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What Is A Corporate Garden - How Corporate Gardens Can Improve Your Workplace - greenscaping design, corporate plantscaping, corporate garden, urban landscaping, Boston fabrication - Foliaire Inc.

How Corporate Gardens Can Improve Your Workplace

  • April 19, 2023/
  • Posted By : Paul Lee/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Blog

With employees returning to the office after working from home for the majority of the year, you are no doubt wondering how you can improve their working experience. Adding a corporate garden to any office can do wonders for your employees and their well-being.

Our team knows that plants can transform any space. That’s why we create stunning corporate plantscaping designs that your employees will love seeing daily. Today we will discover how corporate gardens can improve your workplace and why you should consider investing in one.

What We’ll Cover:

  • What is a corporate garden?
  • Which types of plants appear in corporate gardens?
  • Reduce stress
  • Promote socialization
  • Improve attention and focus
  • Enhance air quality
  • Boost inspiration and creativity
  • Promote employee attendance
  • Absorb background noise
  • Key takeaways

What Is a Corporate Garden?

A corporate garden is an outdoor space designed and maintained by a corporation or business organization to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the office building, provide a space for employees to relax, and promote environmental sustainability. Corporate gardens can take many forms, ranging from urban landscaping and vertical gardens to ground-level gardens and courtyards.

The structure of a corporate garden is typically designed to create a sense of serenity and relaxation. Walkways and paths are often installed to guide visitors through the space, while benches and seating areas are strategically placed to encourage contemplation and reflection. Water features such as fountains or small ponds can also be added to create a calming atmosphere and provide a focal point for the garden.

The aesthetic of a corporate garden is meant to promote a sense of tranquility and natural beauty. Plants are carefully selected and arranged to create a harmonious balance of color and texture. At the same time, seating areas and water features are placed to enhance the overall visual impact of the space. Whether used for a quick break or a stroll, a well-designed corporate garden can provide employees and visitors with a much-needed respite from the stresses of the workplace.

Which Types of Plants Appear in Corporate Gardens?

Commonly, corporate gardens feature a range of plant species, such as perennials, shrubs, and trees. Often, the plant selection will be chosen based on factors such as hardiness, water requirements, and aesthetic appeal. Trees like magnolias, Japanese maples, and flowering dogwoods are popular in corporate gardens, while perennials like black-eyed Susans, lavender, and daylilies are also commonly included.

Additionally, succulents, herbs, and edible plants like tomatoes and basil may be grown in corporate gardens to promote a sustainable and eco-friendly workplace. The overall aesthetic of a corporate garden will depend on the business’s branding. Still, often it will reflect the surrounding environment, be designed to be relaxing and tranquil, and complement the building’s architecture.

Improve employee and client retention with plantscaping

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Corporate Gardens Reduce Stress

Corporate gardens offer your team the chance to escape their desk and connect to nature at any point of the day. Getting outside for a walk or a proper lunch break can often feel impossible. This is particularly true in high-pressure companies with endless deadlines.

Your greenscaping design will play a huge role in reducing the stress your team feels. This visual stimulation will allow employees to ground themselves and reconnect with the world around them. In time, they’ll see that their problems aren’t as bad as they thought. They’ll be able to return to work in a better frame of mind.

Corporate Gardens Are a Social Hub

Depending on the size of your new corporate garden, you’ll soon find this becomes a central hub for social activity in your office. We’ve all spent so much of the past year in front of computers at home. Now, it’s time for everyone to reconnect.

When employees can speak to colleagues in a social setting, they’ll grow their relationships. This development positively impacts trust and teamwork, which benefits any organization. Thanks to your interior plant design, you’ll give your team a new place to interact.

Corporate Gardens Improve Your Employees’ Attention Span

One surprising benefit of adding a sophisticated interior planting design is that your team’s attention span will soon increase. Urban environments are full of overwhelming stimuli. These stimuli result in your team losing the ability to focus on even the most basic tasks. We often believe that every email we receive needs a reply straight away.

However, when you’re in the presence of calming office plantscaping like living walls, you can refresh your mind and focus. This simple stimulus works to overcome the constant sensory overload we feel daily while working in our offices.

Corporate Gardens Offer Improved Air Quality

As well as the improvements to your team’s work and well-being, a huge benefit of adding interior plantscaping to any office is the improved air quality. This quality is critical for anyone who works within a large city, as pollution is a common concern for business owners.

In the long run, your employees feel more energized and engaged. The addition of nature to their office space will promote focus. We can all play our small part in overcoming the current air quality issues. Plants are a great way to combat this in any office space.

Do you need help revitalizing your corporate office?

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Corporate Gardens Will Inspire Your Team

Have you ever hit a wall when working on a new project? Tunnel vision can leave you unable to come up with creative ideas. When you add a luxury interior plant design, you’ll find that your team has something to gaze at during moments of daydreaming. Nature is one of the best ways to find new ideas. If you’ve ever been on a walk when you’re feeling stressed, you’ll know the feeling.

If your team cannot leave the office and go to a nearby park at lunchtime, your corporate garden is the next best thing. They’ll enjoy admiring it from a distance and then close up. The garden offers an alternative to adding artwork to an office for inspiration.

Corporate Gardens Create a More Welcoming Environment

After spending the past year working from home, many employees struggle to return to the office. They soon became used to the cozy feeling of working from home, and it’s been quite a challenge to transition back to work all day in the workplace.

You can help to ease this transition by adding interior planting design elements that resemble plants they have at home. Our team will work with you to select some of the most popular interior plantscaping solutions. Overall, our goal is to give your employees a sense of comfort every time they walk through the door.

Corporate Gardens Absorb Background Noise

Many employees complain that they cannot concentrate in the workplace due to the endless chatter and noise in the building. With more open-plan offices than ever, the number of distractions for your team makes it almost impossible to complete the most basic tasks.

Adding an interior plant design to your office will help to absorb some of this noise and create a calmer working environment. It’s a good solution for any space with exposed concrete floors and walls. This way, you don’t have other options to overcome this challenge. You’ll want to place larger plants around the space to experience this benefit. Most importantly, you’ll want to create a place where your employees enjoy working daily.

Key Takeaways

For many reasons, a corporate garden is one of the best investments any company could make for its employees. If you’re unsure where to start when it comes to interior planting design, our team can help. We can work within your current office setup to create office plantscaping designs that will offer all the benefits we shared above.

In time, you’ll find that your employees will notice a huge reduction in their stress levels and enjoy increased productivity and creativity. Interior plantscaping is useful to offices of all shapes and sizes. It’s never too late to start making your workplace a more enjoyable place to spend time.

Contact us today to discuss Boston fabrication options for your office building.

Ready to see the benefits of a corporate garden?

Contact Us

Boston’s Plantscaping Specialists

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscaping design firm in Boston’s historic South End. For over 40 years, we’ve provided award-winning urban garden and Boston fabrication services in the Boston Metro area.

We customize and plan our urban landscaping projects and interior plant design to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for corporate plantscaping.

In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications. You can find us in Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.

