Indoor plants should be welcomed in any home or apartment because of the creation of a pleasant indoor environment. A small indoor plant adds both color and a scenic picture to both tables and windows. The larger indoor plants seem to meld with the furniture groupings. The curious thing about these plants is why some indoor plants prosper and others just wilt and die over time. The important factor here is that most of the foliage plants, purchase for use as indoor plants,have as their origin tropical areas and conditions. Here then is your basic reason why a great many indoor plants require a humid and indirect  lighting environment.

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Care Free Decor: Artificial Plants And Silk Flowers: Flowers and plants are wonderful ways to add ambience throughout your home or office. Live flowers and plants can be a burden for a busy homeowner or office manager however, as they must receive the proper care in order to make the surroundings beautiful. A plant can die for any number of reasons, and a wilting plant or set of flowers will look tacky to visitors. Additionally, plants that are cared for will grow, and you will find yourself pruning and repotting your decorations a couple of times a year. Add to that the potential mess of fallen leaves and scattered dirt, and you will see why houseplants  can be quite a chore even if you are gifted with a green thumb.

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I have been trying for many years to grow poppies. This year they did well. What do I do with them now that they have stopped blooming?

T.H., New Hartford. Dear T.H.: Perennial or Oriental poppies grow vigorously once they have settled in to a suitable spot with moist, well drained soil and plenty of sunshine. The very showy flowers.

A patch in full bloom is visible from a few hundred feet away -- can be orange, pink, red, white or purple. The flowers only last a few days, but the seed pods are also attractive, so they prolong the season of interest for a couple of weeks. After that, the bristly foliage quickly deteriorates.

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First, gardening pro and Globe Style columnist Marjorie Harris helped Globe Life editor Kevin Siu with watering his garden, then she took on his weeds.

Here, she helps him diagnose whether he can revive some plants that are on life support.

How can I tell whether or not a plant can be saved? Every plant wants to survive and if there's some life in it, you'll see it at the base of the plant or.

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Easy to grow in a sunny position, there are a variety of species for warm or cool climates, with less rigid pruning requirements than other fruit trees such as apples or pears. The best pruning time for plum trees is early summer. Pruning plums in winter should be avoided, as there is a greater risk of silver leaf disease to which plums are prone.

Start by removing crossing or weak stems or those affected by disease. Then thin the tree further if it still appears crowded. Plan for a well-balanced tree with an open centre and a good shape. For an established fan-trained plum, remove any damaged or diseased stems then train and prune to shape. Prune all side shoots to six leaves. After fruiting, shorten these pruned shoots to one leaf. The tree will direct its energies into next year's fruit buds.

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Q: I live in a condo and my deck faces west so there's lots of sun, but the big problem is that it is so windy, it feels like a wind tunnel all the time. I have gone through three patio umbrellas and have finally given up on that. I don't really want to hang plants, but would like a few planters on the deck. I thought geraniums would be sturdy. What others would you advise? I am not a very great gardener, but I sure like my flowers. Perhaps just a few sentences could send me in the right direction.

A: Geraniums (pelargoniums) are a good choice. You might also consider zinnias and nasturtiums. Lantana is a very pretty annual that is wind-resistant, as are dahlias. With dahlias, you would have to bring the tuber in for the winter, or treat them as an annual. They should be staked, but they are very good at resisting the wind and would offer spectacular flowers, colour and form.

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The corpse flower is so rare that only 28 have ever been known to bloom in the United States. The 29th is poised to open any day now at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

The lime-green bud, which resembles an oversized endive, was nearing 5 feet tall on Wednesday in the museum's Cockrell Butterfly Center.

And has been growing about 4 inches a day. Cockrell director Nancy Greig says it could open Friday or by early next week. Once open, the corpse flower will last about two days.

"Is it pretty?" a visitor to the museum asked Greig. "I'd say it's spectacular," she answered. The bloom of the Amorphophallus titanum.

Which can stand 10 feet tall and measure up to 5 feet across, is one of the world's largest. And, as its common name implies, stinkiest.

The only other one to bloom in Texas came in 2004, when a 61-inch specimen nicknamed Big Jack put on a show at Stephen F. Austin State University's Mast Arboretum in Nacogdoches.

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Colin Berridge of Peterborough Grass Machinery says cut the grass according to the weather. If you cut it tight now and we have two weeks of sun and no rain it goes brown very fast. So be cautious and set the blades a little higher.

Grass is vital in many gardens. It provides a clear breathing space to contrast busy borders, vegetable patches and patios. It's also a must for family ball games or simply stretching out on summer days.

Striving for a perfect lawn causes far more sweat to the brow than the most complex border, so it is worth deciding just how much time you want to lavish on it and what sort of end effect you want - lawn, or a "green area".

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The Fountain Plant can be a beautiful and fulfilling addition to an aquarium and has a normal variety that reaches 8 inches (20 cm) in height, as well as a dwarf variety (Ophiopogon japonicus var. kyoto) that only reaches 4 inches (10 cm) in height. It grows at a moderate rate and produces long narrow leaves, and goes best as a foreground plant, a midground plant, or along the sides of the aquarium. It is best to usually group several plants together, with small spaces between each one.

Although the Fountain Plant is a fairly hardy plant and can survive in most conditions, the water should be regularly checked to help it thrive. It needs a pH between 6.5 and 7.5, and minimal light to keep it growing and looking healthy. Make sure to perform regular water changes and fertilize regularly after each change. The bottom substrate should be nutrient-rich. Propagation of the Fountain Plant is done by planting cuttings from the side sprouts of the main plant.

The never-ending, heart-rending sight of the Gulf oil spill and its devastating effect on human and wild residents alike has us all horrified. While there may be little we New Englanders can do for the fish, turtles, mammals and birds of the Gulf of Mexico, there's much we can do to protect our own regional wildlife.

We can start by getting our backyards certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a safe habitat for our fellow Connecticut creatures. To earn certification, a backyard must supply four essentials: 1. Food: Since native flora and fauna evolved concurrently, indigenous plants feed our resident wildlife best and are often the easiest to grow because they're adapted to our climate and topology.

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