One of the Three "R"s

We try to be environmentally conscious here among the leaves, and like most folks, do better with some things than with others. We're pretty good with the "recycle" part, and not so good with the "reduce" part. But the pack rat in me really loves when I come across something I can reuse.

That is the case with these nursery flats, which held small pots of annuals originally. I find them incredibly useful in the summer, for keeping my small cacti and succulents from blowing away during summer storms.

Cacti and succulents enjoying life outdoors on a picnic table bench. Each of the three flats holds pots of 3.5 inches or less.

I also think that they make an attractive, tidy-looking arrangement. I do something similar with some of my larger succulents, using trays meant for small to medium-sized nursery stock. Some of the local garden centers encourage you to use them to hold your selections while shopping, and allow you to take them home with your purchase. So I do. I'll likely be sharing other pictures of my succulents during the summer, displayed in the larger trays.

Please excuse the weeds that are visible under the picnic table. Another of the ways we try to be environmentally conscious is by not chemically treating our lawn. So in our backyard, the weeds actually outnumber the grass. Sometimes, I think of it as being a wildflower meadow.

Just a Few New Plants

So I decided to go ahead and postpone my self-imposed plant buying hiatus. Last Saturday, we found ourselves with a couple of hours to kill near Libertyville, so I persuaded my husband to take me to Jamaican Gardens, a nearby nursery. Though this nursery and its Morton Grove branch came recommended by two different Garden Web posters, after my first visits, I found them nice enough, but not necessarily worth making 30 and 40 mile road trips. So I last visited them in 2006, and 2008, respectively. However, this time, I ended up with three really special plants, which I definitely haven't seen elsewhere in the area.

Monstera 'Cheesecake.' I had pronounced this plant "to die for" in the comments at PATSP

Tillandsia 'Eric Knoblock.' A really nice large specimen, about 8 inches long.

Hoya multiflora, with buds!

Closer view of the buds

Of course, once I get started, it's hard for me to stop. But I'll leave the latest acquisitions from a more local nursery, and Home Depot, for another post. For those who were wondering, my main reason for taking a six month plant-buying break (which will start on July 16) is to slow down, and really concentrate on appreciating and taking the best possible care of the plants I already have. I know myself (or at least I'm trying to learn--that's what I mean by "growing along with my houseplants.") I know that I often get caught up in little mini-obsessions, and there are times that I need to step back and focus. And I think that is one of those times.

In Praise of Succulents: Aeonium Edition

Well, more like damning with faint praise, I suppose. It is not that I don't like Aeoniums; I actually think that they are very nice plants. They are just not particularly easy plants for people in cold winter areas, particularly those of us whose winters are both frigid and dark. Not only are the winter days short, but here in northern Illinois, bright and sunny days are rare from December through late February.

And, alas, Aeoniums are mostly winter growers. I put them out dutifully in the spring, usually just in time for them to go dormant. Some of them will close their little heads tightly, as if to say, "Would somebody turn out the lights? I'm trying to sleep here. And no, I really don't want anything to drink." The others just sit there, doing nothing. Then in the late fall, just when I have to bring them in, or else, they open up again. And there they are wide awake, in the meager light of winter, straining toward the south windows, as if to say "Gee, it's dark in here." If I place them under fluorescent lights, they do okay, but often lose their color. "What a lousy sun lamp; I'm losing my tan. And can a body get a drink and something to eat around this joint?" Since they are grouped with my other succulents, most of which are sensibly using winter as a time to catch up on their beauty rest, I tend not to water them as much as they might like. This results in leaves drying up and falling off.

Aeonium 'Sunburst' and what may or may not be Aeonium manriqueorum 'Zwartkop,' outdoors, enjoying the brief window between late spring growth and summer dormancy. 'Zwartkop' is already tightening up.

It is hard to believe that this elaborately crested Aeonium 'Sunburst,' is just a monstrose version of the plant to its right. I spent about half an hour last Saturday removing tiny dried leaves from its tightly packed clusters.

Aeonium 'Sunburst' yet again, with its colors somewhat faded, indoors in fall.

Succulent grouping on my back stoop. To the left, on the wooden table, are Aeonium arboreum atropurpureum and a very faded Aeonium haworthii 'Pinwheel'. The Aeoniums pictured in close shots above share the wire shelf with Aloe congolensis, Aloe hemmingii, Aloe brevifolia, and Aloe ramosissima. This picture is much better when viewed full-sized, so clicking it is recommended.