Follow us on social media @Foliaire to learn more about corporate plantscaping:

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7 Ways That Prefabrication Can Save Your Deck This Summer - Foliaire Inc. - deck prefabrication, living walls, urban garden, greenscape, green roof, Boston landscaping jobs

7 Ways That Prefabrication Can Save Your Deck This Summer

  • March 6, 2023/
  • Posted By : Paul Lee/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Blog

If you want to upgrade, improve, or renovate your deck or patio this year, it’s important to take the proper steps to complete this project. Prefabrication is something we recommend anyone does to save their deck. Today we will discover why this is critical for homeowners undertaking Boston landscaping jobs. Keep reading to learn how you can get a head start on your summer landscaping. That way, you can enjoy endless hours outside with your loved ones and improve the overall quality of your property.

We will cover the following:

  • Cleaning up after the winter
  • Deep cleaning your patio or deck
  • Deck repairs
  • Looking up a reliable deck construction company
  • Expanding your outdoor space
  • Sealing and painting
  • Deck furniture and accessories
  • Key takeaways

1) Clean Up After the Winter

After the winter months, taking the time to assess your greenscape or urban garden is important. Especially in parts of the country where the temperatures drop significantly, you’ll want to make sure that you clean up any debris and damage from the colder months. Leaves, branches, and sticks can all cause damage to your deck, so make sure you sweep the area in its entirety before even considering doing further work. No debris should be left over before going any further with your Boston landscaping jobs, as this may stop you from receiving the desired results.

2) Deep-Clean Your Patio or Deck

Once you’ve swept up the debris on your green roof or from living walls, it’s time to attack your deck with a pressure washer. You can rent these if you don’t have one, which is ideal for anyone not planning to complete this job regularly. Start at one side of the deck or patio, then spray over to the other. This will help clean off any leftover dirt or pollen gathered on the deck over the last months. You’ll then have a good surface to improve and be able to continue your patio prefabrication work.

3) Deck Repairs

Before you can consider painting or sealing your deck, make sure you inspect it for damage, cracks, or loose boards. Over time, moisture or sun exposure can result in the nails and screws coming loose. When left for too long, this can be a huge safety hazard, which anyone with kids and pets needs to be particularly conscious about. Closely look around your deck for any damage and try to rectify it before moving on to improving your prefabrication. Also, look carefully for signs of rotting wood. If the wood is disintegrating in any part of your patio, remove and replace it to offer your family a safe place to spend time this summer.

Do you need help revitalizing your outdoor garden?

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4) How to Find a Reliable Deck Construction Company

We don’t recommend trying to attempt all of this work by yourself. Upgrading a greenscape and patio is much easier with the help of professionals. Many Boston landscaping jobs will be completed in a fraction of the time by a reliable deck construction company. Typically, these companies will be happy to help you get ready for the summer months. Review your fabricator’s online reviews to get a sense of their project scope. You’ll also find that you can ask to see images of previous projects, giving you an idea of their quality results.

5) Expanding Your Outdoor Space

Before the summer, you’ll also want to consider whether now is a good time to extend your outdoor space. As your family grows, you may find that you need more space. Especially if you are interested in adding living walls or a new patio set, you’ll find that extending your outdoor space is a great option. Ensure you use the highest quality material and secure fasteners that you can install carefully for long-lasting results. Always look for low-maintenance additions to your urban garden, so you don’t have to spend hours each week maintaining the area.

6) Sealing and Painting Your Deck

Once you’ve completed all of the maintenance work on your deck, it’s time to consider upgrading the stain or paint. Choose a high-quality stain or paint that suits the décor of your greenscape and will also help to protect your deck all year round. We recommend staining your deck again each season to offer protection from the elements. You could also consider painting your deck a different color, which you can do alongside a full deck renovation.

Ready to upgrade your outdoor space?

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7) Deck Furniture and Accessories

Once the main elements of the prefabrication work are complete, it’s time to kit out your deck. You’ll find endless ideas online today for creating a stunning green roof or urban garden, which will help you create a stylish addition to your backyard or roof. Ensure you invest in high-quality pieces that survive outside in the hot summer months. Add potted plants, kitchen equipment, and anything else you and your family will enjoy using in the summer months. The earlier you start prefabrication on your deck, the more likely you will find items you’ll be excited to display this summer and not have extended shipping times.

Key Takeaways

There’s much to consider when preparing your deck or patio for the summer months. The earlier you start work on this task, the easier it will be to enjoy summer with your loved ones. Any greenscape will need attention after the winter months. Foliaire can offer assistance with Boston landscaping jobs of any shape or size. We recommend contacting our team as soon as possible to start working together to renovate your urban garden or backyard this spring. Your family will thank you when the weather improves. Plus, you can enjoy endless hours outside bonding on your newly renovated deck. We can also help to install a new deck fully, so contact us today to discuss your requirements.

View Our Other Plant Care Tips

  • Lawn and Garden
  • Tropical Plants
  • Ferns
  • Philodendrons
  • Fiddle Leaf Figs
  • Why Are My House Plants Dying?
  • How to Find the Best Garden Decor
  • Top 10 Pet-Safe House Plants
  • What’s the Difference Between Plantscaping and Landscaping?

See how you can transform your deck today!

Contact Us

Boston’s Plantscaping Specialists

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape prefabrication firm in Boston’s historic South End. For over 40 years, we’ve provided award-winning plantscaping services in the Boston Metro area.

We customize and plan our roof garden projects and interior plant design to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for corporate plantscaping and Boston landscaping jobs.

In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications. You can find us in Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.

Follow us on social media @Foliaire to learn more about how to work in plantscaping:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram

7 Reasons Why You Should Work in Plantscaping - Foliaire Inc. Boston MA - work in plantscaping, landscaping jobs, living walls, interior plant design, Boston landscaping jobs

7 Reasons Why You Should Work in Plantscaping

  • January 19, 2023/
  • Posted By : Paul Lee/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Blog

Are you looking for a new challenge this year? If so, there’s no better time than the present to apply for a new job or career change. Here at Foliaire, we are excited to welcome individuals to work in plantscaping jobs with us. For over 40 years, we’ve been caring for office plants and building new outdoor landscapes.

Today we’ll discover the seven reasons you should work in plantscaping and the many rewards you’ll receive from working in this industry.

We will cover the following:

  • Feel a sense of achievement
  • Work with nature
  • Find a job role to suit your work style
  • Avoid monotony
  • Grow and develop your career
  • Make a positive impact on the environment
  • Work with a fantastic team
  • Key takeaways

1) Feel a Sense of Achievement Every Day

Boston indoor and outdoor landscaping jobs allow you to make a real difference in the lives of our clients. Every day your plantscaping work will take you to a variety of private clients and businesses, all of whom are looking to improve their interior plant health or exterior plant design. Projects may include indoor or outdoor living walls or rooftop gardens.  When you finish your work, you’ll see the huge difference you’ve made to their property. Plantscaping offers many health benefits to homeowners and business owners – physical benefits, such as cleaner air, and mental benefits, like being more calm and relaxed. You’ll find that you will play a huge part in improving the lives of others in the local community with each job you work on.

2) Work With Nature

With so many job roles today requiring you to spend endless hours sitting in front of a computer, you’ll find that landscaping jobs allow you to move about and work with your hands and reconnect with the world around us. Working in nature is much less stressful than many other job roles, and you’ll go home each day with a sense of satisfaction after being surrounded by beautiful plants. Whether taking on a project indoors or outdoors, you’ll go home feeling energized and ready to head back to work the next day.

