TYPES OF SUCCULENTS: HANGING

Plants have become a staple in our home now, and what's amazing about decorating your abode with plants is that since there are so many different varieties our options for design are endless. My favorite type of plant to add into my home is a hanging type, especially succulents since that is much less work then a pothos or any other type of perennial. A hanging plant really can fill that space that seems difficult to fill and it adds so much depth and color. Here are some of my favorite types of hanging succulents that I personally love to work with. 

BURROS TAIL 

DONKEYS TAIL 

( not to be confused with its sister, burros tail. the strands on the donkeys tail are heartier and longer )

STRING OF PEARLS 

STRING OF BANANAS 

FISH HOOKS 

CHRISTMAS CACTUS 

Hope this post inspired you! 

till next time.

SPRING FLORALS

Spring flowers are finally blooming and its starting to get really bright and pretty! Don't get me wrong I love flowers that bloom all year round but Spring flowers just have so much color and such a delightful scent. Here are some of my favorite Spring flowers to use at home or even an arrangement! 

PRIMROSE 

HYACINTH

TULIPS

PEONY

LILAC

LILY OF THE VALLEY

DAFFODIL

We hope that this guide helps you with all your floral needs! Also, what are your favorite Spring flowers and did we miss any? let us know in the comments below!

till next time!

LOW LIGHT AREA PLANTS

Plants need light to survive, we all know that. However, some plants don't require as much lighting as other plants. There are species of plants that actually thrive in the shade and if put into a well-lit area, the plant itself would burn. These plants are perfect for homes or any area in your home that doesn't have enough light. 

Aglaonema Maria aka Chinese Evergreen

Dracena Lisa 

Spathiphyllum aka Peace Lily

Sanseveria aka Mother In Law Tounge 

Succulents

These plants are so easy to take care of since they don't require so much water! Water them once a week and make sure that it doesn't get too dry. The only plant on this list that requires the soil to be moist is the Peace Lily. 

We hope this post helps you guys in all of your plant needs! if you have any questions or would like a design feel free to reach out to us at http://www.environmental-designs.com. 

till next time! 

HIGH-LIGHT AREA PLANTS

As we all know plants need light in order to survive, but the question is how much light does one plant need? Well, we decided to make this quick guide on high-light area plants. Meaning plants that need about 3-6 hours of sunlight exposure or plants that just do well next to a window.

ARBORICOLA 

BROMELIAD

FICUS TREE

FICUS LYRATA

DRACENA MARGINATA

We hope this guide helps you! Also when a plant needs a lot of light that means it needs a lot more water as well. If you are looking for design please feel free to reach out to us at www.environmental-designs.com. 

till next time! 

VALENTINES DAY

VALENTINE'S IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER! It just blows my mind how fast time is going and that February 14th is just a couple of weeks away. Make sure if you're buying any floral delivery arrangements to buy them away ahead of time so that way your order is secured! That's what we at Interior and Exterior Environment Designs, specialize in. To make sure that the order is always on time and that the customer is always happy. Here are a few of the flower arrangements that we are promoting for Valentine's day!  

You can also customize your order for your significant one any way you want! If you want to place an order with us please feel free to contact us at www.environmental-designs.com 

GREEN WALLS: HOW TO REALLY LIVEN THINGS UP

We all know how beautiful plants are, I mean I literally have like 15 plants at home. But I wanted to show my fellow plant lovers a different way to showcase some greenery in your home.

Moss Walls: 

Now I love moss walls because of how easy it is to care for. Mosses are small flowerless plants that typically grow in dense green clumps or mats, often in damp or shady locations. The moss that we primarily use is dry so it's not damp at all when we adhere it to any portrait. Another thing about moss is that there are so many different textures and colors of moss, meaning that each moss portrait will be different and unique. 

Green Wall: 

The green wall is a great way to portray your love for plants and all things colorful. You can do so many different designs with a green wall, and unlike the moss wall, the plants are actually alive so you do have to care for them. We recently did a very contemporary design with pothos, dracaena warneckii lemon lime, and red bromeliad neoregelias. 

Succulent Wall:

My ALL TIME FAVE! I love succulents, I love how colorful they can be and how many different types there are. There are some that can drape and create a nice boho vibe and some that are tall to add some height. You can make so many different designs and create a nice ambiance will a succulent wall. 

We hope this helped you open your eyes to the many ways you can have greenery in your home. If you're interested in having a green wall, moss wall or succulent wall installed please feel free to contact us at www.environmental-designs.com we can easily provide you with a quote.

till next time! 

Andie 

CHRISTMAS TREES: PRO VS CON

Now that Thanksgiving has passed the next big holiday is Christmas. It's a tradition to have a pine tree during the holiday, but a lot of people are sometimes stuck between getting an artificial one or a live one since there are so many benefits to both. So we wanted to make that easier for you by making a quick pro's and cons list. 

LIVE 

PROS: pine tree scent,  lots of different kinds to choose from, traditional choice, provides jobs for farmers and markets, and it provides fresh air for your home. 

CONS: makes a mess by shedding a lot of needles, constant maintenance, transporting the tree is a bit difficult, you have to get rid of it after use.

ARTIFICIAL 

PROS: can be already pre lit, doesn't make a mess, many selections to choose from, can be easily stored, and you can leave it up as long as you'd like.

