants and other garden items.

Good Neighbor Gardening: The importance of good communication, maintaining fences, trimming trees, the use of vines on fences and common areas, weeds, pests, "junkyards", and helping out.

Magical Plants: Plants have been used for casting spells and bringing good luck and love since ancient times. Here is a collection of those plants and some of their common magical applications that are still in use to this day.

Night Lighting the Landscape: Safety and Security Come First. Learn why floodlights do NOT provide security for a home or business, and how to correctly light for security and to highlight design features of a landscape.

Planting and Maintaining Hedges in Pacific Northwest Gardens: Explains how to create and maintain a healthy and attractive hedge.

Poisonous Plants - Common Species: A short encyclopedia of poisonous plants.

Poisonous Plants - Physiology: Describes the alkaloids, glycosides, and other toxic compounds found in poisonous plants.

Pruning Roses in Pacific Northwest Gardens: Describes the kinds of roses you are most likely to have in your yard and how and when to prune them.

Sweet Smell and Healing Effects of Herbs and Flowers: A brief article on the use of herbs and flowers for their fragrance and healing effects.

What's In A Name? The basics of plant taxonomy (classification) and how to pronounce all those Latin and Greek names.

FLORAL-FLORISTRY

Floral Arrangements: An explanation of some of the basic arrangement styles used in flower arranging.

Floral Design: A look at the design basics as they apply to flower arranging.

Floral Preparation and Maintenance: How to cut and prepare flowers and maintain flower arrangements.

Floral Tools, Supplies and Working Safely: A brief look at the tools and supplies used in flower arranging and working safely.

Ikebana: A brief description of the styles of Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging.

Wedding Flowers and Arrangements: Some of the common bouquets, corsages, and arrangements used in weddings.