P lants help the environment (and us!) in many different ways: Plants make food Plants make oxygenPlants provide habitats for animals Plants help make and preserve soil Plants provide useful products for people Plants beautify
Pollination is an important part of a plant’s life cycle. Before flowers can produce, they must be pollinated. Without flower pollination, most plants could not produce fruit or set seeds. Bees are the best-known pollinators, making their presence in the garden extremely important People can transfer pollen from one flower to anotherUsually plants rely on animals or the wind to pollinate them. Plants that are pollinated by animals often are brightly colored and have a strong smell to attract the animal pollinators. P eople plant some seeds, but most plants don't rely on people. Plants rely on animals and wind and water to help scatter their seeds. Animals disperse seeds in several ways. Firsthave barbs or other structures that get tangled in animal fur or feathers, and are then carried to new sites. Other plants produce their seeds inside fleshy fruits that then get eaten be an animal. The fruit is digested by the animal, but the seeds pass through the digestive tract, and are dropped in other locations. Some animals bury seeds, like squirrels with acorns, to save for later, but may not return to get the seed. It can grow into a new plant Wind dispersal- Plants that produce wind blown seeds, like the dandelion shown in the video clip below, often produce lots of seeds to ensure that some of the seeds are blown to areas where the seeds can germinate. Floating in water-any aquatic plants and plants that live near water have seeds that can float, and are carried by water. Plants living along streams and rivers have seeds that float downstream, and therefore become germinate at new sites. The size of the seed is not a factor in determining whether or not a seed can float. Some very large seeds, like coconuts, can float. Some small seeds also float. And some plants disperse their seeds in other ways... Some plants have unique ways to disperse their seeds. Several kinds of plants "shoot" seeds out of pods, as in the video clip below. The seeds can travel quite a few feet from the plant this way.
P lants have adaptations to help them survive (live and grow) in different areas allow a plant or animal to live in a particular place or habitat. These adaptations might make it very difficult for the plant to survive in a different place. Desert-Plants must cope with extensive water loss. succulents, store water in their stems or leaves; Long root systems spread out wide or go deep into the ground to absorb water; Spines to discourage animals from eating plants for water Grassland- also called prairie, feature hot summers and cold winters. Rainfall is uncertain and drought is common. Some prairie trees have thick bark to resist fire Many grasses take advantage of exposed, windy conditions and are wind pollinated Soft stems enable prairie grasses to bend in the wind WATER-underwater leaves and stems are flexible to move with water currents roots and root hairs reduced or absent; roots only needed for anchorage, not for absorption of nutrients and water
are any of a number of species of insects that perform valued services like pollination and pest control. natures not doing its job because As humans dump pollutants and synthetic fertilizers into the land, water, and air and introduce nonnative plants and insects to many different places, Nature's balance is disturbed Beneficial insects leave othe best time to release beneficials is when infestation is low to moderate. nce they have no food left. Provide them with an adequate habitat. Dill- Dill and other members of the Umbel family are renowned for their ability to attract beneficial insects because of their abundance of nectar producing flowers.
All drought-tolerant plants are native. Many native california plants which grow along streams use a great deal of water from the stream but need no irrigation or rain. However, planted away from a water source, they would not tolerate a drought. Many other native plants require as much water as some imported or hybrid ornamental plants. Dry Doesn't Mean Dull There are drought tolerant plants that are all colors. From blues to reds. Once established they need very little to no watering. Drought-tolerant plants should be grouped together in the garden in order to conserve water. Some drought-tolerant species are susceptible to diseases and root rot when over-watered.
Hollyhock The flowers are used in the treatment of repiratory and inflammatory ailments and the root extracts to produce marshmallow sweets. ALFALFA- considered the “father of all plants”. It can treat morning sickness, nausea, kidney stones, kidney pain and urinary discomfort. ng-term can help reduce cholesterol CATNIP- Catnip can relieve cold symptoms. Catnip also helps stop excessive bleeding and swelling when applied rather than ingested Aloes- Its topical use has proved to be effective for sunburn, psoriasis, herpes, warts, scarring, eczema, wrinkled skin, and acne etc. Its efficacy has been established in treating frostbite by stimulating increased blood flow.
Common Poisonous Plants in Home and Grounds Some plants, trees or shrubs are potential killers of man. Some part of the ornamental plants or flowers in your yard may contain deadly poison. Many poisonous plants are so common and seemingly innocuous you do not suspect their toxic qualities. **It is easy to be deceived by plants. . .one part may be edible while another is poisonous. The following chart lists some of the more common poisonous plants. Fatal. A few berries can kill a child. Mistletoe- Fatal. Both children and adults have died from eating the berries. Oleander Extremely poisonous. Affects the heart, produces severe digestive upset and has caused death. Must be careful when you plant oleander, you need to make sure no animals will chew on them. Potato- all green parts are poisionous. Strong alkaloid causing cardiac depression. Can be fatal.
Thought it was interesting that not only do houseplants look nice inside a house, but they also help eliminate pollutants inside the home. Following plants remove Benzene which could cause carcinogen, skin and eye irritant, headaches, loss of appetite, drowsiness, tiredness very 24 hours, indoor plants remove up to 87% of dangerous volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) found in common products like tobacco smoke, dry cleaning fluid, carpet glue, printer inks and other air pollutants. The study suggests at least one houseplant for every 100 square feet of living space for optimum effectiveness. Boston Fern- removes formaldehyde at a rate of 1,863 micrograms per hour. Formaldehyde rritated eyes, nose, throat, headaches, contact dermatitis, and others
Pomegranate- The pomegranate is a popular exotic fruit make pomegrantate juice, Coconuts- From this species come many natural products, including foods, drinks, fibers, building materials, and chemicals. This species can grown where annual precipitation is fairly low, and it does well growing near salt water, where salt spray would kill many other plants. Sunflower seeds are used today as bird food, a nutritious snack, cooking oil, medicine, paint, animal feed, The sunflower plant is used for biodiesel and as an inexpensive and effective means of cleaning toxins from the environment.
There are no fireproof plants, but the ones listed here are known to be fire resistant or fire retardant. Though these plants can be damaged or killed by flames, their foliage and stems don't contribute significantly to the fuel or intensity of a fire. Click on each plant name for photos and additional details. Fend off deer and other furry nibblers without chemicals, contraptions, or foul-smelling sprays and delight in a garden worth bragging about with Park's deer-resistant plants ! Although no plant is guaranteed to be deer proof, these naturally unappetizing choices discourage grazing with unpleasant tastes, smells, or textures
Any washwater that has been used in the home, except water from toilets, is called graywater . Dish, shower, sink, and laundry water comprise 50-80% of residential "waste" water. This may be reused for other purposes, especially landscape irrigation. It's a waste to irrigate with great quantities of drinking water when plants thrive on used water containing small bits of compost. The benefits of graywater recycling include: Lower fresh water use According to a research made by NASA there is one special plant with an incredible capability of filtering waste water. The Water Hyacinth literally thrives on sewage and can absorb astonishing amounts of pollutants.