How To Grow And Care For Cypress Vine/Hummingbird Vine In Pots Or Containers.

Cypress vine is also know by other names such as Hummingbird Vine,Star Glory.Cardinal Creeper,Cypress Vine Morning Glory etc.It belongs to the Morning Glory family.Its Botanical name is Ipomoea Quamoclit .The flowers range from red,white to pink in color,the most common one being the red colored .

                       

It is a annual vine that gracefully twines and bears beautiful trumpet flowers that are shaped like a five pointed star the leaves are pinnate, fern like and delicate,the flowers bloom in the morning and wither by afternoon,once the flower drops a  capsule shaped seed pod forms, each seed pod contains four tiny black seeds that look like little  grains of rice.

         
                               

                     

The vine can be easily grown from seed in any soil type,the seeds need to be sown about 1/2 an inch deep in potting soil and the seeds should germinate within a week,once the vine takes off a trellis or a stake should be provided as support and  to help the vine creep as they are very fragile and can break or snap off easily .

Cypress Vine loves the sun so place it where it will receive atleast 4 to 5 hrs of direct  or part  sunshine if growing it in pots or containers.Make sure that the pot or container has enough drainage holes as Cypress Vine do not like soggy  or wet waterlogged soil  well draining soil is a must.

Use any good  Organic fertilizer like aged cow manure,seaweed brew or homemade compost tea etc.once a month or as  and when required.The Cypress Vine otherwise is easy to grow and maintain with little care required.

The Beautiful delicate star shaped red flowers of the Cypress Vine are rich in nectar and attract pollinators like Hummingbirds,butterflies and bees in the garden,they all love to sip on the sweet nectar that is produced by the flowers of the Cypress Vine.

The Cypress Vine grows very rapidly sending of new shoots and growth,hence its best to train the vine to grow in one direction this way it will not latch on for support or take off on other plants in the garden which can hamper their growth.the vine can grow to height of 10 feet and above its perfect to cover up walls,posts,fences or trellises.

The Cypress Vine can get affected easily by garden pests like mealy bugs,fungus and aphids so keep an eye out for them.Do not water the vine over its leaves it may cause the delicate leaves to turn yellow and burn.Water early in the mornings or after the sunsets.Once the vine has set root and is properly established  it can tolerate drought like conditions.however regular watering makes the vine grow faster and  helps to produce more blooms making the vine look full and attractive.

Make sure you let the flower dry and fall off on its own so that seed pods develop for sowing the following season.Harvest the mature seed pods once it has completely dried off and has turned brown in color.The Cypress vine will give you bumper yield of seeds  for  your next growing season and you will still have enough of seeds left to share with others.

The Cypress Vine will last till summers.Seeds can be sown in the month of May to start new saplings ,within 30 days the Cypress Vine plant will begin to grow, flower and flourish .Its often considered as a weed in some places due to its self seeding habit.

Deadheading spent blooms of the cypress vine will encourage a longer prolonged blooming season.In tropical warm climate the Cypress vine may grow as a perennial. 

The cypress vine provides a dazzling display of color with the dark green foliage as the backdrop and the bright red star shaped flowers that stand out against it.Perfect for screening and cheering up dull and unsightly spaces in the garden.

                                                       Happy Gardening To All !!

How To Grow Sweet Marjoram In Pots And Containers

Sweet Marjoram also known by names such as Knotted Marjoram and Marjoram is a herb that belongs to the Mint Family.Sweet Marjoram can be grown in pots,containers,hanging baskets or simply in the ground.Makes a great addition to any kitchen garden.

                                               Sweet Marjoram / Knotted Marjoram

The leaves of Sweet Marjoram have a gorgeous grey green color that are oval in shape they are soft and fuzzy with fine hairs on them,the leaves grow opposite each other.

                                       Close Up Photo Of The Leaves of Sweet Marjoram

The leaves of Sweet Marjoram give out a very strong lovely fragrance when bruised.The flowers of the sweet marjoram are tiny and white in color.They can be added to butter to make a Sweet marjoram flavored Butter.The herb can be used fresh and dried as well.

                                              Cascading Stems Of Sweet Marjoram

Sweet Marjoram can be easily grown by stem cuttings that can be directly placed into starter soil after stripping some of the leaves off also the stems tend to catch root wherever they touch the soil .

                                          Beautiful Grey Green Foliage Of The Sweet Marjoram

The Herb can be used as a seasoning for various dishes like pastas,pizzas,sausages,eggs,potatoes,
roasts,flavored butter,passata etc.

Sweet Marjoram

The plant needs full sunlight to grow 5 hrs to 6 hrs of sunlight is more than sufficient.It grows well in any soil type needs moderate watering.Regular pinching and harvesting will lead to new and bushy growth.

                                                   Close Up Of the Leaves and New Shoots

                                                   Harvested Some Fresh Sweet Marjoram Stems.

How to grow and care for garden balsam in pots or containers.

Garden Balsams are also known by other names such as Touch Me Not,Impatient Balsamina,Jewel Weed,Ladies Slippers,Rose Balsam,Spotted Snapweed,Policeman's helmet and Jumping Betty.They are native to India and Burma.Garden Balsams are flowering annuals.Garden Balsams can be easily grown in pots or containers.Garden Balsams are a perfect addition to any garden as they add color and look vibrant. Such is the beauty of Garden Balsams that were used to landscape gardens during Victorian times.Garden Balsams are easy to grow and they reseed easily.

Garden Balsams plants grow upright with slender juicy stems the leaves are long and saw tooth shaped,the flowers bloom close to leaf axis near the stem.Once the flower blooms and drops of a seed pod forms,when the pod is fully ripe the slightest of touch makes it bursts open thereby scattering its seeds in all directions hence the name Touch me not.They come in an array of colors such as pink,peach,red,orange red,white,yellow and purple.Bi-colored varieties are also available.Garden Balsams can be single petal or double petaled.The double petaled variety of Garden Balsam gives it the appearance of a rose hence the name Rose Balsam.

Garden Balsams can be grown from seeds,if grown from seed sow the seeds mid April,you will see that the seeds sprout within 6 days however it takes at least 60 days for the plant to completely grow and flower,so plan and plant accordingly.Garden Balsams plants can also be bought from the nursery and transplanted.

Garden Balsams are best grown from seeds although they can also be propagated by stem cuttings .Use rich moist soil to sow the seeds.

Garden Balsams do well in full to partial sun or partial shade.When grown in pots or containers make sure the soil remains moist at all times but not waterlogged.Garden Balsams get infected by powdery mildew and leaf miners.

Garden Balsams are beneficial as they attract a lot of pollinators like the bees,nectar feeding birds and butterflies love them.They can make even the dullest of gardens look like granduer making them come alive with their vibrant colored flowers.Growing them can be such a delight.Most of the times if you grow different colored garden balsams together you will find the bees cross pollinate them  the next season you will find a new color of balsam like I did.

Garden Balsams are used in traditional and folk medicine.In Vietnam the women use the juice of the leaves to color their hair and  to also make it grow long.Juice of the leaves are used to treat snake and insect bites.The flowers are applied to cool burns.A paste of the flowers and leaves  when applied on fingers and left to dry overnight gives a bright orange color similar to henna.If you soak the roots of the plant in colored water the next morning you will see the plant has changed it color to that of the water.Kids will love this plant a lot.

Garden Balsams are easy to grow and low in maintenance.Collect the seed pods before they burst, label and store them in a ziplock bag in cool dark place so that you can use them in the garden the next growing season.   

                                                           Happy Gardening !!