>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom"

is brought to you by...

Albertsons Companies...

with additional support from the

following...

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Sunshine Bouquet.

♪

>> Today on "Life in Bloom,"

plants, blooming and otherwise,

are the focus.

We'll look at ways plants can

improve the health of your home,

we'll include a plant in a

beautiful bouquet, and

experience a bit of monstera

madness.

♪

I'm J Schwanke.

Welcome to "Life in Bloom."

Plants are enjoying a new

popularity not seen since the

1970s.

Have you added some plants to

your home recently?

♪

I know the plant population in

my home is on the rise.

Blooming or not, I can't seem to

resist adding more plants to the

collection over the past couple

of years, especially the

monstera variety.

I may have been known to nick a

piece of foliage or two.

Plants do come in handy when

unexpected arrangements are

required, especially when the

garden is out of season.

Let's take a closer look at

these home companions and the

contributions they make towards

bettering our lives today on

"Life in Bloom."

♪

Well, I enjoy the company and

greenery of living with indoor

plants.

Did you know that those same

plants can improve our health

just by being in our home?

A 1989 NASA experiment found

that certain indoor plants can

improve the air quality in a

home by absorbing chemicals like

benzene and formaldehyde from

the air.

The research found that a number

of different houseplants could

act as natural air filters --

for example,

Dracaena massangeana, also known

as the corn plant, and the

ever-popular pothos plant, and

my personal favorite, the

monstera.

Why would NASA study plants

instead of going high tech with

machines and filters for

outer-space travel?

Plants provide a natural

solution.

They're simpler.

Machines can break down, and

filters create more garbage that

they have to deal with.

And they don't create oxygen the

way plants do.

Sometimes Mother Nature is the

best solution, even when it

comes to outer-space travel.

Additionally, a study has shown

that being in an environment

with plants can help reduce

stress and improve blood

pressure and heart rate.

And it doesn't even have to be

an actual plant.

Images of plants -- ferns,

monstera leaves -- incorporated

into our daily lives can provide

the same health and wellness

benefits.

♪

Here's some of my favorite tips

for caring for your

oxygen-making plant friends.

Need to trim a brown or damaged

leaf?

Dip your scissor in water first.

This will prevent additional

browning or discoloring of the

leaf.

♪

Does your plant friend need

water?

Test with your finger.

It's best to feel the soil, or

even probe a little deeper.

It's never a good idea to let a

plant get bone dry or wilt, but

if you do, it's best to soak the

entire root ball.

Place your plant's pot into a

large bucket and fill it with

water so the entire root ball

can soak completely.

Then remove the plant pot from

the bucket and allow it to

drain.

Then you can return it to its

home.

Talk to your plant friends.

They also like music.

Research shows that peaceful

music -- classical, jazz, or a

similar genre -- are better for

growth than heavy metal or acid

rock.

I'm often asked, "How many

plants should I have in my

home?"

Research suggests one plant for

every hundred square feet.

And it's best to have plants

that are potted in soil.

They do a much better job than

plants that aren't in soil.

Plant friends clear toxins from

the air and provide oxygen.

Plants help us feel less sick.

Plants boost your mood.

It's known as horticulture

therapy.

With plants in our environment,

we think better and smarter.

Even pictures or images of

plants can help reduce stress

and anxiety.

♪

One of today's most popular

trends in plants are air ferns.

Air ferns have been around for a

long time, and they got their

name, air fern, because it was

believed that they simply needed

air to survive.

Actually, the plant is called

tillandsia, but they can go for

long periods of time with no

moisture at all, which is why

they got the name air fern.

There are so many different

types of air fern.

This is a giant one that we'll

use in today's project.

But there's all sorts of

different sizes -- smaller ones,

and even little, tiny ones like

this.

This one has skinny, little

leaves, and notice it's sending

out a bloom.

Sometimes the air ferns will

actually bloom, just like that.

I've created a nice little home

for my air ferns here with some

wet Spanish moss in a saucer.

An occasional misting will keep

them all living until I'm ready

for my next project.

Little air ferns like this make

perfect ornaments for your desk.