CONS: can look phony and or synthetic, you have to make space for it in storage. 

Whichever tree you pick be it alive or real just make sure it the best option for you and your home, if you wanted to know more information about christmas or about our pricing since we do offer artificial and real trees, feel free to contact us at www.environmental-designs.com 

ALL ABOUT POINSETTIAS

The holidays are upon us and that means that everyone is going to start to see a lot of poinsettias soon! Poinsettias are beautiful red flowers mainly used for christmas decorations and they come in a bunch of different colors too like white, pink, a red and white combo, and marble. 

How To Care For : POINTSETTIAS

• Make sure to not put your poinsettia in direct sunlight, it has to be placed in indirect sunlight in order to thrive throughout the holiday season.
• Don't push your poinsettia up against a wall or window because it can damage the leaves. 
• Make sure your poinsettia is kept moist, but don't let it sit in water because then it would get overwatered and start to die. 
• Lastly, make sure to keep your poinsettias in a cool environment to prolong it's longevity. 

Because pointsettias are so popular we always say to make sure to place an order a month before for your holiday plants. If you have any inquiries about poinsettias or want to place an order feel free to reach out to us at www.environmental-designs.com 

LANDSCAPING INSPO

Landscaping; as we all know can either make or break your home. If you have a nice landscape design the value of your home rises and if your landscape doesn't look so good then it naturally decreases. Not only that but having a nice landscape that's green and lush provides such a nice, warm, ambiance throughout your entire home and it preserves a natural feel. We put together some photos of some really unique, and creative landscape designs in order to inspire your for either your current landscape design or any other future endeavors. 

This design is one of our favorites! It also easily breaks up your yard as well, all you have to do is get  urn or an overturned pot and create a path using either flowers or rocks. 

This is also another creative pathway, we loved the use of wood instead of pavement, rocks or sand to create a path. It creates a very natural/woodsy kind of vibe to the entire yard. 

 

This is such a great idea! usually a patio set is strewn around the yard but this creative look has them in a circle in order to create a bit more of a hangout space. With a fire pit in the middle you can guarantee family and friends will have a great time. 

If you have any questions or ideas on creating a beautiful landscape please feel free to reach out to us at www.environmental-designs.com we would love to work with you to help achieve a beautiful space for you an your family.

XERISCAPING: SAVING WATER THROUGH CREATIVE LANDSCAPING

Currently California is dealing with an extreme water drought, but that doesn't mean that your house can't have some pretty and creative landscaping. Xeriscaping is a landscaping method developed especially for arid and semiarid climates that utilizes water-conserving techniques (as the use of drought-tolerant plants, mulch, and efficient irrigation)

There are so many benefits when having xeriscaping done to your home. Not only is it pretty to look at but it also increases the value of your home which more than offsets the cost of the installation. 

Another added benefit is that it really does help conserve water. Usually for most of North America, over 50% of residential water used is applied to landscape and lawns. Xeriscape can reduce landscape water use by 50 - 75%. Since water is minimal when you xeriscape that means that the maintenance of it is also really low.

Another thing that is really great about xeriscaping is that its completely pollution free. Fossil fuel consumption from gas mowers is minimized or eliminated with minimal turf areas. Small turf areas can be maintained with a reel mower. Reel mowers are also relatively affordably priced and are gas free so no fumes or gas will be used when maintaining your xeriscaping. We hope that this post is helpful in deciding if xeriscaping is the best option for you and your home. Feel free to contact us if you are looking for a quote for your home or business at www.environmental-designs.com 

WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE PLANTS IN YOUR OFFICE

As we all know plants are amazing, but why do we need them in an office space? well not only to improve air quality by cleaning the air and improving your health. There are also many other benefits that plants provide to an office space.  

Having plants in your office can help reduce stress. In a study done by Helen Russell at Surrey University she noticed the difference between the participants taking a difficult test in a heavy plant room and in a non-plant room. She studied the differences between their skin conductivity, heart rate and blood pressure. The participants in the heavy plant room seemed to have recovered from the stress easier and the skin conductivity showed the greatest difference between the group exposed to office plants and those who took the test plant-free. 

  

Did you know that plants also increase productivity? well its true in another study published in the “Journal of Environmental Horticulture,” researchers from Washington State University reported that live interior plants helped workers complete tasks with more focus and efficiency. The study asked workers to complete a simple task on a computer in a room with plants and compared their performance with workers who completed the same task in the same room without plants. They noticed that productivity increased by 12% in the presence of plants and 10% of the participants also noticed that they felt more attentive after the task than those tested without plants.

Not only do plants do all of these amazing things they also provide a general warmth and comfort to a room. The recommended humidity range for human health and comfort is between 30 and 60 percent, but many offices fall short of these figures, especially in the summer and winter months. In another study done by Washington State University Findings show that when plants were added to a room, the relative humidity rose significantly, but not too much. Humidity without plants averaged 25 percent, and with plants it averaged 30 percent – bringing the room into the ideal comfort range. 

We hope this post helps you in your decision about office plants and teaches you about all the benefits of having plants in your office such as air quality improvement, stress reduction, and an increase in productivity. If you want to have a design/walkthrough set up for some plants in your office please feel free to contact us on at http://www.environmental-designs.com

use plants to bring life - Douglas Wilson