Decline and Fall--Not Necessarily

As I've noted before, I don't put very many of my non-succulent houseplants outdoors. I try to choose plants that will do well indoors year-round, so I can always have a house full of plants. I might have mentioned this before, but one of the saddest things I've ever read on the Garden Web forums was a post by a woman who was lamenting that she had to bring her plants indoors in the fall. They had been doing so well outdoors over the summer, and she was dreading having to watch their inevitable, dramatic decline over the winter. But a major decline is not inevitable if one chooses houseplants wisely in the first place. A plant that is happy with the available indoor conditions will not need to go outside, and if it does, will not decline drastically when brought back indoors.

That said, I do put a few houseplants outdoors in summer. A couple are just out there for decorative purposes, like my Norfolk Island Pine:

Araucaria heterophylla dressing up my front porch

Others I put outside because, I admit, they are exceptions to my rules. A couple aren't well-suited to my indoor conditions, despite my best intentions, and need a rejuvenating vacation outdoors. There are also a couple of plants, which despite being okay with their places inside, are "problem" or ailing plants. For those, a bit of natural rainfall, fresh air and summertime humidity will usually turn them around.

Hedera helix, Fatsia japonica, and Dracaena reflexa 'Song of India.' The ivies and the Fatsia are outdoors because I think that fresh air and cooler night temperatures discourage spider mites. The Dracaena is just there because I like how it looks.

This Aspidistra elatior variegata was in the ailing plant category. I was perplexed by its failure to thrive, which I couldn't attribute to poor conditions or insects, so I put it under a tree and hoped for the best. It seems to be doing better.

In one of my earliest blog posts, I recounted the tale of "Foxy," my Asparagus myersii (Foxtail Fern.) Well, Foxy also spent the summer outdoors, in the hopes that it will continue to bounce back after its major pruning last fall. Maybe someday, it will regain its former size and beauty, and I'll have to start the process all over again.

Above, two pictures of Foxy, the Asparagus myersii.

Another small Asparagus that I cut back, and is now rejuvenating itself

Alpinia zerumbet variegata. I admit to abusing this poor plant this past winter, shoving it under lights in the basement, and frequently allowing it to get too dry. It has also recuperated nicely, and I've promised it a favored spot in a west window this winter, and plenty of water.

Tradescantia pallida, hanging around in my maple tree, just because. It was fine indoors, but I decided to put it out last month for its decorative value.

As autumn approaches, I will, of course, be bringing them back in. The Asparagus, Fatsia and Hedera helixes will stay out for quite some time yet, as they can handle a touch of frost. But when they do come in, I do not expect a dramatic decline from any of them.

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.

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.