1. Indoor Plants

2. Selecting Indoor Plants
Indoor potted plants are an important segment of the items for sale in the retail shop

3. Selecting Indoor Plants
Potted plants are sometimes preferred to cut flowers because they last longer

4. Selecting Indoor Plants
Many customers who send flowers may choose a potted plant so that the recipient may enjoy it longer

5. Selecting Indoor Plants
Customers want to be educated about the plants that they select.

6. Plant Names Identified by both common and scientific names
The name given to a plant be people living in the area is its common name

7. Plant Names
Common name may reflect some unusual characteristic of the plant or a specific use.

8. Plant Names
Common names may be confusing as a plant may be known by several common names.

9. Plant Names
Common names may be regional. The same plant, called by different names if different parts of the country
Scientific names are often used in selling potted plants.

10. Plant Names
Scientific names come form the classification system based on how plants are related to each other.

11. Plant Names
System was developed by a Swedish botanist named Linneaus in 1743

12. Plant Names This system is still in use today.
All living things are divided into two kingdoms: plant or animal

13. Plant Names
Each division is broken into classes and each class into subclasses or orders

14. Plant Names
The breakdown continues through family, genus, species and varieties.

15. Plant Names
The name given to a plant in each category is always in Latin or Greek, with the exception of the variety name.

16. Plant Names Each of the plant categories is called a taxon
A group of plant categories is called a taxa

17. Plant Names
Taxa are divided into minor or major taxa. Horticulturists are most concerned with the minor taxa.

18. Plant Names
The binomial naming system includes the genus taxon and the species taxon.
There are international rules which dictate the naming of plants.

19. Plant Names
Rules stipulate that when a name is given to a plant it cannot be used for any other plant

20. Light requirements
Most customers give little thought to the light requirements of the plant that they purchase. They are more concerned by its appearance and price

21. Light requirements
Sales people need to educate the consumer about the plant they are purchasing including its environmental requirements

22. Light requirements
High light- these plants grow best in full sun or bright, indirect light such as that found in or near sunlit windows or places where there is strong reflected light.

23. Light requirements
Medium light - grow best in bright, but sunless, window, or four to eight feet from a sunny window.

24. Light requirements
Low light - grow well with indirect light, such as that in a shaded window, or at a point more than eight feet from a bright window

25. Watering More plants die form over watching than any other cause.
Each plant has individual watering needs. The proper frequency is not constant

26. Watering
Watering depends on the size of the plant, the size of the container, the environment, and the time of year.

27. Watering
determine if the plant needs water by scratching the top 1/2 inch of the soil surface

28. Moisture Requirements
dry-in-winter plants: Desert Cacti and succulents
should be treated as moist dry plants during the growing season

29. dry-in-winter from spring to fall
during the winter, the soil should be allowed to dry out almost completely between waterings

30. Moist/dry plants
water thoroughly and frequently between spring and fall
water sparingly in winter
let top 1/2 inch dry out between waterings

31. Moist but not wet plants
most flowering plants belong to this group
soil is kept moist but not wet at all times

32. Moist but not wet plants
water carefully each time the surface dries
never frequently enough to keep soil saturated

33. Wet at all times plants very few plants belong in this group
water thoroughly and frequently enough to keep the soil wet, not merely moist

34. Rule of Thumb
in the winter check the soil surface weekly to see if it is dry
in the summer, the soil surface should be checked daily

35. Cacti
in the winter, leave cacti and succulents alone unless there are signs of shriveling
keep in a cool room

36. Drenching watering the plant until water runs out the bottom
if plants are sitting in drip trays, empty the tray after 30 minutes to keep plant from becoming too wet

37. Drenching helps to remove salt build up from the soil
drenching is easily done in the tub or shower

38. Permanent or temporary plants
some plants are not expected to live forever
this needs to be explained to customers

39. Temporary plants
are purchased to be enjoyed for a short time and then discarded
some can be made to bloom again

40. Gift Plants fall into the temporary category
examples are: azalea, gloxinia, cyclamen, chrysanthemum, poinsettia, Easter lily

41. Temporary garden bulbs such as tulips and daffodils
can be later planted in the owners garden to bloom again next spring.

42. Temporary
most plants in this group - the flowers will fade and after a few weeks the leaves will fall

43. Blooming plants African Violet and Peace Lily
bloom continuously or cycle throughout the year

44. Blooming plants may have attractive foliage when not in bloom
these would be considered permanent plants.