So, though I try, my Aeoniums are never quite looking their best. And if they really could talk, they would probably agree: "Oh well, she does the best she can." So the faint praise comes right back to me, damn it all!

Agaves at the Chicago Botanic Gardens

Back in April, I posted some pictures of the large Agave americana in the CBG's succulent greenhouse. It had produced a tall flower stalk that had required them to cut out a section of the greenhouse roof.

Previously posted pictures of the Agave americana from April, showing the flower stalk growing through the cut section of the roof, and the whole plant.

I visited the Gardens again on May 14, and took a some pictures of the stalk from outdoors, looking much the same as it did in April.

Two views of the flower stalk silhouetted against the greenhouse

But below is how it looked yesterday. Quite a change!

Two views of the stalk as it prepares to bloom, the first from inside the greenhouse, the second from outdoors

I will probably travel to the gardens several more times this summer, and will post updates if I can. (I hope the flower stalk survived the rather violent thunderstorms we had yesterday afternoon and evening. You can see how threatening the sky had become in the 15 minutes or so between the outdoor shot, and the one taken indoors.)

Of course, that isn't the only Agave to be seen at the gardens. Here are some others I saw yesterday during my visit:

An outdoor planting at the CBG's Circle Garden. Squares with Agave americana and Sedum rupestre 'Lemon Coral' alternate with squares of Ageratum houstonianum 'Hawaii Blue.'

Also from the Circle Garden, a trio of Agave lucida. I had one of these for a couple of years. It became very unwieldy, and I had trouble finding a place for it indoors, so I left it outdoors last winter, knowing that it would succumb to the cold. Of course, now I regret doing so.

In the greenhouse: Agave lopantha heteracantha

Agave victoria-reginae, also from the greenhouse

I do really like how the CBG incorporates succulents into various temporary installations in the display gardens, in addition to the more or less permanent greenhouse display.

Bromeliadmania continues...

Clockwise from top: Neoregelia 'Olens x Diana,' Neoregelia 'Toucan,' and Neoregelia 'Dartanion'

No, I haven't broken my vow to take a plant-purchasing hiatus...yet. These are eBay purchases from April that I hadn't gotten around to posting about until now. I find that caring for Neoregelias is fairly easy for the most part. However, I have learned that I must keep the central leaf "cups" filled, or the outer leaves will shrivel. I also find that giving the Neos a supplemental misting at the same time that I mist-water my Tillandsias (air plants) helps. A terrarium might be a good idea for in the future, if I can find a place to put a large one.

Closer view of Neoregelia 'Olens x Diana'

Closer view of Neoregelia 'Toucan'

Neoregelia 'Dartanion' with a pup starting. This plant was actually a surprise bonus sent by the eBay seller when I purchased the other two.

Now regarding that hiatus: Though I haven't purchased any new houseplants since May 22, just as I promised, I'm considering moving up the start date of the break. After all, I do have my (50th) birthday coming up, (I'm called Karen715 for a reason.) So the new start date for my six-month plant-buying hiatus is now July 16, 2010, to end on January 16, 2011. This doesn't mean that I'm definitely going to buy plants between now and then, or even for my birthday, but I'm keeping my options open.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, June 2010

I've decided, for the first time, to formally participate in Garden Blogger's Bloom Day. I may have posted flower pictures on the 15th of the month before, but never on purpose. So here is what is blooming today here among the leaves.

First indoors:

Sinningia speciosa variety (Florist's Gloxinia)

Hoya carnosa 'Krimson Queen'

And Outdoors:

Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)

Rudbeckia hirta cultivar

NoId Lilium (Asiatic lily)

I'm pretty sure that this is Hemerocallis 'Happy Returns'

Sedum kamtschaticum

Clematis 'Jackmanii'

Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce.' I included this photo just because I love how the colors came out so oddly. Something about the contrast between the bluish foliage and the yellow flowers confused my camera, I guess. The plant isn't as otherworldly looking in person.

All photos open larger when clicked.

Outdoor Garden: Foliage Containers

This year, I decided to fill my part sun/part shade containers with plants chosen for foliage interest. My taste in outdoor plants seems to be the opposite of my taste in houseplants, since outdoors, I tend to choose plants mostly for their flowers, rather than their foliage. So I thought I'd try something different. I picked Iresine herbstii, (Bloodleaf) Strobilanthes dyerianus, (Persian Shield) Senecio cineraria, (Dusty Miller) and Begonia 'Dragon Wing' for these containers. The last does flower pretty much continuously, but I consider it a foliage plant in this case, since I purchased it because I love the way the leaves look. I like the red flowers, too, but consider them a bonus, rather than the main attraction.

