Hippeastrum spp. / Amaryllis

Hippeastrum Minerva

Scientific name: Hippeastrum spp.
Common name: Amaryllis. A label given by sellers and nurseries, and care should be taken not to confuse it with Amaryllis belladonna.
Images: see below
Origin: South America, Central America and the Carribean
Type: perennial
Plant description: Long, rather narrow leaves, six-petaled flower, which can grow up to 6 inches wide.The plant is often mistaken for a lily
Size: stem and leaves grow to up to 22 inches.
Light: Amaryllis loves sun, and you should find it the most well-lit place possible
Temperature: 20-30 degrees centigrade
Soil: nutritious potting compost; well-drained soil.
Watering: water sparingly until the bud and leaves appear, then increase waterings
Fertilizer: use half the recommended rate of any water soluble fertilizer.
Two or three applications of fertilizer during the growing season (March through September).

Hippeastrum cybister hybrid

Flowers: large trumpet-shaped flowers, red, white, pink, salmon and orange. There are also striped and multicolored varieties, combining red and white.
Propagation: Amaryllis can be propagated by seeds, offsets (bulblets) or cuttage. The best way to propagate Amaryllis is by separating the small bulbs which grow on the ''mother'' bulb. The bulblets can be divided during fall, when the leaves begin to turn yellow. Offsets should bloom within approximately three years.
An interesting experiment is to propagate Amaryllis from seeds. When the Amaryllis is in bloom, take a cotton swab and run it across the stamen. For pollination leave only one flower per stem. Then brush the pollen on to the tip of the pistil.

After the flower starts fading, a bulge will grow at the base of the bloom. Riping will last for about 2 months. When ripe, the pod will eventually burst open. Collect the seeds. They need to be sowed soon, otherwise they will lose viability. Not all of them will be viable, but you can collect about 20-40 viable seeds.
Sow the seeds in soilless substrate Keep growing medium moist, warm and in light. They will sprout randomly after at least three weeks. Baby Amaryllis should be transplanted only when they are big enough to be handled. It may take up to three years until you will have the first bloom and the plants resulted will not be identical to the mother plant.
Pests and diseases: the narcissus bulb fly, red bloch, a fungus disease
Extra tips: 
When buying the bulb, keep in mind that the bigger the bulb, the more flowers you will have
It is not necessary to separate the bulbs every year, but doing so will encourage uniform flowering and larger flowers.
Remove the dead blooms before the plant produces the seeds. Otherwise, flowering during the next season will be greatly reduced.

Carefully inspect the bulbs before buying, in order to prevent diseases.

Growing Belgian endive

Is also known as French endive, witloof in Dutch, witlo(o)f in the United States, chicory in the UK, as witlof in Australia, endive in France, and chicon in parts of northern France and in Wallonia. Growing Belgian presuposes actually forcing the roots of the plants cultivated early during the year.

People who like Belgian endive like it so much they grow it twice. In fact, they have no choice. Endive, perhaps the most famous member of the chicory family, is grown in two stages, once for the roots, and a second time for its yellow and white leaves. It is a particularly welcome member of the family in that it can produce crunchy salads throughout the entire winter if you grow enough roots.

Plant endive seeds in spring (early June, for most places) in rich soil, two rows per 30 inch (0.76 meter) bed, 6 inches (15 cm) apart. Plants will grow upwards forming lush green foliage. After 110-130 days, gently unearth the roots with a digging fork being careful not to break or damage them. They are the "business end" of the plant and the storehouse of energy for the second phase of growth. Cut off the leaves to within an inch or two (2-4 cm) or so and add the leaves to your compost pile. Trim the roots down to a uniform length of 6-8 inches (15-20 cm).

Pack the roots upright in a bucket or pail and fill around them with sand, if you have it, or loose sandy soil if you don't. Regular soil or peat can also be used, but it is difficult to use for filling in the gaps. Cover and store pails in the coolest location available. If you don't have a dark enough room, just use 2 flowerpots, one to hold the roots and another to put on top, to provide you with a dark growing area. Three weeks before you want to enjoy your first endive feast, move the bucket to a 50-60 degree (10-15 celsius) location within your house adding water, if necessary. It's better to have it too wet than too dry. Keep the bucket covered so as not to allow light through. Darkness is what keeps the leaves white. Within a few days, new growth will begin to appear. Check on your bucket from time to time. Roughly three weeks after stage 6, you should be able to cut your first endive salad. If you started with thick, stocky roots, cut them as you did in step 3 as you may be able to get a second harvest from them. Don't worry if your endives don't hold together tightly in a conical form, the flavor will be the same.

Enjoy your harvest !

Polka Dots Plant

Scientific name: Hypoestes phyllostachya
Common name: Polka Dots Plant
Images: see below

Plant description: shrub-like, dark green leaves, pink/white dots
Origin: Madagascar
Type: perennial, for indoor growth
annual, in the garden
Size: stems of about 30 cm. Prune it regularly, in order to prevenit it from becoming thin and leggy.
Light: moderate light.
Light is important for the plant to achieve its optimum colour. However, it should not receive more than 5 h of direct sunlight.
Temperature: 16-28 degrees centigrade
Soil: general purpose soil, that drains well
Watering: keep the soil moist. 
Mist daily
Fertilizing: do not fertilize
Flowers: small, purple-pink, in late summer/autumn season
Flowers are negligible in comparison to the foliage. Pluck the flowers in order to have bushy leaves.
Propagation: stem cuttings, seeds
Use the stems left from pruning in order to make new plants.
It is also very easy to start the plant from seeds.
Pests: prone to whitefly, aphids and scale.