Returning: A Trip to the Garfield Park Conservatory

In the spring of 2011, my husband and I paid a visit to the Garfield Park Conservatory.  Not too long after our visit, a freak hailstorm devastated the conservatory, particularly the Fern Room.  I was devastated myself, as I found the Fern Room to be one of the most magical places I had ever visited. If one needs convincing that ferns and their allies are incredibly beautiful plants, seeing so many varieties in one place should do it.  I love the color green, and I couldn't believe how much variety and impact ferns provide. I was afraid that even with restoration, the place would never be the same.

Well, on Friday we paid another visit, our first since 2011, and I found my fears to be misplaced.  The Conservatory is as gorgeous as ever. Because I've blogged about the conservatory before,  I'll just let the photographs do the talking.

View from the entrance to the conservatory

Below is a series of photos taken in the Fern Room:

Platycerium elephantotis Angola Staghorn Fern

Blechnum gibbum Miniature Tree Fern

The next series is from the Palm House:

I couldn't find a label for this lovely palm

A number of Bromeliads were used as groundcovers below the palms. Above is Neoregelia 'Fireball', below are an unidentified Guzmania cultivar and Neoregelia 'Gazpacho'

From the Desert House:

Eve's Needle, Austrocylindropuntia subulata 'Cristata'

Euphorbia lactea 'Cristata'

Euphorbia enopla

This crested Euphorbia looks almost like a sculpture

From the spring flower show:

I loved seeing all the Azaleas (Rhododendron species and cultivars)  It reminds me of springtime in New York.  They aren't common where I live, probably because the soil is too alkaline.

And finally, because it is good to be blogging again:

Life in front of the leaves: Karen 715

When the Growth Stopped

As I've mentioned before, I picked "growing along with my houseplants" as the subtitle of this blog for a reason. I've had houseplants since I was quite young. Growing and caring for them has been one of the few constants in my life--one of my greatest joys--as I've gone from child, to teenager, to adulthood and on to middle age. One of the other constants in my life, unfortunately, has been a tendency toward depression. I've always come through, though, and my plants have always come with me. I've had many plants during some of those times, and very few in others, but I always enjoyed caring for however many I've had. They always provided a bit of green joy amongst the blue shades of sorrow.

But after I recuperated from my lingering cold this winter, I realized that although I was better physically, I was not in a good state mentally. And for the first time in my life, the classic depression symptom, "loses interest in things one usually enjoys" affected my relationship with my plants. Instead of sustaining me through the tough emotional times, tending to the houseplants began to feel like an insurmountable chore, one that I thoroughly resented. I suffered, and the plants suffered. I lost some to insect problems, and at least a few, I am ashamed to say, to neglect. Some of my others, though still alive, are definitely not looking their best.

But I am slowly getting better, and I hope the plants will too.

My new Easter cactus, Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri aka Hatiora gaertneri, purchased on Monday. For the first time in a while, I am actually looking forward to taking care of not just my old plants, but new plants as well.

I am also looking forward to getting back to blogging on a more regular basis. I know I said that after I recovered from my cold, and I meant it. I mean it this time too, and I hope things will work out better. I am making a personal commitment to posting at least once a week, and I hope it will work out to being much more frequent than that.

My Top Ten Plants of 2010

There have been lots of ups and downs among the leaves this year. I've embraced a whole new category of plants (Bromeliads) and all but given up on others (Hedera, Begonia.) At various times, I've battled fungus gnats, aphids, spider mites, mealy bug, scale and white flies. (Out of these, only the mealies prevailed: I had to throw away my Hoya multiflora because I just could not get rid of the damned things. Over the years, I have occasionally had plants succumb to scale or spider mites, but with diligence, I can usually get the upper hand with them. But I've never won a battle with mealies, ever.) I've dealt with sunburn, root rot, and naughty cats (apparently, Nolina recurvata looks like something good to nibble on.) But there have been a few plants that have done well, caused or attracted minimal trouble, and just made me consistently happy over the past year. Here, in alphabetical order, (because I couldn't make up my mind how to rank them otherwise) are my top ten favorite houseplants of 2010.

1. Aechmea fasciata: This is a plant I was once afraid to try. I was sure that once I got one home, the flowers would immediate fade, the inflorescence would shrivel, and the plant would die soon after. Instead, the little blue flowers lasted a good while, the pink inflorescence lasted for months, and not only is the mother plant still looking good, there is also a good sized offset.