3) Find A Job Role to Suit Your Work Style

You may enjoy working as part of a team, accomplishing projects through group effort.  If so, being part of an outdoor plantscaping crew may be your style.  On the other hand, you may like having your unique group of clients that you take care of yourself – solely responsible for your client’s satisfaction.  If so, you might find an interior plant design position rewarding.  Either way, there is a place for all work styles to participate in the plantscaping arena.

Do you want to find a creative outlet for your skills?

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4) Avoid Monotony

In plantscaping, no two days are the same. The monotony of doing the same thing over and over again soon gets to anyone working in an office job. Still, landscaping jobs allow you to experience new properties and projects daily. In an indoor landscaping position, you’ll visit different clients every day. In an outdoor landscaping position, there may be shorter jobs that take a day or two or more extensive projects that could take weeks or months at one location. Even when working on a longer project, you can be sure that no two days on the site will be the same. One day you might be creating living walls for a new business, and the next day, you’ll be transforming the plantscaping of a first-time homeowner.

5) Grow and Develop Your Career

Taking care of plants allows you to work with various landscapes, soils, and plants. As a result, you’ll keep learning and expanding your career daily. If you like being independent with a predictable schedule, indoor plantscaping will probably be more to your taste. Alternatively, outdoor Boston landscaping jobs are well worth considering if you prefer to work with a team. Our outdoor plantscapers meet at different locations throughout the year. Finally, if you’re looking for a new challenge this year, we work with many clients. All of our clients can offer you a new opportunity during each project. We want our team to know that they are making a difference in the lives of our clients. That’s why we do all we can to engage new clients with as much variety as possible.

6) Make a Positive Impact on the Environment

Landscaping and plantscaping can help improve the local environment in Boston, which is another reason why it’s so rewarding to work in plantscaping. Oxygen is released into the air by the plants that are added to a space, which helps improve the air quality in the nearby area. Our team strives to be as eco-friendly as possible, and we always encourage businesses to create new green spaces for their employees. Foliaire has received the prestigious Environmental Improvement Award of Merit from the Associated Landscape Contractors of America in recognition of their efforts in improving the environment. In addition, plants help to attract animals, birds, and bees, whose habitats are often under stress by development in Boston. We can all work together to protect the local ecosystem and improve the planet.

Ready to apply your plant care skills at a new job?

Get In Touch

7) Work With a Fantastic Team

Foliaire has one of the top plantscaping teams in Boston, all of whom are very welcoming and experienced. As part of the outdoor crew, you’ll find that you constantly learn from the team, who have a wealth of knowledge to share about plant design and living walls. As one of the indoor plant technicians, you’ll be the face of Foliaire with each of your clients. We are actively searching for new teammates who will be fantastic assets to our company. Over time, you’ll also find opportunities for progression in the company. In an indoor role, no two clients are the same. In an outdoor role, no two projects are the same, which is what the team enjoys so much about working with us. You’ll improve your teamwork skills and continue to build great relationships within the local community when you work in plantscaping.

Key Takeaways

These are just a few reasons to consider applying for a job in plantscaping. It’s an ever-changing industry that we expect will increase in popularity. Now is the perfect time to apply to work with us. Our team has many years of experience in the industry and will be here to welcome and work with you to keep developing your plant care and design skills. It’s never too late to change your life, and starting a new adventure this year can help move your career to the next level.

Are you interested in working with Foliaire? Contact us today to learn more about our current job opportunities. We’ll be excited to hear from you and hope to have you on our team soon.

View Our Other Plant Care Tips

  • Lawn and Garden
  • Tropical Plants
  • Ferns
  • Philodendrons
  • Fiddle Leaf Figs
  • Why Are My House Plants Dying?
  • How to Find the Best Garden Decor
  • Top 10 Pet-Safe House Plants
  • What’s the Difference Between Plantscaping and Landscaping?

See how you can enter a career in greenscaping today!

Apply Today

Boston’s Plantscaping Specialists

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For over 40 years, we’ve provided award-winning plantscaping services in the Boston Metro area.

We customize and plan our roof garden projects and interior plant design to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for corporate plantscaping and Boston landscaping jobs.

In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications. You can find us in Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.

Follow us on social media @Foliaire to learn more about how to work in plantscaping:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram

When to Bring Your Plants Inside for the Winter - greenscape, interior planting design, best indoor plants, plants in the office, plant care - Foliaire Inc.

When to Bring Your Plants Inside for the Winter

  • December 27, 2022/
  • Posted By : Paul Lee/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Blog

Winter is again here, and during this time of the year, it’s more important than ever to think carefully about plant care and protecting your plants from the cold weather. A common question from homeowners and business owners is when is the right time to bring your plants indoors for the winter months.

Keep reading as we share some of our top tips for looking after your best indoor plants this winter so that you can enjoy the benefits of your greenscape throughout the year.

We Will Cover the following:

  • Indoor Plants vs. Outdoor Plants
  • Growing Zones and Hardiness Zones
  • Tropical Plants
  • Relocation Timing
  • Acclimation
  • Soil
  • Light
  • Water
  • Pests
  • Key Takeaways

Indoor Plants vs. Outdoor Plants

The first thing to remember when discussing plant care during winter is the difference between indoor and outdoor plants.

You won’t need to make many adjustments to your greenscape when it comes to the tropical plants inside, as plants in the office will likely benefit from the heating and protection you have indoors.

Of course, you will need to ensure the soil stays hydrated and that the plants aren’t stripped of their moisture when you increase the heating during the winter.

Growing Zones and Hardiness Zones

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed the standard by which amateurs, gardeners, and growers can determine which plants are most likely to survive the winter outdoors at a location.

The Zone map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree F zones. These zones are numbered from 1 to 13 – with 1 being the coldest and 13 being the warmest.

For example, the Miami area is mostly Zone 10, the Boston area is mostly Zone 7, and the Burlington, Vermont area is mostly Zone 3.

Click here to view a map of plant hardiness across the U.S.

Tropical Plants

Many of the plants we keep as outdoor and indoor plants shouldn’t be subjected to cold temperatures unless they are plants that are hardy in cold weather in your area.

Researching a plant’s natural growth or hardiness zone will tell you where it can successfully spend the winter outside. For example, most red oak trees grow in Zone 5 to Zone 9, – and if you live within those zones, you won’t need to bring your oak tree inside for the winter.

On the other hand, many plants we keep are native to warm climates and won’t survive cold winters. Spider plants thrive outdoors year-round in Zones 9 to 11. If you live in Zone 8 or lower, you’ll need to protect your spider plant during the winter.

Relocation Timing

When the temperatures drop, you need to consider bringing outdoor plants inside for the winter.

As a general rule, for tropical plants native to Zones 9 to 11, when the temperature at night goes below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s time to think about moving your greenspace indoors.

Where you are in the country will greatly impact the work you need to do to preserve your plants. If the plant is native to Zones 9 to 11, and you live in Zone 8, you might only need to cover your plants. We recommend burlap to keep them safe from the cold.

However, if you live in an area where the temperatures drop below 45 degrees, you’ll want to bring your tropical plants inside.

