iWorth's Blog:

Veriegation in plants, usually to be found in foliage, provides an element of variety within the garden and is popular with dardeners very often as a means of brightening some otherwise gloomy or dar corner. Brought about by a chlorophyll deficiency in the main, variegated plants have in recent times been avidly collected by enthusiasts. If there is any danger in this, then it lies in over-planting. Much greater harmony over overall will be found where plants with variegation are used sparingly, perhaps singly, or as part of a carefully thougt out, colour-themed border. All combinations are inclined from time to time to revert to plain green. Where individual leaves, or even whole stems or branches, do revert, then these should be cut out immediately they are first spotted.

Garden soil can be used for planting containers providing the plants are short term, such as annuals or pansies, and are replaced after a few months. But there are many disadvantages to using soil in pots, not least in that it will be full of weed seeds just waiting to germinate and choke the plants. There will probably be some pests such as chafer grubs. Vine weevils and leatherjackets, and spores of various fungal diseases. Garden centres and  stores are well stocked with a range of proprietary composts to suit every plant's needs, including soil-based kinds whose soil has been sterilized, and soil-less types using peat, coir (coconut fibre) or other additives to provide a suitable growing medium. The one great advantage of soil-based compost is that it is more retentive of moisture and so less likely to shrink away from the edge of the pot as it dries out, making re-watering easy. Its disadvantage compared to soil-less compost is that it is heavier and a large container recent...

There are dictionaries of plant terms containing lots of words you will never have need of, - the following are several groups of those word you are most likely encounter. Deciduous and Evergreen Deciduous plants drop their leaves in winter, produce new foliage in the spring, such as oak or lilac. Evergreen plants retain their leaves throughout the winter, including laurel and holly. Hardy, half-hardy, and tender Hardy plant can survive outdoors all year round without protection. Obviously, plants that are hardy in mild area may not be hardy in colder area. Half-hardy plants need protection when the temperature drops to freezing. Tender plants will suffer in cold weather, even before it reaches freezing point. Acid loving and alkaline loving Acid loving plants grow best in soil that has a pH lower than 7 - i.e. soil that contains no lime. Such plants include rhododendrons and camellias, and are often also known as calcifuges (lime haters). alkaline loving plants grow best in a soil tha...

The energy produced in the leaf is dependent on its green coloring and on daylight; as a result, when green leaves become pale it usually means that the plant has a problem and the leaves can't do their job. In areas where there is less light - under trees, for example - colored leaves can be an advantage. The white spots on variegated leaves magnify the available light and direct it on to the green parts. If the underside of the leaf is purple, the light is reflected back into the leaf rather than passing through.