Following up on Recent Posts

Just a couple of updates on things I've posted in the last week or so.

1. My Monstera deliciosa made it out of the bathroom in one piece:

Monstera deliciosa, back in its spot in front of the French doors

Maneuvering it out of the bathroom was even more difficult than getting it in, and getting it back on its stand was even tougher. It is a very heavy plant. But it is looking healthier and happier after its shower, so the struggle was worth it. I have moved it a bit farther from the doors, in hope of minimizing sun stress.

2. My variegated Aspidistra elatior has a new leaf:

Aspidistra elatior variegata

If I believed in that sort of thing, I would probably say that I jinxed this plant. You see, it has developed a similar problem with scale-like insects to what my plain Aspidistra had all those years ago. Honestly, houseplant pests make one understand why people used to believe in "spontaneous generation." (Wikipedia link.) Those buggers seem to come from nowhere. Anyway, I will not be using cooking spray to treat the plant. I've well and truly learned my lesson.

3. My new Vriesea splendens has a pup:

Vriesea splendens pup nestled within the foliage

Maybe I can be successful with this plant after all; if not with this generation, maybe with the next. This was a nice surprise. I thought I had pretty thoroughly examined the plant before I bought it, but somehow I missed this very obvious pup.

Straight and Tall

In an earlier post, I wrote that I was concerned about my Hippeastrum 'Picotee.' The first flower stalk was injured somehow while still within the bulb, and grew very short and bent, like so:

Previously posted photograph of my first Hippeastrum 'Picotee' flower, with its shortened, curved stalk. Not visible is the deep, grooved injury on one side of the stem (which is facing left in this shot.) I was afraid it was a symptom of some sort of disease.

Picture from a couple of weeks ago, with H. 'Benfica' to the left, the first set of H. 'Picotee' flowers in the center, (the second stalk is visible behind the flowers) and H. 'Apple Blossom' on the right. The scene is flanked by two paintings by my husband, Bob. Unfortunately, we hadn't removed some protective plastic from the painting of the Kestrel on the right, hence the rippled effect.

Well, I needn't have worried. Here is the second stalk, in all its unblemished glory:

This time the stalk is very tall, probably due to stretching, because I kept the plant in a relatively sunless location.

Another view

This is it for Hippeastrum blossoms for a while. Since, I didn't bother to force my other plants, many of them are likely to bloom in spring or summer this year, if at all.

Little Things Can Mean a Lot

Through the inevitable winter doldrums, and despite my minor case of plant burnout, January continues to produce some pleasant little surprises:

New growth for Sansevieria trifasciata 'Bantel's Sensation.' Note the small leaf on the left, and the brand new offshoot just coming up on the bottom far right, near the pot rim.

Sansevieria trifasciata 'Bantel's Sensation,' whole plant.

'Bantel's Sensation' is a somewhat temperamental plant for me, compared to my other Sansevieria trifasciata varieties. It tends to lose a leaf or two every season, though it always follows through with new growth.

After a few months' rest, my Sinningia speciosa is putting out new growth as well:

Tiny Sinningia speciosa (Florist's Gloxinia) leaves sprouting from the tuber, which I keep partially above the soil level. I've had this particular tuber for four or five growing seasons now.

In other Sansevieria news, my only NoId plant is not only putting out new vegetative growth,

New shoot on the left

but is flowering as well.

Sansevieria NoId flower stalk

Close-up showing the sticky nectar droplets clinging to the base of the yet unopened buds.

The whole plant

It was suggested that my Noid Sans might be Sansevieria ballyi or Sansevieria gracilis in the comments to this post. (Thanks, Nature Assassin!) I had considered S. gracilis before, but now I am leaning toward S. ballyi. But I'm not quite certain enough to put a label on it yet.

Random Observations in Houseplant Growing

January is turning out to be a difficult month in which to find things to write about. (And that turned out to be a difficult sentence.) My plants aren't doing much, and don't require much in the way of care besides watering. Since I don't like to drive in bad winter weather, I'm not out and about as much, going to nurseries, conservatories and such. These trips often provide inspiration, even if I don't write about them in a literal way. So I figured that I could share a few anecdotes that wouldn't make up a whole post in and of themselves.