Acclimation

As mentioned above, when the night-time temperature drops below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, tropical plants need protection to stop dying from the cold.

Remember that you must slowly subject your plants to the new weather conditions. They shouldn’t deteriorate because of the increase or decrease in light, moisture, and temperature.

To make the transition easier, we recommend bringing your tropical plants in only overnight, to begin with, and then taking them back outside in the daytime.

After a few days, they can stay indoors for the rest of the winter until the temperature rises again in the spring.

Soil

Soil often becomes quickly dehydrated inside – the indoor humidity is much lower when the heating is on in your home or office, and the water in the soil evaporates faster.

On the other hand, you won’t typically need to apply fertilizer. Your interior planting design can last the winter without it. Then, when you are ready to bring your plants outside in the spring, it is a good time to give them a nutrient boost.

Bringing your plants out in the spring is also a good time to consider if your plantscape would benefit from repotting.

Do you need help revitalizing your outdoor garden?

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Light

A challenge for humans and plants during the winter is the reduction in sunlight. With the shorter days in most parts of the country, it can be harder than ever to give your best indoor plants the sun they need to thrive.

For that reason, ensure you follow the plant care instructions for your specific plant type. If they need direct sunlight, find somewhere in your home where the plant can receive the maximum sun. Ideally, it would be best if you used a south-facing window.

You may need to reposition your plants in the winter months to help them to receive the necessary hours of sunlight each day, and if they are still struggling to get enough sun, consider installing a grow light to provide them with extra light while they are inside.

Water

While the heating in your home can dry out the soil for your plants, don’t be tempted to overwater them in the winter.

Overwatering is the most common cause of indoor plant death. You’ll be surprised how little water they need in the winter.

Most tropical plants in the office and succulents don’t need watering as much as you might think. For example, you’ll likely be safe leaving them unwatered for a couple of weeks during the winter break if you aren’t going to be in the office as much.

Pests

Before moving any plants indoors, you must thoroughly check them for pests.

Over the summer, it’s very common for spider mites and aphids to make their way onto plants, so check under the leaves to see their condition before relocating them.

We recommend using an insecticidal soap and washing your plants with water before moving them so that you don’t have any issues or spread these pests to your other greenscape plants.

Ready to unlock your garden’s full potential?

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Key Takeaways

Interior planting design is something that homeowners and business owners can benefit from throughout the year. However, even the best indoor plants need to follow different plant care instructions in the winter.

It’s best to move your plants indoors gradually. Look out for the key signs we’ve shared above to help make this process smooth for all of your plants.

By following the tips we’ve shared above, you can create a beautiful greenscape that will continue to thrive all year round.

View Our Other Plant Care Tips

  • Lawn and Garden
  • Tropical Plants
  • Ferns
  • Philodendrons
  • Fiddle Leaf Figs
  • Why Are My House Plants Dying?
  • How to Find the Best Garden Decor
  • Top 10 Pet-Safe House Plants
  • What’s the Difference Between Plantscaping and Landscaping?

See how we can transform your urban greenscape today!

Contact Us

Boston’s Plantscaping Specialists

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For over 40 years, we’ve provided award-winning plantscaping services in the Boston Metro area.

We customize and plan our roof garden projects and interior plantscaping to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for corporate plantscaping and residential community projects.

In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications. You can find us in Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.

Follow us on social media @Foliaire for more valuable plant care advice:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram

Top 7 Benefits of Urban Gardening and Urban Farming - greenscape, interior plantscaping, urban landscaping, living walls, urban garden - Foliaire Inc. Boston MA

Top 7 Benefits of Urban Gardening and Urban Farming

  • October 20, 2022/
  • Posted By : Paul Lee/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Blog

Urban gardening and urban farming have become much more popular in metropolitan areas.

Whether you’re a homeowner looking to add an urban garden to your property or a company hoping to develop corporate plantscaping for your employees, urban landscaping has many benefits. We are all looking for ways to improve our health and well-being at this current time. You may be surprised to learn that urban gardening is one of the top ways to achieve your goal.

Let’s examine the key benefits of creating an urban greenscape on your property.

We Will Cover How To:

  • Encourage Healthier Diets
  • Boost Food Security
  • Grow Safer Food
  • Develop Under-Utilized Land
  • Increase Sustainability
  • Build Community
  • Save Money on Groceries
  • Key Takeaways

Encourage Healthier Diets

We all need to strive to follow a healthy diet. There’s no denying that with restaurants on every corner, preparing healthy and nutritious meals can be challenging. You’ll have fresh ingredients when you add an urban garden to your home or workplace. You’ll be able to cook delicious meals for yourself and your family. The goal is to help you to stay on track with your fitness and health goals. No matter what diet you currently follow, you’ll be able to make little switches daily. That way, you can enjoy more fresh produce and colorful meals.

Boost Food Security

The past few years have shown us how quickly we can lose access to stores and products we rely on daily. You’ll boost food security using your urban garden, ensuring you always have access to fresh fruit and vegetables. Food waste is also a huge issue in many countrywide communities. For this reason, having access to a greenscape where you pick only the food you need to eat that day will help to minimize wastage. You won’t have to eat packaged food as much. Instead, you’ll take your produce straight from your garden to your kitchen. You’ll be ready to prepare a delicious meal for yourself and your loved ones.

Grow Safer Food

Urban landscaping offers full customization over the plants and food you choose to grow in your garden. You’ll be able to grow safer meals that you can serve to your family, knowing they are free from chemicals and pesticides in store-bought food. If you are looking to enjoy cleaner meals without any ingredients that could damage your body, you’ll appreciate this as one of the top benefits of urban gardening. You’ll no longer have to question what’s added to your food, as you can choose to use organic products to help grow your produce.

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Develop Under-Utilized Land

An urban garden allows you to use a space on your property that may otherwise sit empty indefinitely. We all know that roofs, in particular, are often under-utilized when they could otherwise create a beautiful outdoor space for you, your family, or your employees. You’ll find that when you plan your urban landscaping well, it could help to add to the value of your property in the future when you look to sell it. Find the best ways to maximize the available space and ensure you add all of the features that improve your property’s curb appeal, such as living walls.

Increase Sustainability

Food miles – how far away your food is sourced – gained more attention in recent years as one of the hottest topics in sustainability. By growing produce in your home or workplace, you can work to reduce your impact on the environment and stop food from traveling around the world to reach your plate. You’ll bring yourself one step closer to the food system when you grow your food and create a greenscape you enjoy tending. We all need to play our part to protect our planet, and this is one of the simplest yet most effective ways you can achieve this in the upcoming years. Urban plantscaping can ensure that you have everything in place to keep your gardening practices as sustainable as possible.

Build Community

One of the best features of urban landscaping is the sense of community this investment can create. An urban garden can become a central part of your work community, allowing people to meet, socialize, and exercise. Many companies encourage their teams to get involved with tending new greenscapes. This team-building offers a way to connect with nature and take a break from everyday work. Urban gardening also brings families closer when they work together to keep it in top condition.

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Save Money on Groceries

The challenges of the past few years have pushed up the price of groceries across the country. With shortages in the supply chain, many families have had to make different choices to stick within their food budget. When you grow food in your urban garden, you reduce the impact of these rising prices. This benefit allows you to spend your money in other ways. Workplaces can use the fruit and vegetables they grow on-site to reduce supply budgets.