It's a great way to have an

easy-care plant around at all

times.

I liken them to the pet rocks

when I was a kid, but now you

can have a little pet plant that

takes very little care.

An ashtray like this and a few

stones...along with a piece of

wet moss...is a perfect home for

an air fern.

And it's a great way to recycle

an ashtray.

So, let's create a special

hanging terrarium today using

our tillandsia.

Our first step is to add a layer

of river rocks.

These are decorative, but they

also provide drainage.

When we add a touch of water, it

will prevent our air ferns from

sitting in water.

Our next step is to add a layer

of moss.

I've already dampened the moss.

That way, it provides a moisture

source for our air ferns.

Our first air ferns are very

unique.

They're a long-stemmed air fern,

and I'm gonna trim them the

right length and place them

inside so that the bottom of the

stem is touching the moss.

Then we can add our large air

fern.

The great part about this is

that the moss will provide

moisture, and the terrarium

provides humidity, but the open

front will prevent it from

getting too moist inside.

Next, we'll add a decorative

hanger.

I'm using about a yard and a

half of this great-looking rope.

Then we can hang it up wherever

we'd like this beautiful

terrarium with our air fern to

be.

So, we've completed our

terrarium, and the care is easy.

We simply mist inside

occasionally to wet the moss and

also our air fern.

It's a great decoration for our

home or office, and it's a fun

way to keep plants around all

the time.

♪

Monstera deliciosa is also known

as the Swiss cheese plant, so

named for the holes that develop

in the leaves.

The holes in the leaves better

withstand heavy rainfall and

wind as the elements pass

through the leaves.

Monstera plants may grow as high

as 30 feet.

The leaves are heart-shaped,

large, leathery, and glossy.

The plant is an epiphyte with

aerial roots.

The aerial roots have been used

as ropes in Peru and to make

baskets in Mexico.

Forcing the plant to flower

outside its typical tropical

habitat is difficult.

Monstera deliciosa fruit tastes

a bit like a mix of pineapple,

banana, and mango, among others,

giving it a nickname of the

fruit salad plant.

♪

Are you familiar with a family

of plants known as bromeliads?

The pineapple is one of the most

familiar bromeliads and the only

bromeliad that's commercially

grown as food.

But there are other edible

bromeliads.

One of the most memorable

attributes of the bromeliad is

its ability to accumulate water

between its leaves here in the

cup in the center of the plant.

This is also where blooms of the

bromeliad originate.

The colorful leaves are not

actually the bloom, but rather

used to attract the attention of

pollinators, insects,

amphibians, or other

invertebrates that might visit

or take up residency inside the

cup.

Bromeliads are native to the

Americas, but most prolific to

South America, specifically the

Andean highlands.

One single variety of bromeliad

is native to Africa.

Bromeliads are native to the

canopy in tropical rainforests,

so they require bright and

direct light.

Bromeliads can range in size

from the largest,

Puya raimondii, to the smallest,

Spanish moss.

How about that?

It's not moss at all, but a form

of bromeliad.

♪

Water is added to the cup, and,

ideally, you should empty the

cup weekly and refill the fresh

water.

This reduces the build up of

bacteria or the potential of

aquatic eggs or insect larvae.

♪

Bromeliads are easy to grow, and

a splash of color and unique

texture and shape add a bit of

tropical island to any location.

♪

A bromeliad is a wonderful

addition to your home, office,

or even outdoor living spaces,

and will provide years of

enjoyment.

♪

This is a fun table that works

as a container as well.

Let me show you how it works.

♪

One of the things I love about a

flower arrangement is having

something to keep afterwards.

It could be a plant that's

incorporated as part of the

arrangement.

Plants that work well for this

are succulents or tillandsias.

A tillandsia is an epiphyte.

They live on other flowers or

plants, so it really just needs

water to grow.

I've had these for several

years, and we're gonna add one

of them to the flower

arrangement today.

First, we'll make the bouquet.

♪

So, now, our arrangement is all

set up to have our tillandsia

come live in it.

I love this fatsia leaf.

It's a great grounding for that

arrangement, and then this'll

just fit in there.

