Are miniature cacti just younger plants or do they have their own name or classification? Awhile ago I saw some tiny (~1 in. apiece) cacti for sale in a big box garden/home supply store, but am not having luck finding them online (getting a lot of hits for dollhouse miniatures, etc). I would like to buy some but know neither the right terminology to use, nor where I'd buy them. I've already browsed several online cacti stores w/o success. Thanks for your help tracking this down!
posted by artifarce on Nov 21, 2009 - 8 answers

Looking for a recommendation for an indoor climbing vine. [more inside]
posted by machaus on Oct 13, 2009 - 2 answers

Seattle gardening and native plants: How hard should I be trying to stay native? If not native, what's good for this climate? [more inside]
posted by Cool Papa Bell on Sep 25, 2009 - 7 answers

How should I prepare my avocado plants for moving across country? [more inside]
posted by illenion on Sep 24, 2009 - 1 answer

What is this kudzu-like vine that grows in my neighbourhood in Toronto? [more inside]
posted by winston on Sep 10, 2009 - 4 answers

Can anyone identify this plant? [more inside]
posted by applemeat on Aug 12, 2009 - 6 answers

Newbie gardening question: I'm very new to gardening and have some questions about drainage. I live in an apartment, so can only grow things in containers. For plants on the balcony, I'm using terra cotta pots with a hole in the bottom and setting them on the matching saucers. But what about indoor plants? Do all pots need drainage holes? [more inside]
posted by wsquared on Jun 23, 2009 - 11 answers

Will a paper bag protect my potted plants (herbs and flowers) from frost? [more inside]
posted by geeky on May 18, 2009 - 7 answers

I'm looking for creative, inexpensive ideas to keep vegetables safe from thieves and pranksters. [more inside]
posted by Eicats on May 11, 2009 - 22 answers

We've had high winds the last few days, and these tiny purple flowers have been drifting into my yard from parts unknown. I am obsessed with finding out what they are! [more inside]
posted by Orb on Apr 5, 2009 - 4 answers

What plants can withstand urban squirrel, raccoon, and bird assaults (and might repel flies while they're at it?) [more inside]
posted by peggynature on Mar 13, 2009 - 5 answers

Is there any way to save this plant?? [more inside]
posted by I_love_the_rain on Feb 20, 2009 - 6 answers

I'd like to hang a small screw-in type grow light (not a giant florescent tube) above my plants to help them out. Possible? [more inside]
posted by washburn on Feb 16, 2009 - 10 answers

Is growing sprouts in my bedroom a good idea or will it result in hellacious odors and weeping and gnashing of teeth? [more inside]
posted by fantine on Dec 3, 2008 - 13 answers

What plants are suitable for putting on our deck in Seattle? There's no yard/soil, so they must live in containers. The deck is quite large so I was thinking about large decorative plants like small trees or some form of bamboo. Climate-wise, we have the typical PNW weather of moist winters that only fall below freezing a few days out of the year. Also, we are completely ignorant of gardening and would rather have something that can survive with a minimum of attention.
posted by matildaben on Nov 18, 2008 - 11 answers

What kinds of food plants will grow inside by a window? [more inside]
posted by mjewkes on Jul 22, 2008 - 10 answers

Yet another plant ID question: What's this? [more inside]
posted by Karlos the Jackal on Jul 19, 2008 - 12 answers

Flower Identification filter: What is this plant? [more inside]
posted by MaudB on Jul 16, 2008 - 7 answers

Plant breeders' rights question - propagation and sale or plants, when in ignorance of the fact that the plant you're propagating and selling is a registered variety. [more inside]
posted by Jimbob on Jul 9, 2008 - 8 answers

I am going on holiday for 14 days, leaving behind several plants on the window seals in a small flat. There is no neighbor / friend to look after them in our absence. How can I make sure that the plants will not die? I have 2 tomato plants in pots, climbing tomatoes in a hanging basket and few pots with chillies. [more inside]
posted by slimeline on Jun 25, 2008 - 11 answers