Key Takeaways

There are many fantastic benefits of urban gardening and farming for individuals and companies across the country. Living walls and a beautiful greenscape can create an aesthetically pleasing addition to any home or workplace. You’ll find that they can help to offer you fresher produce and healthier cooking ingredients.

View Our Other Plant Care Tips

  • Lawn and Garden
  • Tropical Plants
  • Ferns
  • Philodendrons
  • Fiddle Leaf Figs
  • Why Are My House Plants Dying?
  • How to Find the Best Garden Decor
  • Top 10 Pet-Safe House Plants
  • What’s the Difference Between Plantscaping and Landscaping?

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Boston’s Plantscaping Specialists

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For over 40 years, we’ve provided award-winning plantscaping services in the Boston Metro area.

We customize and plan our roof garden projects and interior plantscaping to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for corporate plantscaping and residential community projects.

In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications. You can find us in Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.

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How to Take Care of Fiddle Leaf Figs - best indoor plants, plant care tips, exotic plants, interior plantscaping, indoor plant maintenance - Foliaire Boston MA

Plant Care Tips: How to Take Care of Fiddle Leaf Figs

  • September 20, 2022/
  • Posted By : Paul Lee/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Blog

Fiddle leaf figs are one of the best indoor plants for anyone looking to add a striking addition to any room in their home. With its larger size and beautiful leaves, you’ll want to ensure you understand the top plant care tips for this exotic plant.

Keep reading to learn the best ways to preserve your fiddle leaf fig. We’ll help you avoid common problems associated with this popular plant.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Light
  • Soil
  • Watering
  • Temperature
  • Fertilizer
  • Potting and Repotting
  • Common Problems
  • Key Takeaways

Light

When finding the correct position for your fiddle leaf fig, ensure your indoor plantscaping sees this plant placed by a window. It needs to receive some direct light daily, so ensure your window is unobstructed. The window doesn’t need to face any direction, so don’t worry if your window isn’t south-facing. Remember that you shouldn’t place it outdoors since full sunlight will be too much for the plant.

Soil

To look after your fiddle leaf fig, you’ll need to plant it in a well-draining potting mixture. It should ideally be rich in organic matter, such as peat-based soil. The soil should be evenly moist, which will help keep the roots hydrated without getting too wet.

Watering

When it comes to indoor plant maintenance and watering for fiddle leaf figs, ensure you water them roughly once a week. This step will depend on the size of your plant, so adjust the amount of water you give it. For example, a six-foot-tall plant may need about ¾ of a gallon weekly. If the top inch of the soil feels dry to you, it needs watering when looking after exotic plants. Slowly water all around the pot to effectively water the entire root ball.

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Temperature

The key to successful indoor plantscaping depends on many factors, including the average temperature of the place where the plant will live throughout the year. Keep your fiddle leaf figs in temperatures of roughly 55 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit for best results. The most important thing is to place this plant indoors so it won’t receive heat or hot air from a fan or heating vent.

Fertilizer

Applying fertilizer is a good idea when taking care of any of the best indoor plants, but you’ll want to be cautious with how much fertilizer you use on your fiddle leaf figs. Avoid using too much fertilizer at once on the plant, or you may find that you’ve undone all of the good work of the plant care tips we’ve shared so far. A slow-release “pelletized” fertilizer is a good option for the spring and summer of this type of plant. This type of fertilizer sits on the top layer of the soil, where it will last for a few months before you need to consider giving the plant more. Consult the instructions on the fertilizer for the correct amount to apply.

Potting and Repotting

Take great care when potting or repotting your fiddle leaf fig. You should repot your plant when it outgrows its previous pot, which is generally just every two or three years for this exotic plant. The best type of pot for a fiddle leaf fig is a tighter container with many drainage holes. This plant can easily adapt to any shape and type of planter, but make sure you water it generously upon repotting it to help it settle into the new pot.

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Common Problems

It’s important to be aware of the common indoor plant maintenance issues that may crop up. Overwatering is one of the biggest issues we see with fiddle leaf figs, resulting in fungal infections or root rot. You may notice that your plant develops spots or dropping leaves, indicating a bigger issue with your plant care. If just the edges of the leaves are turning brown, that’s an indication that the plant isn’t getting enough water.

Drying Leaves

Many of the leaves on your fiddle leaf fig will eventually turn brown and dry. While this is part of the normal process of aging leaves, you should certainly be concerned if this happens to the whole plant at once. If you move your plant to a new area of your home, you may find that it may take a little time to adapt to its new location. You can pluck off any dried and old leaves, but consider whether you are following our indoor plant maintenance tips if you are concerned there is a greater issue. Ensure you are offering the plant enough water and not placing it in sunlight outdoors, as these two factors could be the reason for your browning leaves.

Pest Infestations

As with many exotic plants, pests may decide to give your fiddle leaf figs a visit at any time. You can treat the infestation if you catch this issue before it’s too late. Armored scale insects, spider mites, and mealy bugs are the three most common infestations. Pests may sometimes appear blemishes on the leaves, so use a magnifying glass to check out the issue. Smaller pests can easily blend into the leaf, but the sooner you treat this problem, the more likely you’ll be to preserve your plant.

Key Takeaways

By following these indoor plant care tips, you can ensure your plant lives for many years. These are very long-lasting and beautiful additions to any indoor plantscaping design. However, you’ll want to ensure you give them the correct water, sunlight, and temperature conditions to grow and thrive. While there are a few common issues you need to be aware of, they are generally quite low-maintenance plants that are easy to look after. You’ll find they make a very dramatic addition to any living space, which is why we are seeing more and more homes across the country put these plants on display.

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View Our Other Plant Care Tips

  • Lawn and Garden
  • Tropical Plants
  • Ferns
  • Philodendron Plants
  • Why Are My House Plants Dying?
  • How to Find the Best Garden Decor
  • Top 10 Pet-Safe House Plants

 

Boston’s Plantscaping Specialists

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For 40 years, we’ve provided award-winning plantscaping services in the Boston Metro area.

We customize and plan our roof garden projects and interior plantscaping to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for corporate plantscaping and residential community projects.

In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications. You can find us in Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.

Follow us on social media @Foliaire for more valuable plant care advice:

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Plant Care Tips - How to Take Care of Tropical Plants - Foliaire Inc. - landscaping Boston, hanging plants, tropical plants, exotic plants

Plant Care Tips: How to Take Care of Tropical Plants

  • June 23, 2022/
  • Posted By : Paul Lee/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Blog

Tropical plants are a fantastic addition to any home or office but require proper plant care. Have you reviewed plant care tips for tropical plants before? If not, you may be surprised by some of our top advice.

In today’s blog, we’ll help you keep your tropical plants in top condition. Keep reading as we share some of our best plant care tips for these types of plants.

The Diversity of Tropical Plants

Tropical plants are perfect for your home or office all season. One thing to remember when it comes to exotic plants is that all of them are different. You’ll need to take the time to learn the top plant care tips for your specific tropical plants.

Many exotic plants have special instructions you need to follow to ensure survival. By learning how to water and care for your plants, they can be a vibrant and exciting addition.