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2. Aloe greenii x lineata: This made the list as a first time bloomer this year.

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3. Astrophytum capricorne: This is another first time bloomer. The flower was impressive, but I think my favorite thing about this plant is its crown of thorns. (Yes, I know cactus have spines, not thorns, but crown of spines doesn't have the same ring to it.)

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4. x Chamaelovibia 'Captain Jessop': I'm not 100% certain of the ID. What I am certain about is that this little cactus put on a hell of a show this year. It is only 2.5 inches tall, but it bloomed three times, each time with flowers bigger than the plant itself.

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5. Epiphyllum 'David W. Grant' : Cacti were a big hit with me this year, apparently. At any rate, after several years with no flowers whatever, my only Epi bloomed twice, once in May, then again in October. The plant itself is rather ugly, but the flowers are wonderful.

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6. Hoya carnosa 'Krimson Queen': This plant needs no special care, continues to grow like a weed, has beautiful leaves, and bloomed all summer long. It also inspired one of my favorite posts and accompanying photo series: Six out of Seven

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7. Mammillaria formosa subsp. microthele: Once again the ID is a bit tentative, but there is nothing tentative about my love for what will always be Mom's Plant

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8. Monstera deliciosa: Another perennial sentimental favorite, because I grew it from seed, and because it is awesome. It survived a scale infestation this year, and keeps on putting out big, beautiful leaves.

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9. Sansevieria hallii: A handsome, trouble-free plant that grows slowly, but steadily. This year's new leaf ended up being taller and thicker than all the others that came before it.

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10. Vriesea splendens: The plant that started my successful entry into the wonderful world of Bromeliads. It went seamlessly from blooming to pupping, and continues to grow larger. And I love the dark patterned foliage.

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Honorable mention: Aglaonema. I can't single out a particular plant or species. Every one of my Ags is doing well and remains trouble free.


I'm looking forward to the coming year of growing. I know there are going to be difficulties. But I know just as certainly that there will be delights.

Epi Encore

Late last May, I posted about my Epiphyllum 'David W. Grant', which was putting on an unprecedented blooming extravaganza. There were twelve flowers in all. Well, Mr. Grant has taken the stage again, this time with only a single bloom. But since there have been several years when this plant didn't flower at all, I'm especially pleased with the repeat performance in 2010.

Epiphyllum 'David W. Grant' from three different angles

After a summer spent hanging in the tree outdoors, Mr. Grant is back in his usual spot in the spare room. (AKA the "Cats' Room", since that is where we keep their litter boxes and other accoutrements.) Perhaps, after a winter with the same care as last year, there will be a return engagement next May.

Capricorne Ascendant

I'm very fond of the genus Astrophytum. For one thing, I find its members easy to identify, which is rare for me when it comes to cactus. For another thing, they are interesting-looking plants, often quite uncactus-like, which is probably why I find them easy to recognize. In addition, there are relatively few Astrophytum species (six, according to one book I read) which also helps me keep track. That also makes it easy to collect them all, if one limits oneself to the basic species. (There are a lot of really fancy cultivated varieties out there. Some of them are absolutely gorgeous. Others look overbred and precious, at least in my opinion.) So far, I have an A. ornatum, an A. asterias, and an A. capricorne. I have been thwarted twice by Astrophytum myriostigma, which insisted on rotting and dying. Both plants got cool and wet simultaneously, which is a Very Bad Thing for cactus in general.

Of the species, Astrophytum capricorne, is one with a more typically cactus-like appearance.

Astrophytum capricorne, also known as Goat's Horn cactus, with its tangled topknot of spines.

This week my A. capricorne gave me one more reason to appreciate it: It bloomed for the first time.

Flower starting to open

A. capricorne in flower. This is as open as the flower got. For one thing, I think it would be difficult for it to open wider, as its base was surrounded by a virtual cage of thorns. For another, the weather has been cloudy and a bit rainy for the past couple of days, which can put a damper on cactus flowers.

Fully open or not, it was a lovely flower, quite a bit larger than those I had seen on my Astrophytum asterias. The red and yellow coloration was richer, too.

Closed, spent blossom rising above the spines

Actually, I was quite surprised that it flowered at all, as I thought it was still an immature plant. For one thing, it had very few spines when I bought it a few years ago. It has only been in the past year that they've started to look like they mean business. For another, the plant hasn't increased in size very much. It has been in this 2.5 inch pot since I brought it home.