One of the containers, filling out nicely

The trick will be convincing myself this fall, once frost is looming, to treat them as annuals and let them die out. Everything except the Senecio cineraria can be kept as houseplants, and I have done so in the past, with varying results. (And I admit, I'm itching to try the Dusty Miller as a houseplant, since nothing I grow indoors looks remotely like it.) Strobilanthes, although often listed in houseplant books, really does not enjoy the indoor life in my experience. I've kept a Dragon Wing Begonia going for a couple of years at a time, but they are messy, dropping flowers often and leaves occasionally. I had an Iresine for 3 or 4 years, and really loved it, but it got leggy, gangly, and unwieldy.

Center pot, which is larger than the other two. Here I used Helichrysum petiolare (Licorice Plant) instead of Dusty Miller, because I wanted a trailing effect in this container.

All three containers, which are under my kitchen windows, against the eastern wall of my house. These get filtered sun in the morning, because of the nearby maple tree; full sun for a brief period around noon; and then bright shade for the rest of the afternoon, as the sun is blocked by the house. All of the plants seem happy with this arrangement, though the Persian Shields wilt occasionally during the full sun period.

I guess I need to face facts: I hate letting perfectly healthy plants succumb to frost. So I'll probably salvage one Iresine (there are three, one per pot) and one Dragon Wing (there are five, one in each of the smaller pots, and three in the large pot.) And I'll probably plant the Dusty Miller in the ground, if I can. These are supposedly tender perennials, typically grown as annuals, and usually listed as hardy only to zone 8. However, here in zone 5, I've had them return from the roots for three and four years running. One finally died after it flowered in its third year; the others have never achieved flowering size.

Adventures in Growing: Expectations

I received a couple of interesting responses to Monday's post, regarding my Sansevieria hallii. I had mentioned that my plant produces one new leaf every year, and in the comments, two different people stated, in very similar terms, that such a slow growth pattern would drive them crazy. I was somewhat taken aback, because it would never have occurred to me to be bothered by this. Come to think of it, it wouldn't have bothered me much if the plant hadn't put out a new leaf this year. In fact, as long as it remained healthy, and didn't lose any leaves, I don't think I'd mind too much if this Sansevieria never added another leaf ever again. (Okay, I'd mind, but not to the point of madness.)

Then I started to wonder why that was. I'm not being critical of the people that commented; I find their opinions perfectly reasonable. I just began to wonder why my mindset was so very different. It is not that I don't have expectations for certain plants, and I do find myself disappointed if those expectations aren't met. I expect plants purchased specifically for flowers, like Hippeastrum, (Amaryllis) to bloom. I wait with eager anticipation for the cuttings I take to root, and the seeds I plant to sprout. I kind of wish that some of my younger Hoyas were mature enough to bloom, but the fact that aren't, and probably won't be for at least a couple of years, isn't driving me crazy.

A previously posted picture of my Araucaria heterophylla (Norfolk Island Pine.) I've had this plant for a couple of years now, and while it does put out new growth--note leaf tips--it does so very slowly.

I think one of the reasons, is that these days, I seldom purchase a plant that I am not satisfied with, as is, this very minute. I may see the potential in a plant, picturing it larger, more vigorous, in bloom, or what have you, but if I don't actually like what it looks like right now, I am likely to leave it on the shelf. If I already think a plant is attractive, I'm unlikely to be disappointed if it doesn't change much. Another reason is that I'm happy if the plant's growth pattern is in line with its natural behavior. If my Sans was supposed to produce multiple leaves in a short time, then yeah, a leaf a year would be maddening.

Euphorbia lactea cristata. Crested plants are often slow growers. I've had this plant for a few years. It could have gotten a bit bigger during that time, but I can't swear to it. Fortunately, I think it is cool-looking as is.

A third reason is probably just that I have a lot of plants. I no longer know exactly how many I have, but 350 is a reasonable guess. When you have that many, several plants are usually doing something interesting at any given time, so it doesn't usually matter if any particular plant is just sitting there, doing nothing readily observable. There is a corollary to that third reason, as applies to Sansevieria: I have quite a few different types, that grow at different rates, so as a member of that group, the S. hallii has its own peculiar charms.