Watering Tropical Plants

If you’re wondering how to take care of tropical plants, you’ll want to ensure their soil is porous and evenly moist. Generally, potting them in sandy soil or other well-draining soil is best. The soil shouldn’t be too wet either, but this can be quite challenging to perfect.

While most tropical plants can stay dry for a few days, avoid giving them too much water. When tropical plants are overwatered, they’re more likely to die. Try to water your plants when the soil becomes dry to the touch and frequently check on the soil.

This advice is especially true for hanging plants since they tend to dry out faster. We encourage you to take consistent care of your exotic plants. They need a fair bit of attention to survive.

One of the best ways to maintain moisture is to invest in a supplemental indoor plant watering device. This step will ensure you don’t forget to water your plants. A soil moisture gauge is also worth buying if you struggle with judging water levels. It will help enhance healthy plant care.

Humidity and Indoor Tropical Plants

Tropical plants in the wild usually live in hot and humid locations worldwide. Keeping the humidity levels right can be difficult if you live in a much cooler environment. Therefore, you need to consider how to take care of tropical plants.

The good news is that exotic plants adapt quickly to their new environment. Even your hanging plants will likely thrive wherever they are.

Some of these plants are more sensitive, so you might need to add more humidity in a dry atmosphere. Tropical plants benefit from regular misting to keep the humidity level high, especially during winter.  

A pebble tray with water is another simple and creative way to improve the humidity around your plants. Use an indoor humidity monitor to keep track of these levels, which will help you monitor them daily.

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Light and Tropical Plants

you must place some tropical plants in bright light to grow and thrive. However, you’ll find that others will quickly adapt to your darker home light levels.

A sunny window might seem like the perfect place to put your plants. For some plants, though, this could soon burn off their leaves and damage them.

Rubber trees and dracaenas are two plant species that will need a fair amount of light. If you leave them for too long without light, their leaves will lose color and turn brown.

As soon as you notice a plant getting burned by the sun, move it out of its current spot. That way, you’ll be able to save it before it’s too late.

Do You Need Fertilizer for Tropical Plants?

Many exotic plants people keep in their homes today require special soil. You’ll need to research this before buying these plants, as you may need to purchase this soil simultaneously. Otherwise, regular well-draining soil will do for your hanging plants. Just be sure to keep them well-watered and in good condition.

Fertilizer is important to use in the spring or summer months, ideally in February or March. We recommend adding fertilizer annually as part of your plant care tips. In the winter, you generally won’t want to use fertilizer.

Many people today opt to use organic plant fertilizer, a top plant care tip for anyone with exotic plants. You can also find fertilizer designed for indoor plants to help them grow and thrive.

Some plant owners take things one step further and make homemade fertilizer with compost tea bags. It’s a great way to save money while offering your plants a more natural solution.

Key Takeaways

Following the plant care tips we’ve shared above, you’ll find that you can skillfully care for your tropical plants. These tips should apply to most exotic plants.

However, ensure you follow the specific care instructions for your unique plantscaping. We know how beautiful exotic plants can look in any home or office. It’s something we highly recommend adding to your space this year.

You can follow us on social media @Foliaire to learn more plant care tips on garden decor and garden care.

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Boston’s Plantscaping Specialists

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For the last 40 years, we’ve provided the highest quality office plantscaping services for clients across the Boston Metro area.

We customize and plan our living walls and interior plantscaping to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for corporate plantscaping and residential community projects.

In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications. You can find us in Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.

Follow us on social media @Foliaire for more Boston exterior design and plant care tips:

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Plant Care Tips - Top 10 Pet-Safe House Plants - Foliaire Inc. - indoor plantscaping, interior plantscaping, plant care tips, pet safe house plants, pet friendly house plants, plant watering

Plant Care Tips: Top 10 Pet-Safe House Plants

  • May 19, 2022/
  • Posted By : Paul Lee/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Blog

As a pet owner, it’s critical to add pet-safe house plants for your little furry friends.

Indoor plantscaping is something that more homeowners than ever before are researching. These plants can exist in various rooms in your home, adding some color or interest to your space.

However, you need to ensure you only add pet-safe house plants to your space. Keep reading to learn our top 10 pet-friendly house plants, all of which will help enhance the mood and atmosphere of your home.

What We’ll Cover In This Article:

  • Rattlesnake plant
  • Spider plant
  • Parlor palm
  • Succulents
  • African violet
  • Gloxinia
  • Venus flytrap
  • Boston fern
  • Watermelon peperomia
  • Bromeliad
  • What to do if your pet consumes a toxic plant
  • Key takeaways

1) Rattlesnake Plant (Calathea)

The colors and unique leaves of the Rattlesnake plant make it one of our favorite pet-safe indoor house plants. It can incorporate low-light rooms and will brighten up any space. The good news is that it’s safe to keep around pets, but you’ll want to make sure you plant it in sandy, fast-draining soil for best results.

Keep an eye on the leaves, and remember that one of the top plant care tips is to water the plant as soon as the soil feels dry. It would be a good option to add to your living room or study and add more texture to even the plainest rooms.

2) Spider Plant

The Spider plant is a popular option with veterinarians, and you’ve no doubt seen it before in your local vet’s office. Thanks to its air-purifying qualities, it can help remove toxins from the atmosphere.

Make sure you keep this plant away from constant, direct sunlight to don’t kill off your new interior plantscaping home addition. This plant is very easy to take care of, so it’s one of our favorites for first-time pet or plant owners.

3) Parlor Palm (Neanthe Bella Palm)

If you want to add a little indoor plantscaping to your bedroom, the Parlor palm is one of our favorites to add to a nightstand. It only needs a few hours of light a day, which is ideal from an indirect source.

This plant is very slow-growing, so it’s a good option for anyone new to adding pet-friendly house plants to their space.

4) Succulents

Succulents are some of the most popular pet-friendly additions to any home. However, you need to ensure the succulents you add are pet-safe indoor house plants.

Haworthia and Echeveria are two of the best options and are super easy to manage. Ensure they get direct sunlight and water them when the soil turns dry.

5) African Violet

Kitchens are a great spot to add some indoor plantscaping. The African Violet is a colorful plant that will bloom well in indirect sunlight.

They are ideal all-year-round plants for any home and are one of the most attractive options for comparing pet-safe house plants.

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6) Gloxinia

The Gloxinia is native to Brazil and blooms in bold shades of pink, red, purple, or blue. You’ll need to keep this plant’s soil moist, but it will only require you to follow basic plant care tips, such as feeding the plant every two weeks.

This plant will be a great option to add to your living room if you are looking for a way to add a splash of color to your home. Unfortunately, Gloxinia is somewhat demanding and requires additional attention.

They also tend to attract unwanted insects. This beautiful flowering plant is perfect for those who already have a good track record of caring for plants.   

7) Venus Flytrap

This pet-friendly house plant is easy to maintain, so first-time interior plantscaping homeowners will love adding it to their homes. Just make sure you add it to someplace where it will enjoy about four hours of direct sunlight each day.

Terrariums and solariums are ideal environments to show off this plant. An even better location might be a conservatory or hothouse.

Peat moss is the best option for the soil. You’ll want to make this plant a focal point in your interior plantscape design.