Dumbest thing I've ever done to a plant that nonetheless survived:

Years ago, shortly after I bought it, my Aspidistra elatior developed an infestation of some sort of soft scale insects. They washed off easily with soapy water, or with an alcohol spray, but they always returned. I had recently been reading about horticultural oils, so I decided to experiment. I sprayed the leaves of the plant with PAM^®, the cooking spray. This actually worked in a sense, because the scale never came back. However it took months of frequent washing before I got rid of the nasty, sticky, oily residue the spray left on the leaves. It would seem like I had gotten it all, then I'd come back and they'd be sticky again. (Not unlike what was happening with the scale, now that I think of it.) I'm surprised that the plant survived. It's roughly 10 years old at this point, and has had numerous ups and downs, but it always rebounds.

Aspidistra elatior, and Aspidistra elatior variegata. The plain-leaved plant is the one that survived the oil spray. I learned that even if it is called "Cast-Iron Plant" it shouldn't be treated like a frying pan.

Something nice that I wasn't expecting:

My beast of a Monstera deliciosa is actually two plants in one pot, consisting of the original plant grown from seed, and a second plant produced from a cutting of the original. There was another cutting that didn't take permanently; it rooted, but rotted out shortly after I planted it in the soil. The nice surprise was that after taking that failed cutting, the original plant produced two new growing points that have both continued to put out new leaves. So I got the benefit of having a third plant in the pot, anyway. I had been under the impression that vining Aroids do not branch, but continue after cutting with a new, single header.

Dumbest thing I've done to plants that didn't survive:

Around the same time that I was spraying cooking oil on my Aspidistra, I was attempting to grow some plants from seed. One type that germinated surprisingly well was Philodendron bipinnatifidum (aka P. selloum.) So I had a whole bunch of seedlings growing tightly sealed under a plastic dome (the kind that rotisserie chickens come packaged in) in 100% humidity. They all had one or two sets of true leaves, which were scalloped just like the immature foliage of larger plants. So cute. So what do I do? I take the dome off, intending just to leave it off for a few minutes for air circulation. But I got distracted by who knows what, and when I came back, all my seedlings had collapsed beyond recovery. Sigh. I never tried Philodendron seeds again. My current P. bipinnatifidum was bought as a small adult plant.

I expect that I will be making more posts like this from time to time, as life among the leaves is full of amusing/appalling/surprising mini-moments.

How Do You Know When Your Monstera is Too Big?

When you...

...can't get...

...the whole thing...

...into the shower.

My Monstera deliciosa has been looking kind of dusty, and some leaves have evidence of what could be spider mite damage*, (though I haven't found any mites on the plant) so I thought it was high time that it had a shower. I dragged it into our 3/4 bath, and that's when I discovered that this was going to take some doing. I had to stop to take some pictures to share. After I post this, I'm off to clean the monster the best that I can. Wish me luck!

*Edited to add: I now think that the problem is sunburn, rather than mites, thank goodness.

Just What I Needed...

...A new plant. Despite having denied it in a previous post, I am suffering from a slight case of plant burnout. In this case, I'm slightly overwhelmed by the number of plants that are needing extra attention. My luck in keeping my Hedera helix plants free from spider mites has run out, the Coleus Experiment is not going particularly well, (I am down to four plants, none of which are looking all that good) and I have just recently gotten a plague of fungus gnats back down to manageable amounts.

But I have been looking for a Vriesea splendens forever, and today I found one at the supermarket. So of course it came home with me, triple-bagged against the cold.

My new Vriesea splendens

Let's hope it doesn't add to my malaise; my record with Bromeliads (except for Tillandsia Air Plants) has been abysmal. I have yet to keep one for more than six months.

Outside my Windows today

Winter is doing its damnedest to seduce me with its austere beauty. It hasn't snowed in a few days, but a recent freezing fog has left a lovely, frosty coating on the trees.

Frost on the needles of a small pine tree in my garden.

Evergreens in a neighboor's yard

It won't work, I tell you. Winter is still a cruel, cruel season.

Indoors, Chia Kitty continues her transformation:

She looks nice from the front...

...but from the rear, it is clear that she is suffering from planting pattern baldness.

My Terrariums

Since I mentioned that I placed my Resurrection Plant in a makeshift terrarium in my last post, like so:

Selaginella lepidophylla in a large plastic pretzel jar. Since I took this photo, I placed some small stones in the bottom, turning it into a sort of enclosed pebble tray.

I thought that I would share some pictures of my "permanent" terrariums in this one. I placed the word permanent in quotes because in reality, no terrarium planting is truly forever. Plants die, or grow out of their space. Here is an example of the latter:

My Asplenium nidus sticking up out of its jar. This is a closed, though not airtight, terrarium. The lid had been removed for the pictures.

