When buying house plants whether it is from Lowes, Home Depot or a local garden center there are several things to consider. Many people just pick up a house plant without giving any thought, especially if the cost is low. But think about this, every house plant you purchase can give you years of enjoyment if it is properly inspected before you buy. Take time to choose a perfect house plant. If you hastily buy a house plant, it has the potential of causing devastation to your other house plants. And one rule to always abide by is never buy plants when you are in a hurry, thats a gardening tip everyone should heed.

Take the time to inspect the leaves on the house plant for pests. Aphids, spider mites and scale will not only wreck havoc on this house plant but on your others as well. And be sure to look under the leaves and at the nodes where many pests thrive. Here is what to look for on your potential house plant:

Aphids appear as small green or black insects, usually found on buds and new growth. These insects suck the juices out of house plants, and also secrete honeydew.

Spider mites are small insects, which appear as small white specks, usually on the undersides of leaves, or on flowers of the house plant. Spider mites will form webbing, like a spider’s web around infected house plants. The spider mites will be visible in the webbing as white specks.

Scale looks like tiny, brown, oval-shaped bumps visible on the house plants leaves and stem. The scale is actually a protective covering which protects the insect. Scales produce honeydew, a clear sticky substance which can be seen on affected house plants.

You may want to search the internet for other gardening tips on how to treat these pests if one happens to infect some of your house plants.

If the house plant seems too big for the container, pass it by, it is likely to be root bound. Remember bigger isnt necessarily better. I always pull a house plant from its container to check the root ball; reputable stores should allow you to do this. If the house plant is already root bound you will have to open your wallet not only for the plant but for potting soil and a new container. Then YOU have to repot it and hope it will continue to be healthy. If you dont mind this, then by all means buy the house plant. If you are going to repot you may want to look at the self watering containers that are available now. These are great for someone that travels and isnt around everyday to check the soil.

Examine the container of the house plant for cracks. Be sure the container will harmonize with your existing house plants containers. Try to purchase plants by shape and height when using the house plant for groupings in and around your home. Keep the small tag that is attached to the plant in a notebook so you will always have the directions on the plants needs. This is a really good gardening tip!

Now you know the secrets of buying spectacular house plants.

Happy Gardening!

Copyright Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and outside year round. She has published other articles on Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at http://www.GardeningHerb.com, http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com, and http://www.ContainerGardeningSecrets.com

Life in an arid and dry climate has its benefits and challenges. Ive found desert landscaping to be one of the more interesting challenges since moving to the Southwest. Youre going to want to spend a little more planning time on your yard than it would normally for most other areas. You and your landscaper will need to work with a plan that includes only plants and trees that can survive with much less water. Nobody is going to plant something if it cannot sustain itself.

Even if you have a state of the art irrigation system to supply water around the clock, there will be times of drought and water rationing. Not to mention the initial cost and maintenance costs. It is much simpler for your desert landscape to simply use plants that will thrive even in the hot sun all day. So take some time with your landscaping plan to ensure that you have everything appropriate to the climate.

Another benefit to using desert landscaping friendly plants is, that not only will these plants do well even in the hot sun; they will also be able to flourish in the low quality soil common to these climate zones. You will not need to add fertilizers and soil conditioners, which further will cut down on your maintenance time and expense.

To start you off, here are two plants that are useful in desert landscaping:

Longwood Blue Bluebeard

This is a deciduous shrub; it will grow back every spring. It will always return to its healthy and contented state each year, which makes it ideal for desert landscaping. Longwood Blue Bluebeard is a medium-sized shrub, growing to anywhere between 3 and 4 feet high with a width of around 2 feet. This is a handsome plant for use in desert landscaping not only is it attractive, with its striking blue flower clusters and silver foliage, it is also quite fragrant.

Autumn Joy

Autumn Joy is a perennial that you can employ well in desert landscaping. With this plant you will get abundant leaves in ornate whorls. These leaves can be many different colors, so Autumn Joy can be bought to go with your landscaping design. This plant is ideal for desert landscaping since it grows easily in rock gardens. This lovely desert plant also has unique attention-grabbing flowers distinct from any I have ever seen. The small flowers grow in clusters and can be different colors and shades, but most commonly are yellow, orange and red and pink. Also, be aware that if you plant these in your garden you will have butterflies around as they are attracted to the flowers, so be prepared to have your visitors ignore your lovely landscape and ooh and ahh over the butterflies!

There are many other unique hardy plants to complement your desert backyard just like these, so have fun discovering them and enjoying your new garden.

Carlo Morelli writes for http://www.OnlineTips.org, where you can find tips on installing fiberglass insulation, how to replace an entry door and many other home and garden projects.

If we fill our time taking care of plants we can get rid of stress, it is a scientifically proved thing. Taking care of our green friends (the ones with leaves not Aliens!) we will discover new hidden sides of our personality and will get to know better how to love and care for others, firstly because a plant that we wont care for will die for sure.

Accepting a plant we are assuming a new responsibility, we are adopting a breathing being. This way, we learn just what it means to pay attention to those around you.

We have to concentrate over needs that are exterior to our ego. We become aware of the needs of another being: we know how much water the plant needs, how much light it gets, the intervals it needs to receive water again, and slowly we will transfer these cares and abilities in our social relations. We become more and more aware of others. Visual contact with a beautiful plant makes us realize our own beauty.

Studies show more and more that taking care of plants can be the most efficient method to improve our physical and emotional general condition. They have a serene effect, they can reduce stress and relax muscles and therefore improve the mood people taking care of them are in.

Different studies have demonstrated that the existence of plants reduce mental exhaustion. When we are overwhelmed with work, we just have to look up for a couple of minutes to a plant and well instantly feel more relaxed. In conclusion, plants fascinate and attract people, they break boredom and monotony generated by forced attention. The oxygen generated by plants creates a feeling of mental agility.

Some big plants placed in the right spot will help us insolate ourselves from annoying surrounding noises. The technique is the same as the one of hanging paintings in an empty room to minimize the echo effects. The thick leaves will absorb a part of the noises, including the sound of the phone, printer, coffee maker or any other noise, making these sounds a little bit friendlier.

To discover some great gardening tips visit http://www.gardeningtoolsandtips.info for information such as container gardening.