8) Boston Fern

The Boston Fern consistently comes up in lists of the top indoor plantscaping plants. It’s one of our favorite pet-friendly house plants. You only need to feed it occasionally, so it’s a great choice for busy pet owners.

It’s okay if your dog or cat accidentally bites it as it’s not toxic to either of these animals. You can read our guide on fern plant care to learn more.

9) Watermelon Peperomia

The Watermelon Peperomia is one of the best options for pet owners within this family of plants. It should remain out of direct sunlight, but you won’t have to worry about watering it too often.

You could place this in most rooms in your home. You only need to test the soil from time to time to see if it needs any care or water. This plant prefers to sit in somewhat dry soil.

10) Bromeliad

The final plant we recommend for pet owners is the Bromeliad, which offers a tropical feel to any room. It’s a bright and colorful plant, and the blooms stay in place for a few months.

Any room in your home that could do with a splash of color will benefit from this pet-friendly house plant. We recommend adding this plant to your kitchen or living room. You can open the windows and offer it some indirect sunlight in that setting.

One thing to keep in mind in terms of plant care tips for this plant is that you will need to mist it to keep it in peak condition. Wait until the soil is dry, then completely drench the plant thoroughly for watering.  

What to Do If Your Pet Consumes a Poison Plant

If you know your dog or cat has eaten a poisonous plant, here’s what to do:

1) Remove your pet from proximity to the plant.

Note the plant’s name, if you recognize it, or take a picture of it to help medical professionals in treating your animal.

 

2) Make sure your pet is breathing, alert, and behaving normally.

Call your veterinarian or a phone hotline to help with pet poisoning, like Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661 or ASPCA Animal Poison Control at 888-426-4435. Remember, hotlines like these charge for their services so a consultation fee may apply. A professional can tell you whether you need to treat your pet at home or bring it in to see a veterinarian.

3) Call your veterinarian or the nearest emergency veterinary clinic immediately if your pet is not behaving normally.

Avoid any at-home remedies or antidotes that your veterinarian did not approve. That includes making your pet vomit. Vomiting may be the right approach, but it might also be dangerous based on what your pet ingests and what’s happening in its body.

Act Quickly to Save Your Pet’s Life

Remember, the sooner you get help for a pet who’s eaten a poisonous plant, the better the chances your pet can recover from poisoning. Whether at home under a veterinarian’s orders or in a veterinary hospital, treatment will be specific to the plant that poisoned your pet.

The ASPCA Poison Control estimates that 25 percent of poisoned pets recover within 2 hours. Even with treatment, 1 in 100 poisoned pets die.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so check toxic and non-toxic plants before bringing greenery into the home or planting in the yard or garden. Your pet and your veterinarian will thank you.

 

Key Takeaways

By choosing any of these pet-friendly house plants and following the plant care tips for looking after each one, you’ll find that you can enjoy enhancing your home with these beautiful plants.

These plants are safe to keep around dogs, cats, and other pets, while still brightening up certain parts of your home. We highly encourage you to think carefully about what you add to your home. When you have pets sharing your space, you can keep everyone safe and healthy for years to come.

You can follow us on all social media @Foliaire to learn more plant care tips on garden decor and garden care.

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Boston’s Exterior Design & Plantscaping Specialists

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For the last 40 years, we’ve provided the highest quality office plantscaping services for clients across the Boston Metro area.

We customize and plan our living walls and interior plantscaping to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for both corporate plantscaping and residential community projects.

In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications. You can find us in Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.

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Plant Care - How to Care for Your Lawn and Garden - Foliaire - plant care, plant watering, custom exterior landscape, exterior landscape design, Boston exterior design

Plant Care: How to Care for Your Lawn and Garden

  • April 22, 2022/
  • Posted By : Paul Lee/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Blog

Your lawn and garden need your time and attention to help them grow and thrive. Plant care is a skill that takes time to develop. This article is here to get you started.

Looking after your garden will be easy when you equip yourself with the right knowledge. Keep reading to learn our best tips and tricks for cultivating your garden.

What We’ll Cover In This Article:

  • Update your lawn and garden care for the season
  • Build exterior garden structures
  • Identify and remove weeds
  • Improve drainage for your lawn
  • Mowing and edging your lawn
  • Key takeaways

Update Your Lawn and Garden Care for the Season

When it comes to effective plant watering and plant care, you need to treat your garden differently throughout the year. If you live in an area that experiences cold winter months, you need to be mindful of the impact this can have on your plants.

At the same time, hot and humid summers can wreak havoc on your garden, which is when you’ll need to think about plant watering more regularly. Plan to cut your line once a week in the summer.

For the rest of the year, every two weeks is sufficient. Make sure you are mindful of the climate of your home state.

Spring-Time Gardening Tasks

Spring is the time to tour your garden to see what’s been happening while you were inside all winter.

At this point, you should remove any matted leaves left from last fall. Trim off the brown foliage from your ornamental grass plants and perennial plants. Lastly, remove any fallen branches or other trash that has made its way into your garden during the cold weather.

Build Exterior Garden Structures

A huge part of plant care is offering support and protection for plants to thrive. Start building your structures early spring before the ground has completely thawed out. April and May are good times to inspect, repair, or replace any hardscape items, including:

  • gazebos
  • fountains
  • plant stands
  • privacy screens
  • retaining walls
  • living walls

Fountains are a great way to add a relaxing centerpiece to your garden. They can also help attract more wildlife to your outdoor space.

Take the time in early spring to clean out fountains from leaves and other debris. If you don’t currently have a fountain, consider adding one.

Even if you have limited space to add a water feature, a small fountain can make a tranquil addition. Spring is also a good time to give your birdbaths a thorough scrub.

Types of Structures

Consider an exterior landscape design that includes plant stands to help your plants grow and make plant care easier. This display will bring show plants into focus.

Additionally, retaining walls can protect against wind and erosion. A pergola, or a roof-like lattice, can help cover some of your shade-loving plants while also growing through the design. This structure can make a beautiful addition to any garden. It can quickly become a place to gather with your friends and family.

Retaining walls are a more practical custom exterior landscape addition. These are vertical walls designed to redirect water flow and hold soil back on slopes. You’ll find that they can be both functional and decorative in their own right. Click here to learn more about the types of garden decor you can install.

Identify and Remove Weeds

Weeds are a huge issue in plant care for your garden and lawn. Lawn weeds might either grow as flowers or seed heads.

Generally, you’ll find a huge variety of weeds in lawns today. The best option for your home is to remove the whole weed, ensuring you get the roots out simultaneously. You can do this by hand but using a weed removing tool.

When carrying out regular plant watering, we suggest pet-safe herbicide. Always look for a product that has a low toxicity level. That way, you won’t cause any harm to nearby creatures.

Spring Pruning

Spring is the time of year when many plants will benefit from pruning. Do you have woody plants that flower in the fall? Our rule of thumb is to prune them in the spring. Examples include hydrangeas and roses.

However, don’t prune forsythias, azaleas, or lilacs in the spring. Spring is also the time to shape any evergreen trees that you want to control growth or spread.

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Improve Drainage for Your Lawn

Drainage is a major issue within the exterior landscape design. If your lawn has poor drainage, you may find it becomes soaked for days. In the long run, this can cause issues for your lawn health if you don’t work to improve the drainage.