Another previously posted picture of some of my other Sansevierias, from last fall. In front: Sansevieria kirkii var pulchra 'Coppertone'. The rest, clockwise from the left: S. masoniana, NoId S. trifasciata cultivar, S. kirkii var kirkii, and S. cylindrica.

Ultimately, all growers of houseplants have differing expectations regarding our plants. As can be seen from many of my previous posts, I am thrilled with new growth from my plants, and am frustrated when they do poorly. But just as often, I am happy to just let them be whatever they are going to be, in the moment. My late mother would never have believed it, but my plants are going a long way towards teaching me patience and calm, qualities that she tried to instill in me, but that I have had great difficulty in achieving.

Right on Schedule

In one of my earliest posts, I discussed a few of my Sansevieria species, and showed how they had grown over the years. I mentioned that my Sansevieria hallii would produce a new leaf every year, whether I kept it indoors or put it outside for the summer. Well, this year is no exception.

Sansevieria hallii on the front porch, acclimating to the outdoors. There is a new leaf forming at the base of the leaf furthest to the right.

Closer view of the new growth

I love this plant. The phrase, "Strong, silent, type" seems very apt. (Well, plants don't generally make noise, but some of them manage to be drama queens nonetheless.) It has those thick, solid leaves that have earned it the sobriquet 'Baseball Bat.' It is easy to care for, liking a sunny spot indoors and minimal watering. And it puts out its single leaf every year, no fuss, no bother.

What I didn't mention in my original post was that it was sent to me as a single-leaved plant in 2005, by the same generous Garden Web poster who had sent me my Crassula ovata 'Gollum' two years previously. Thanks, CactusMcHarris!

This and That, Indoors and Out...

...And back to normal, I hope. It is amazing how many plant tasks can fall by the wayside when I am off my feet for a couple of days. I'm behind in moving my succulent plants outdoors, I'm behind in my indoor watering schedule, and I'm way, way, behind in my weeding and mulching outdoors. I'm also further behind than I'd like on my blogging. So, I hope this post will serve to bring everything up to date here among the leaves.

I did manage to get my four Hibiscus rosa-sinensis plants outdoors, shaded by a shrub for now, to be moved into full sun later. They've had a rather hard winter indoors. I've put several more succulents out on the front porch, and moved about 15-20 of the acclimated plants to full sun in the backyard. Once they are all out back, and I've had a chance to properly arrange and groom them, I'm looking forward to sharing pictures of the entire collection.

More succulents on the porch. Several of the plants at the head of the line (to the right in this photo) will be moving to the backyard tomorrow. I hope I can have everything back there by next weekend.

I also put the Epiphyllum 'David W. Grant,' that I wrote about on May 29, outside a couple of days ago:

Epiphyllum 'David W. Grant' just hanging around. Even though they are not the sort of flowers hummingbirds like, I hope the red color might attract some, who can then avail themselves of the feeder hanging on the right. I've heard that hummers do like Weigela florida 'Red Prince,' the row of red flowered shrubs seen in the background.

Indoors, Hoya carnosa 'Krimson Queen' has produced yet another bloom spur. I wish my other Hoyas would get with the program!

More Hoya carnosa buds, on the ninth (or is it tenth?) bloom spur of the season.

My "Peanut Cactus" with the multiple Latin aliases has put out another bud, so I'm looking forward to another luscious orange flower in the near future.

After it blooms, this Chamaelobivia aka Lobivia aka Echinopsis will join my other cacti outdoors

As for the my outdoor garden, the Salvia/Sedum beds up front are really showing off their colors:

Three views of my front garden beds. Peppermint (the cat, not the plant--I don't have any of that, thank goodness) seems unimpressed, as usual.

The Salvia plants visible in these shots are Salvia nemorosa 'East Friesland,' though I have S. nemorosa 'May Night' blooming in these beds as well. The Sedum with the yellow flowers is S. kamtschaticum. The red-and-yellow flowers are Gaillardia, either G. aristata 'Arizona' or G. aristata 'Goblin,' or both. These have reseeded themselves from my original plants. The white flowers are Thymus vulgaris, culinary thyme.

Salvia officinalis, culinary sage

I love to grow Sage, Thyme and Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) in my garden as ornamentals. I almost never harvest from them for cooking. If I get the notion to grow fresh herbs to actually use, I grow them in containers out back.

Now that I'm feeling like myself again, I have a busy weekend ahead. I wouldn't have it any other way.