​Introduction
 
Winter tips for growing your interior houseplants - When temperatures are fluctuating and the growing conditions are less than ideal, winter can be harsh on our houseplants. Lower light levels, shorter days, and dry air all work together to really put your plants through the paces.
 
The secret to keeping your plants thriving in the winter months is to adjust your plant maintenance routine and understand your tropical plant's seasonal needs.   In this article, Avant Garden, LLC takes a look at some basic interior horticultural needs to provide your plants with top-notch care so you can help them flourish.
​

​Indoor Tropical Foliage Plants
 
Maintaining your interior tropical foliage plant during the winter months requires careful care due to the shorter days, fluctuating temperatures, and drier less humid air. Here’s what you can do:
​
1.  Mist Your Plants: Mist your indoor plants with a light spray two or three times a day as part of your winter plant maintenance routine. This will help your plants thrive during winter – particularly those that do well in humid conditions. If possible, place your plants near indoor water features or a humid part of your house, such as the bathroom.
 
2. Plants Need Light:  Check your plant’s light requirements - low light, medium light, or high light  See Avant Garden, LLC's Plant Selection by Light Requirement. Replicate their natural environment. Determining the lighting needs of your plants, make the best choice to help keep your plants growing healthy. 

 
3. Reduce Watering: As with lighting, every plant has different water requirements. Do not over watering your foliage plants - when in doubt do not  water! . Plant growth is much slower in the winter months, which means plants don’t need as much water. If you are not certain when to water your plants, simply feel the top two inches of the soil - if it feels cold, wet, and/or looks dark in color do not water. Remember - when in doubt do not water!

4. Dust Your Plants:  Wiping your plants helps to get rid of particles that clog the leaf pores making it difficult for the plants to ‘breathe’. Giving them a quick wipe or a trip to the shower is an easy way to keep them looking clean and fresh while helping them grow.
​
5. Fertilize Your Houseplants: Plants, like people, need food, especially when they in their growing stages. Spring and summer are necessary feeding months; however during the winter, feeding is not necessary.
 
6. Prune Your Plants: To keep your plants looking their best, prune them with sharp scissors regularly. Start by removing dead leaves, limbs, and spent flowers on the plants. Also, trim back overgrown branches and stems.
 
7. Rotate Your Houseplants: A houseplant will always grow toward the light. To keep plants growing straight, rotate them a quarter of a turn as part of your watering routine.
 
Remember these tips to help you keep your plants growing healthy. If you would like a free consultation and/or to find out more about Avant Garden, LLC's plant maintenance tips, get in touch with us right now and talk to one of our plant experts.
​ 

OUR LIVING WALL
Built October 7, 2018
​

​Our LIVING WALL is made up of 90 tropical foliage plants with five different varieties.  We have included two varieties of Epipremnum aureum; jade and neon, commonly known as Pothos, a species of flowering plant in the family of Araceae.
 
Among the other air purifying plants in our LIVING WALL is the beautiful Pink Allusion Nephthytis Syngonium (Goose Foot Plant).
​
Currently we have our seasonal pink bromeliads with their striking, colorful foliage called Neoregelia.  Bromeliads are a family of tropical plants that includes the pineapple.  They are nearly all from Latin America and the Caribbean islands. 
 
Nevertheless, our LIVING WALL has also been planted with a splatter of Crested Japanese Birdsnest Fern ‘Leslie’ Asplenium antiquum.  Although they resemble  lettuce- it is not recommended to ingest it.
 
Our LIVING WALL provides many benefits to our workplace and visitors.  Most importantly, our LIVING WALL absorbs toxins (VOC emissions) and emitting oxygen for us to breathe.  Plants have a calming effect too  and raise efficiency by increasing concentration and productivity.  

 The benefits of plants go far beyond just aesthetics. The ability to use plants as tools to improve the environment has been a concept employed for centuries. Here at Avant Garden, LLC we don't just create living walls - we create living ecosystems. We emulate natural plant communities and processes, providing ecosystem services which are severely lacking in urban environments. With careful design and planning, we can create efficient and effective living architecture that offers both service and amenity.

• Ecological - Green walls are living, breathing systems, creating vertical habitat and corridor space for animals and microorganisms. By integrating our living walls with aquatic wildlife, the green wall becomes a self-sustained ecosystem and provides an excellent mechanism for implementing biodiversity gardens, attracting wildlife to the urban environment.
• Environmental - Plants have an innate ability to assimilate and remove pollutants from our environment that are harmful to our health. The concept of phytoremediation, the use of plants to treat environmental problems, can become a powerful tool to mitigate poor indoor air quality and integrate into water reuse applications such as greywater treatment, stormwater management and rainwater harvesting. The Green Wall acts as a compact filtration system that functions similar to artificial wetlands but requires a much smaller footprint to install.
• Economic - Green walls enhance building performance by helping to reduce the urban heat island effect, providing thermal regulation and additional sound insulation. Implementing a green wall in your next project can help to combat various environmental issues, while at the same time potentially offering some economic incentives in the form of reduced energy and resource consumption, LEED® credits, tax incentives and abatements.
• Social - Avant Garden, LLC promotes a biophilic philosophy, connecting humans directly with nature. Studies indicate that absenteeism costs companies over $180 billion a year and natural spaces can offer a solution. Plant material, when incorporated into public and private spaces, can have a dramatic effect on the human condition creating a healthier environment which will increase productivity, moral, and decrease absenteeism. The addition of a Green Wall to your space offers tangible social benefits to your employees, guests, and patrons.