Looking down into the center of the plant. This show also shows one of the NoId Selaginellas that also grow in this terrarium.

View of whole jar, showing the second Selaginella.

I'm actually reluctant to take the Asplenium out of the jar, because years ago, I had another Asplenium that grew splendidly in a small terrarium. Once it outgrew its space, I tried transplanting it to a larger container, and it never recovered. So far, this one hasn't been harmed by bumping up against the lid.

Last year my collector's impulse took over, and I started looking around for different jars, and sources of plants. That is why I now have five other terrariums, although the plants in two of them are struggling. Here is a picture of three of those that are doing well.

Three terrariums, with a mix of Selaginella, ferns and mosses. I used a glass plate as lid for the tall vase in the back.

I love the look of Terrariums, and they allow me to grow humidity-loving plants I wouldn't bother with in the open air. Mine aren't as manicured or artistic as some, but I'm still pretty pleased with them.

Resurrection 2--The Unfurling

Life Among the Leaves has been more like Life Under the Weather the past couple of days, as I have been fighting a head cold. I've only had three colds in the past ten years, but they always knock me for a loop. Anyway, wherever life is located, it goes on, so here are some updates on my novelty plants:

Selaginella lepidophylla, aka Resurrection Plant, partially unfurled, about 4 hours after being immersed in water.

Resurrection plant, the day after the complete unfurling. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of it at its maximum rehydrated state.

Though I put its roots in a pot of moist soil after removing it from the water, it had already started to dry up bit in less than 12 hours in the open air. Notice the curled leaves on the far left of the picture. I've since placed it in a makeshift terrarium, so that it is surrounded by moist air. We'll see how that goes.

In other goings on, Chia Kitty continues to put on "fur," albeit unevenly.

Pretty shaggy on one side...

...less so on the other, and still bald on top.

And as a reminder that January does not always equal dormancy, here is what my Philodendron bipinnatifidum has been doing:

P. binnatifidum has two new leaves about to unfurl

Now I'm off to take some leaves internally, in the form of a nice hot cup of tea.

A Case of Mistaken Identity, and Yet Another Plant Novelty

Last fall, I bought a couple of "Amaryllis" bulbs from a mail-order source. The bulbs I selected were Hippeastrum 'Benfica' and H. 'San Remo.' I've already written about 'Benfica' more than once. And I was looking forward to seeing 'San Remo,' and sharing that as well. This is what I got instead:

I am 99% sure that this is Hippeastrum 'Apple Blossom'

Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful flower. But 'Apple Blossom' can be acquired, cheaply, from every big box and discount store around. I already have at least two of them, besides this one. If I'm going to spring for mail-order Hippeastrums, I want something special. If I'm going to spring for mail-order anything, I want to receive what I ordered. I'm considering writing to the vendor, and requesting a replacement bulb. If I do, I'll share the outcome here.

On to another, more pleasant topic. As if owning a Chia Pet wasn't enough in the way of plant novelties, I went and bought myself a "Resurrection Plant". This is the name given to Selaginella lepidophylla, a native of the deserts of Mexico. This plant dries up almost completely during the dry season, only to "resurrect" itself when moister weather arrives. Since I am a fan of the genus Selaginella in general, I thought I would give it a try. I am greatly amused that this species can survive desert conditions, while I have only been able to keep its relatives alive in a lidded terrarium.

A dried Selaginella lepidophylla, placed in a shallow bowl of water, as per the instructions on the package.

One is supposed to wait 24 hours for the plant to unfurl and rehydrate completely. I've also heard that they are short-lived as houseplants. As with Chia Kitty, I will post updates as things develop.

Time to Prune the Hibiscus

Every year around this time, I have to make a decision regarding my Hibiscus rosa-sinensis plants: To prune or not to prune. Pruning this early in the year will insure that they will recover enough to start blooming in late spring/early summer. Although it is generally considered unwise to prune houseplants while the days are short and the sun is still relatively weak, I haven't experienced any problems in that regard. Once the plants get going again, the foliage growth is quite vigorous.

Last week, my orange-flowered cultivar was still blooming. And I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there was an tag buried in the soil. I bought this plant last summer, assuming it would be a NoId.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Carolina Breeze'


The full H. rosa-sinensis 'Carolina Breeze' plant. It has a couple of unopened buds that will probably bloom during the next week.

I have decided, even though it has lost a bit of foliage due to underwatering, (bad Karen; bad, bad Karen) not to prune this one this year. That means that it is likely to need it done next January.