As I said, I've had these for a

while, so on the back, sometimes

they get little leaves that have

died, and I'm just gonna peel

those off.

Tillandsias will also bloom

sometimes, which is a really fun

advantage too.

So, a bloom may come up out of

the center.

They come in different sizes.

These have actually just been

living underneath my deck right

now.

They're right by the ferns, and

when they get watered or it

rains, they get watered, too.

They're really durable plants,

and it's fun to include them.

After we've enjoyed the

arrangement, then the tillandsia

could live right inside this pot

with no dirt.

You simply could mist it every

once in a while, and it'll be

happy just living in the little

terrazzo pot.

To insert it into the

arrangement, I'm just gonna take

a bamboo skewer, and I'm just

gonna push it into the base of

this.

Use the pointed end to get

inside there.

I'll cut it off so it's sharp.

And now we stick it right into

the bouquet.

It's a fun way to include a

living plant inside an

arrangement and have a keepsake

afterwards.

♪

I'm creating a cocktail today

with an unusual ingredient.

It's a liqueur that's made with

artichokes.

It's a dark brown color, and it

has a bitter flavor.

I've really become accustomed

and now love bitter-flavored

liqueurs.

It's a wonderful apéritif, and

we can garnish it with fresh

herbs.

♪

We'll fill a highball or Collins

glass with ice.

Then we'll add 2 ounces of the

artichoke liqueur.

We'll top it with lemon soda.

♪

And garnish it with fresh basil.

This is a wonderful apéritif,

and it's so simple.

I love it.

♪

Green plants, along with green

flowers, can make for an

interesting arrangement with

different shapes and textures.

Many years ago, I learned how to

weave palm leaves into a

nautilus-shell form, and this is

a perfect opportunity to share

that craft.

Let me show you how to do it,

and then we'll add these

woven-foliage accents to a

lovely arrangement that includes

green flowers.

So, for this project, we'll be

using teepee foliage. [teppy]

Many people call it "tee-pee,"

but the correct pronunciation is

"teppy."

And it's a palm frond.

You might be used to seeing this

on Palm Sunday, things like

that.

But today, we're gonna create

this fun nautilus shell by

weaving the teepee foliage to

create an element that we can

use in our flower arrangement.

It's best, when you do this, to

sit down.

I place the palm frond between

my knees.

That way, I can hold it with the

back side facing me.

I start at the top and grab

three of the fronds, weaving

them into a French braid.

It's the same way that you would

French braid hair, bringing in

an additional frond each time,

working your way all the way

down the stem.

♪

When you get to this point, then

we pull that back into the stem

itself.

We'll attach it with a piece of

decorative wire.

I like to use decorative wire

because then, when it dries,

you'll still be able to see that

wire, and it becomes a

decorative element.

So, I chose lime green.

Goes with our container today.

♪

I've created several of them

today.

You'll notice that each one has

a different shape based on the

palm frond itself.

And they'll all look great

inside the arrangement.

Another fun thing that we can do

with the teepee foliage is

manipulate it using a scissors.

Many times, you might see it in

an arrangement where people have

cut it off so that it forms a

perfect pyramid.

That's something that we used to

do in my family's flower shop

all the time for arrangements.

But we can take it and make it

even more interesting.

By cutting it at an angle...

we've created two triangles and

left a little bit at the top.

It almost looks like a little

pineapple.

It's a fun way for us to

manipulate the foliage...and

create interesting shapes for

our arrangement.

I'm gonna use all green flowers

today, and we'll use some other

flowers that can actually dry.

The great part about the

nautilus-shell shapes is these

will dry just like this.

We could paint them later on,

use them in a permanent

arrangement.

We've got lots of fun things

that can happen with these woven

palm fronds.

We'll start with

bells-of-Ireland.

♪

We're creating an arrangement

that has a very strong line.

♪

So we'll use the bells to that

advantage.

♪

Our trimmed pieces of teepee

will look great as accents

coming out from the

bells-of-Ireland.

♪

We'll use green Banksia protea.

They're green, but yet they'll

dry, and they provide wonderful

texture.

Ornamental kale has become a