As its name indicates, ornamental plants are those that are intended for decoration, both in public and private gardens. The main ornamental element lies in the leaves or the flowers. The study of these plants must be framed within horticulture as a discipline.
The cultivation of ornamental plants is carried out in greenhouses
These plants are generally grown in nurseries and are intended to decorate the interior of houses and private gardens or public spaces. Plants intended for homes can live inside or outside the home as long as the right light and temperature conditions are met.
Ornamental plant nurseries are known as greenhouses. These enclosures must have a ventilation system to control the high temperatures in summer and, at the same time, have different lines of micro-sprinklers to promote environmental humidity. To control low temperatures, a refrigeration system is usually used
Ornamental plants must be adapted to the characteristics of each place and personal preferences. It should be borne in mind that there are ideal plants for shady areas, others that are resistant to drought or saline soils, as well as aromatic or medicinal plants. You could say that there is an ornamental plant for each site.
Ornamental plant care and maintenance
In general, ornamental plants cannot receive much light directly and the air needs to be constantly renewed. Excessive temperature fluctuations are detrimental to its maintenance and a correct degree of humidity is also a decisive factor.
One of the most important aspects is irrigation. There are three possible irrigation systems:
1) use a manual watering can without a nozzle to avoid wetting the leaves and flowers (this applies to begoñas or hydrangeas),
2) Indoor plants such as palms or trunks need to be watered once a week and to do so it is convenient to take the plants outside between 8 and 9 in the morning and water both the compost and the leaves and then leave the plants in the sun for 30 minutes and
3) use water every two days for outdoor plants and preferably when the sun is not too intense.
One aspect that should not be neglected is that of pruning. It must be taken into account that all plants are pruned but in the case of ornamental plants, pruning has an aesthetic sense, since it is about renewing its appearance so that the plant does not age.
Photos: iStock - aleroy4 / zorani