That brings me to my next two plants. I did not prune them last year, so they are due now.

Second Hibiscus rosa-sinensis plant before pruning. Because they are unlabeled, I am not sure whether this is the red-flowered plant, or the yellow-flowered plant.

This plant was not looking bad, so I pruned it conservatively.

The same plant as the one immediately above, post pruning. I expect it to leaf out nicely.

This third plant is another story. The soil got so dried out that many of the leaves became too dessicated to recover. This most likely because it is underpotted and because it, like all the Hibiscus, is in the spare bedroom, which I don't visit every day. Add this to my less-is-more watering style, and it turned into a recipe for disaster.

Third plant, pre-pruning. Note the lengths of bare stem between the top and bottom growth.

Another view of a bare stem. This was originally covered with leaves.

All is not lost; there is already new growth appearing along the stem.

Same plant post pruning

I also have a fourth Hibiscus, with double peach flowers. That one was drastically pruned last year, after having been attacked by Japanese beetles in summer 2008. After being cut down to nothing, it rewarded me with vigorous growth and beautiful flowers, as seen in the first photograph of this post. I hope my other plants will do the same this summer. I vow to be a better plant parent and keep up with the watering.

Edited to add at 4:30PM on 1/8/10: Be sure to click the first photo to see it enlarged. It is definitely worth it!

Chia Pet Update 1

Here is the Chia Pet, as of today. Seed leaves are starting to appear.

A Different Kind of Pet Post

People tend not to get me plants as presents. They are generally afraid that they'll get something I already have, or that the reason I don't already have a particular plant is because I don't want one. This is an unnecessary fear: I'm always happy to receive a duplicate plant. In fact, sometimes I have to talk myself out of buying a second or third or twelfth example of a species. If someone else buys it for me, it is a perfect excuse to own another one while seeming less like a crazy plant lady. And if it isn't a plant I'd have chosen for myself, I'm still willing to give it a shot. Who knows--it might turn out to be a favorite.

This year was different. After we had joked about it earlier in the season, in the context of "Who the hell buys those things?" my husband felt that it was his duty to buy me a Chia Pet^® for Christmas.

Fun to grow? We'll see.

Luke with his new sister, Chia Kitty. I hope he isn't jealous.

So of course, I'm going to share my experiences in growing the thing. I'm glad Bob bought me a Chia kitten. I think it is the cutest of the animals available, and in my opinion, the Chia heads, which now include George Washington, as well as two different versions of President Obama, just take tacky to a whole 'nother level.

Getting down to business, the first thing I wanted to know was: "What are 'chia' seeds, anyway?" Apparently they are the seeds of the Salvia hispanica plant, an herb native to Mexico and Guatemala. According to Wikipedia and other sources on the web, the seeds are edible and quite nutritious, a source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, among other nutrients.

That mystery solved, I was ready to start growing:

First step: Soaking the pottery. There is a discrepancy between the instruction booklet and the box. The box says to soak the pottery overnight before planting, while the instructions say 1 hour. I decided to go with the box, and soaked Chia Kitty overnight. When dealing with terra cotta pots for my regular plants, I have found a longer soak beneficial.

Chia Kitty immersed in a bowl of water. Even though the box says that Chia Pets^® "are handmade by artisans using tecniques passed down from the Indians of ancient Mexico," these artisans are apparently located in China, where the stamp on Kitty's belly says she was made.

Second step: Let seeds soak in water for an hour. The seed/water solution is supposed to attain a gel-like consistency.

Salvia hispanica seeds in water. They do indeed form something of a gel, though this is not particularly apparent in the picture.

Third step: Apply soaked seeds to the Kitty. This was a little messy, but easy enough to to do. The grooves in the pottery help give the seeds something to cling to.

Chia Kitty with Seeds applied. This step was completed on 12/31/2009. Why yes, I did have an exciting New Year's Eve--thanks for asking.

The instructions are to keep Kitty filled with water through the handy hole on her back. Misting to keep the seeds moist is also recommended.

The kit includes enough seeds to use on your pottery three times. It also suggests that the pottery can be used to grow other herbs, "such as basil, alfafa, marjoram or thyme." I can't see something large and upright like basil doing well, but I like the idea of growing a crop or two of creeping thyme, just for the fragrance.

Kitty on 1/5/2010, just beginning to sprout. Bob says that it looks like she is wearing a raveling sweater.

According to the box, it'll take a while before it looks like a fully-knitted sweater.

I will post progress reports over the next week or two.