Common reasons for drainage issues include inferior custom exterior landscape design and the lack of absorption from the soil. Are you seeing standing water in your garden outside of your water features? Take steps to avoid a buildup of water in the future to prevent further damage to your lawn.

Design With Your Garden Shape in Mind

The shape of your garden will play a big part in preventing waterlogging. Drive water away from your home to prevent damage to the property. Dips in the ground need to be avoided at all costs, as these can cause water to pool.

We sometimes find that homeowners need to install additional gutters and drains. These additions can direct excess water away from the lawn.

Another strategy, instead of working to remove standing water, is to add water-loving plants. Some species thrive in boggy ground, including:

  • astilbe
  • cardinal flower
  • sedge
  • rose mallow
  • summersweet
  • hibiscus
  • European cranberry bush viburnum
  • leucothoe
  • fothergilla
  • Pinkberry
  • sweetspire
  • sweet and swamp azaleas
  • white spruce
  • black gum

These varieties will absorb some of the extra water. You’ll be able to protect your plants that might otherwise become water-logged.

Mowing and Edging Your Lawn

Mowing your lawn is an important part of plant care. However, it’s best to only remove about one-third of the grass length during each session in the spring.

More often, mowing matters in the summer when you can cut about half the grass length. In the winter, the grass will grow much slower, if at all. Try to avoid mowing your lawn when your soil or grass is wet. This mistake can damage your lawn and stop it from growing at its borders and edges.

Invest in a half-moon edging tool or use edging shears or even a battery-powered edger to complete this work. You should do this after mowing, offering a finishing touch to the plant care process for your lawn.

Key Takeaways

Plant care and watering often seem like a huge task, but little and often is the best way to go.

Your garden should work in the right manner for your property’s design and unique custom exterior landscape. You’ll reduce the number of issues you face in the future.

Ready to unlock your garden’s full potential?

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Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For the last 40 years, we’ve provided the highest quality office plantscaping services for clients across the Boston Metro area.

We customize and plan our living walls and interior planting designs to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for both corporate plantscaping and residential community projects.

In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications. You can find us in Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.

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Plantscaping and Landscaping - What's the Difference Between Plantscaping and Landscaping? - Foliaire Inc. - office plantscaping, corporate plantscaping, interior plantscaping, indoor plantscaping, living walls

What’s the Difference Between Plantscaping and Landscaping?

  • March 17, 2022/
  • Posted By : Paul Lee/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Blog

When discussing adding more plants to your office or improving your outdoor landscape, you might wonder what distinguishes plantscaping from landscaping – and the difference between landscaping and landscape maintenance.

The terms often have interchangeable uses, but they have different interior and exterior landscape design meanings.

Today we’re going to discover what indoor plantscaping means. You’ll learn why it’s very different from what people traditionally think of landscaping and landscape maintenance.

What You’ll Learn in This Article:

  • What is plantscaping?
  • How does plantscaping work?
  • What is landscaping?
  • How does landscaping work?
  • What is landscape maintenance?
  • How does landscape maintenance work?
  • Key takeaways

What Is Plantscaping?

When we use the term plantscaping, we refer to creating and designing interior spaces – commercial or residential – with live plants. For instance, corporate plantscaping projects involve planning which kinds of plants you will use, where the plants will live, and what pots, planters, or containers they will use.

Plantscaping can also include an architectural element. There’s a conference room at the office with only a glass wall separating it from the reception area. You could design a “screen” of plants to separate the two visually for office plantscaping.

In addition to the natural attractiveness of live plants, they can add visual focus to an area – a splash of color can highlight a space, such as a hallway or tabletop, or a structural feature, such as a corner or archway.

Plantscaping can add interest to small and large spaces – from a desktop to an office entryway. For example, small and large living walls can accent a surface or redefine a space. You can use interior plantscaping for any room to fit any shape or size.

How Does Plantscaping Work?

Interior plantscaping offers many benefits to workplaces and office settings. Well-known effects of living walls include improved air quality, better air circulation, and the removal of toxins. Plantscaping provides a welcoming environment for either working or relaxing, whereas landscaping is usually outdoors.

Although you can certainly take on office plantscaping yourself, it’s probably best to work with the aid of professionals to enhance the design of your space. The practice of hiring professionals to help design and install interior plantscaping came of age in the 1960s and 70s and has become ever more popular since.

From many plant variety options, corporate plantscaping professionals can assist in selecting the right specimens to reinvigorate your unique space.

What Is Landscaping?

Landscaping refers to the design and installation of live plants and accessories in exterior spaces – typically involving trees, shrubs, flowers, walkways, hardscapes, and garden features. It is the process of making changes to a piece of land to improve its value and appearance.

Landscape design will consider what plants should go where and what features you should add. Your options might include a stone path, statue, or water fountain.

It’s common to include an irrigation system in landscape design. That way, watering the plants will be as easy as possible.

How Does Landscaping Work?

Homeowners and landlords may look to invest in landscaping when trying to sell a property, improving its “curb appeal.”

We all know how critical the first impression is when approaching a building, and landscaping is instrumental in promoting what someone thinks about your property.

It’s one of the key features that help a home sell more quickly. A well-groomed exterior makes it worth the investment.

Do you need help revitalizing your outdoor garden?

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What Is Landscape Maintenance?

Compared to outdoor landscaping, landscape maintenance is what we would more traditionally refer to as gardening. It relates to the upkeep of your home or office garden, or lawn.

Above all, it’s the actual fertilizing, watering, and maintenance of the area, as opposed to the strategic positioning of plants in an outdoor space – as you would find with landscaping.

Landscape maintenance works to keep your grass or plants in top condition to flourish in all weather conditions. It also includes mowing lawns, pruning trees, and trimming hedges.

How Does Landscape Maintenance Work?

Landscaping may involve changing your garden’s architecture and overall design, but it should never be confused with landscape maintenance. Landscape maintenance primarily focuses on preserving your garden or lawn.

In contrast, landscaping is the initial activity that involves planting flowers or trees. The goal is to design the area to look more attractive.

While landscape maintenance keeps your lawn or garden in good order, it can also boost your mood and improve the outside of your home or office. It also helps to reduce environmental impact or increase the property’s value.

Key Takeaways

Landscaping, landscape maintenance, and indoor plantscaping have many similarities, but they focus on different areas in the office or around a building. All of them are concerned with live plants and improving the appeal of our spaces.

Meanwhile, plantscaping deals with designing indoor spaces and interiors – landscaping deals with designing outdoor spaces. Landscape maintenance is necessary to keep a landscape design in peak condition. Hopefully, these three terms are clearer now.

Ready to unlock your garden’s full potential?

Contact Us

Boston’s Top Indoor Plantscaping Specialists

Foliaire is a full-service interior and exterior greenscape design-build firm in Boston’s historic South End. For the last 40 years, we’ve provided the highest quality office plantscaping services for clients across the Boston Metro area.

We customize and plan our living walls and interior planting designs to fit your unique space and tastes. That’s how we’ve built a reputation of unparalleled style and elegance for both corporate plantscaping and residential community projects. In addition, we’ve received several environmental design awards and have appeared in several publications. You can find us in Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Horticulture, and Interiorscape.

Follow us on social media for more plant care tips:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram

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