The graceful Peace Lily
THE Peace Lily is a houseplant that brings colour, grace and peace to any room or living area or garden.
A close relative of the Anthurium Lily, the Peace Lily, whose scientific name is Stratiphyllum,  is a shrub with glossy paddle-shaped leaves that emerge from the soil and stand  erect from short stems.
Fragrant and long-lasting white flowers are produced in a spike or stalk closely arranged around a fleshy axis, and partially enclosed by large, oval shaped blooms balanced about the foliage.
The plant is native to the rainforests of Central and South America, growing mostly in bogs [acidic wetlands] and mainly in Colombia.
The Peace Lily has however crossed the Atlantic, and is now a very popular indoor plant, regarded as having ‘Mojo’, a magic charm or spell, in Europe and North America.
In these countries, the Peace Lily is grown primarily in eight and ten-inch pots for use by interiorscapers and for Flower Shop sales. They can be found in select or more upscale garden centres in these countries.
The Peace Lily received the award for the Best Flowering Plant at the Dutch Horticultural Fair in 1999.
The plant is easily cultivated locally, though its origins in the bogs of Central and South America means that it requires heavy watering.
As an indoor plant, the Peace Lily, or Stratiphyllum, when in full bloom beats plastic flowers hands down.
The eye-catcher can be bought at Flower Paradise, on the Eccles Public Road, East Bank Demerara Tel# 233-3029 at prices ranging generally from $1500 and up.

Five tips for new gardeners
1. Plan before you plant. Take a close look at your landscape to determine the best place for the garden.
2. Start small. Don’t dig up the whole front lawn, but start with a 4×4-foot square and expand.
3. Think carefully about what you want to grow. For example, if you can buy eggplants at the market, why grow it? Instead, choose unusual and delicate salad greens such as cilantro and parsley which you will enjoy every day.
4. Keep it weeded. Every single weed, if left to go to seed, will produce thousands of new weed seeds. Take time every day or week to cultivate the soil.
5. Plant successive crops. Once the first lettuce or whatever is harvested, have another set ready to go in the ground. This way, you can extend your growing (and eating) season longer.

Kitchen items that double as ‘green’ cleaners
1. Definitely vinegar, but make sure it says ‘food grade’, made for pickles, or made from grain, otherwise it is made from petroleum. Need a good disinfectant? Reach for vinegar and mix it 50/50 with water. Vinegar kills more germs than bleach, plus it does not contain pesticides, especially Triclosan used in antibacterial products. To make sure those germs are good and dead, follow this treatment with straight hydrogen peroxide. Never mix peroxide and vinegar together as they neutralize the effect of each other.
2. Mix 1 part vinegar to 10 parts water to mop linoleum, laminated, and most hardwood floors. Never use vinegar on a stone surface, as the acid will eventually etch the stone.
3. Need an air freshener? Fill a spritz bottle nearly full of water and add a tablespoon of vinegar and a drop of your favourite essential oil. Do be picky when it comes to buying essential oils. Make certain they are cold-processed and organic.
4. Coffee grounds are more effective absorbing refrigerator odors than baking soda.
5. Pour fresh-squeezed lemon juice on a rust or difficult stain and sprinkle on the salt. It works quite well on delicate linens.
6. Freshen up a disposal drain by grinding up an oregano leaf. Or crush it in with baking soda when you scrub the sink.
7. Clean brass by sprinkling salt on the cut surface of a lemon.
8. Fill a new spray bottle half-full with water. Add ¼ cup vinegar, and a drop or two of organic liquid dish soap for a great all-purpose cleaner for the kitchen.
9. Don’t toss your box of baking soda. It’s great for scrubbing sinks or mixing with vinegar, water, and a bit of organic liquid dish soap to remove baked-on food from the bottom of pans. Mix the vinegar and water together and heat them. Pour in the pan and add liquid dish soap and baking soda for a bit more oomph.