flowers

Flowers and World Peace: Why Not?

| August 15, 2014 | Categories: Environment, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company, Indoor Plants
“Sweet flowers alone can say what passion fears revealing.” – Thomas Hood Watch any news and you’ll see constant discussion on war in the Middle East. Perhaps things would be different if plants were involved. At Good Earth Plants, we think it couldn’t hurt. The olive branch is the symbol of peace. Wouldn’t it be a better world if olive branches were exchanged instead of bullets? Throughout history, people have used the gift of plants and flowers to communicate human emotions. Many of us know the red rose stands for love, and the daisy for happiness. Good Earth Plant Company wants to widen your plant vocabulary so the next time you give flowers or a plant as gift, it will hold a deeper meaning.… Read More

Make it a Green Christmas: Give Plants, The Gift That Grows

| December 12, 2013 | Categories: Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants
Just as the turkey leftovers are gobbled up and Aunt Sue is tucked onto her flight back to Scottsdale, the holidays are officially upon us. People stood in line at Target, Wal-Mart and Best Buy for hours to purchase electronics, socks and warm coats for holiday gifts on Black Friday. Those happy shoppers waddled to their cars with their treasures sure to be ripped open and fawned over Christmas Day. Oh Joy! But what about three months from now? Or three years? I am a huge believer in giving plants and flowers as gifts. It’s not just because I am in the business.… Read More

Tips for Protecting Your Plants in a Cold Snap

| December 10, 2013 | Categories: Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants
It’s no secret that the past few days have been unseasonably cold. With relative humidity below 20 percent, San Diego has experienced freezing temperatures at night that endanger our gardens. Nothing new for those folks back East! My colleagues in Boston deliver sub-tropical plants to offices using heated trucks and heated passageways from the back of the truck to the loading dock. Temperatures below freezing can harm plants that are used to indoor temperatures. If they can do it in Boston, we can save our garden flowers and plants during this cold snap. Here’s how to protect your garden from freezing over in the next few days: Move potted tender plants indoors or into a warmer area.… Read More

Poinsettia Pointers: Tips, Myths, and Facts

| December 5, 2013 | Categories: Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants
Pointsettia Tips
It seems like every holiday season, I find myself once again defending the honor of the famous Euphorbia pulcherrima, commonly known as the poinsettia. Urban legends and myths abound regarding this hearty holiday bloom, falsely accusing it as being toxic or poisonous to humans and animals. Lies! All lies and deception! To be less dramatic and completely factual, a 1996 study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine found that out of 22,793 reported cases of poinsettia exposure in children, not only were there no fatalities, but 92.4% of the subjects experienced no toxic effects at all. These unique plants are of interesting heritage.… Read More

Monkey Faced Orchids

| July 2, 2013 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
We had so many readers interested in the Monkey-Faced orchid picture we posted, I thought I would pass along some quick information about them and about orchids in general. Besides being just about the cutest, funniest flora we’ve found, Monkey-Faced Orchids, or Grinning Monkey orchids live in the south-eastern Ecuadorian and Peruvian cloud forests at around 1000-2000 meters. Their scientific name is Dracula Simia-Dracula referring to the strange characteristic of the two long sepals, reminiscent of a certain Transylvanian count. Up in the cloud forests, these orchids can flower at any time-it’s not season specific and its’ scent resembles a very ripe orange. … Read More

Speak Kindly to the Plants

| April 15, 2013 | Categories: Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
“Speak Kindly to the Plants… and the People!” It’s so easy to get busy with work and home and family and all the million little sticky notes, lists and pieces of paper that are flying around. Those reminders to do something, buy something, call someone, or submit something by a deadline. Life is one BIG deadline. The plant business has an added sense of urgency because we are working with a perishable item. Plants want to live, but they don’t like being ignored, left in a dark corner if they need sunlight or in hot sun when they want shade, not watered if they are thirsty, watered too much if they want to be dry.… Read More

The Value of Appreciation

| March 26, 2013 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Good Earth Plant Company, Sustainable Living
“People don’t work for wages only. They primarily seek an environment that will show them APPRECIATION, both publicly and privately. Wages come and go. As we travel through life, the most important memories we take with us are about how those who showed us Appreciation and Love.”—Rev. Ken Lanning, 1996. I love this quote. Reverend Ken is a stand-up guy who visits our office on occasion. Once I remember I was eager to show him our green roof, but wary of him getting up to the roof itself. I needn’t have worried though because just as I looked to find a more sturdy lift, there was Reverend Ken climbing a ladder at age 83 to see what all the hoopla was about with my roof.  … Read More

A Valentine’s Day Perspective From The Other Side

| February 14, 2013 | Categories: Case Studies, Good Earth Plant Company, Indoor Plants
My first entry into working in a plant and flower world was a flower stand. I was 20 years old. I owned it. I operated it. I knew every square inch of that tiny, windy shack. And just as I would be sweeping away the pine needles and bits of Christmas ribbon, Valentine’s Day would creep up like a big red monster. I started the annual phone calls to growers for roses by the dozen, wholesalers for vases, tiny cards with envelopes, plastic picks, glittery hearts on a stick. You get the picture. Red Roses. Long-stemmed Red Roses. Red Roses with babies breath. … Read More