Growing a few green chile plants in the hot desert. Any tips or tricks? [more inside]
posted by azpenguin on May 20, 2008 - 10 answers

What should I do with this giant brick planter box that fronts my house? [more inside]
posted by peep on Apr 4, 2008 - 13 answers

Basil, parsley, mint, sage, rosemary: which combinations will work best when potted together in a balcony herb garden? [more inside]
posted by holgate on Apr 2, 2008 - 12 answers

I'd like to grow bamboo in a container indoors (I have a sunny south-facing window that it can live in front of). Any advice about the best varieties, how to get it to grow tall, and where to get a plant (I'm in NYC) would be much appreciated. (NB: I am NOT looking for info on "lucky bamboo" plants, I want the real thing)
posted by agent99 on Mar 21, 2008 - 11 answers

Do you have a happy Ficus tree? Can you help me water mine? [more inside]
posted by taz on Dec 5, 2007 - 12 answers

I am looking for gardening experiments [more inside]
posted by pracowity on Oct 21, 2007 - 9 answers

WTF is this plant that apparently we are growing very successfully? [more inside]
posted by RJ Reynolds on Sep 4, 2007 - 18 answers

I have dirt in my front yard! Rather not grow (Kentucky blue) grass lawn this far north in Montreal. What's a native hearty plant that will serve a soft green bed? [more inside]
posted by Mozai on Aug 14, 2007 - 12 answers

It's July, I'm in central North Carolina (Zone 7 or 8 depending who you ask), and I have an unused, mostly shaded 3' x 6' dirt plot at the side of our front lawn that I'd love to put some color in to brighten the neighborhood. What can I plant there now that'll give me the most color through the fall? Annual or perennial, bonus points for drought-tolerant but that's not essential).
posted by mediareport on Jul 2, 2007 - 5 answers

What's an inexpensive but durable way to label plants? [more inside]
posted by derMax on Jul 1, 2007 - 15 answers

I kill baby plants! Help me, gardeners! [more inside]
posted by thehmsbeagle on May 17, 2007 - 11 answers

I am looking for ideas for planting around grave sites. [more inside]
posted by terrapin on May 1, 2007 - 8 answers

What kind of plants should I grow in my apartment? Bonus points for traditionally outdoor plants. [more inside]
posted by ArgentCorvid on Apr 25, 2007 - 12 answers

After years of renting apartments, I have moved up in the world: I am now renting a house. Strangely, the house comes with small organic green things projecting from the ground. Having never been responsible for a lawn before, I don't really know what to do with it. I also have two, I don't know, shrubs (I think). One is low growing, thick, with branches that kind of double as rhizomes, and one might be a juniper. As you can see, I'm pretty clueless. What do I need to know/what must I do/what must I buy to take good care of my lawn and it's various planty inhabitants? [more inside]
posted by arcticwoman on Mar 31, 2007 - 17 answers

PlantFilter: What is "pinching off" and how do I do it? [more inside]
posted by backseatpilot on Oct 30, 2006 - 13 answers

Is my rose bush dead? Last fall I didn't prune back my rose bushs. This spring 3 of them finally turned green after I pruned back some of the dead wood, but the last one (a climbing rose) is still seemingly dead sticks. Each one has successfully grown for years, never w/ much consistency in pruning, but now I have 2 feet of dead sticks on the remaining bush. How do I know if I should give up on it? Does it have a chance next year? I'm in Colorado in zone 5, for what it's worth.
posted by artifarce on May 30, 2006 - 4 answers

Dumb gardener filter: What can I do to help protect my big hibiscus plant from the frost tonight? This is the first frost all winter. I've been told to just throw a twin sized bed sheet over the whole plant. Is it that simple? [more inside]
posted by cavalier on Feb 13, 2006 - 8 answers

I need seed catalog suggestions for my mom. She just bought a few acres in New Mexico and is trying to find a worthwhile activity to occupy her time, so I suggested gardening. She's not online, so I need catalogs from companies from which I can request print catalogs to be sent to her. Personally, I'm interested in obscure/rare, heirloom, and medicinal plants. I need suggestions. Thanks!
posted by theperfectcrime on Dec 31, 2005 - 20 answers

I'm trying to get rid of some ugly, dying ferns in my backyard. I'm digging them up the best I can, but should I be worried about the coming back and what hints and tips do you have about removing ferns?
posted by my sock puppet account on Oct 8, 2005 - 8 answers

I find myself responsible for a semi-large, quite varied chunk of landscaping. Shrubs, flowers, trees, you name it. I don't have a clue what I'm doing. Where can I find help? [more inside]
posted by pornucopia on Jul 21, 2005 - 9 answers

I'd like to become skilled with gardening and maintaining indoor plants and stuff. What's a good way to develop a green thumb? Book suggestions, websites, personal anecdotes, cost saving tips, good nursuries in Los Angeles, etc are all welcome. [more inside]
posted by sirion on Apr 30, 2005 - 9 answers

Any tips on how to make Sensitive Plants (the fern-like ones that close their leaves when you touch them) thrive? I can usually keep them pretty happy for a few months, but they gradually become more and more unresponsive and eventually die. I'm in Southern California and will be moving to a new place with a greenhouse, and am fairly ignorant in the ways of plant-tending. Another question, just for sucking as much possible information out of this as possible: Anyone have any indoor plants they really like? If so, how do you make *those* thrive?
posted by sirion on Mar 11, 2005 - 10 answers

Springfield Lemon Tree Filter: I have a Meyer lemon tree which was subjected to very cold temperatures last month. I was able to get it inside, but it spent almost a week outside, with temperatures in the low twenties (F). All of the leaves have dried up, and most have now fallen off. No new leaves have grown. I've had this tree for about six years, and it was a few years old when I purchased it. I'd very much like to save it.

It is in an extremely oversized pot, which I thought would help shield it from the cold, but apparently it wasn't enough. At the very least, I'd like to be able to save the roots, even if I have to graft another tree to the trunk. Any ideas?
posted by bh on Jan 17, 2005 - 5 answers

My wife and I are notoriously bad at keeping plants alive. Our best success is an Aloe Vera plant (which we ignore) and a Peace Lilly which tends to behave like a plant in The Sims - colapsing as it dies, and then perking up as soon as we notice.

Accepting that plants feel pain and scream when hurt, are we evil torturing sadists?
posted by twine42 on Oct 1, 2004 - 8 answers

New orchid grower seeks advice as he hunkers down for yet another Canadian winter! Can any mefites recommend good books on growing orchids indoors? Actually, any advice about orchids, grow-lights and other tropicals that might grow well in my urban apartment would be very much appreciated.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk on Sep 21, 2004 - 4 answers

Help the Black Thumb:

I am terrible at keeping plants alive. The only plants I don't kill are philodendrons, and you pretty much can't kill those things. I was given a gerbera daisy in a pot, but apparently I overwatered it. The plant still seems alive, but the flowers have drooped over. I drained the excess water, but the flowers aren't perking back up. Are they permanently wilted? Should I cut them off and hope the plant flowers again? I googled, but got nothing more useful than "Avoid overwatering".
posted by Shoeburyness on Apr 14, 2004 - 8 answers

I work in a fairly large, open plan air-conditioned office, next to a window. The window cannot be opened. I want to buy a plant that will sit on my desk, and preferably not die with minimal maintenance. I am not a gardener. :)

I want something leafy and bushy, no flowers, that will stand around half a metre high from base of pot to top of plant, and be almost as "wide", so as to act as something slightly more pleasant to look at instead of my neighbour.

Suggestions?
posted by Mwongozi on Apr 1, 2004 - 13 answers

Can I keep this cactus from dying? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by emmling on Feb 25, 2004 - 3 answers