Wistful at the Window

Peppermint, the mighty hunter turned indoor kitty, surveys his former domain, and plots his triumphant return. (Oh yeah, there are plants in the pictures too, most notably Strelitzia reginae and Epipremnum aureum on the inside, with Strobilanthes dyerianus and Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' on the outside.)

Photographs courtesy of my husband, Bob.

What's a Blogger to Do...

...when she's stuck for a topic? It seems that in the last couple of weeks, nothing particularly interesting has been happening here among the leaves. The succulents outdoors are soaking up their last few days of sunshine before they are brought in for the season. The outdoor garden is winding down. The houseplants indoors are looking happy, but for the most part aren't blooming or putting out any noteworthy new growth. Fortunately, none of my plants are experiencing setbacks or infestations or anything bad either, so I can't really complain. My schedule hasn't allowed for much plant-shopping or conservatory visits recently. Most frustratingly, for some reason, my creative juices just aren't flowing when it comes to thinking up interesting topics to blog about.

So what am I going to do? Rather than waiting for either my plants or my brain to jump start themselves, while the interval between posts grows ever longer, I went looking through my photo collection. I found a few plant pictures that I like, but somehow didn't make it into previous posts.

Anemone at the Chicago Botanic Garden, from April. I entered a similar photo in the CBG's spring contest, then discovered that two other people had entered shots of the same flower. I guess we pretty much canceled each other out.

Variegated Hoya carnosa leaves, from the smaller of my two plants

Aechmea 'Blue Tango' from the CBG

Epipremnum 'Marble Queen' cuttings, rooting in water, the result of a pruning mishap. I meant to cut off one stem, and somehow ended up removing several. These have since rooted and been potted up.

Helenium variety, from my garden

Cissus discolor, climbing up some sort of utility pole at the Lincoln Park Conservatory. This plant is on my "never-again" list, but will always love it.

x Gastworthia 'Royal Highness' from the CBG. At least that is what the tag said. The pictures of Gasterworthia/Gasterhaworthia 'Royal Highness' I've seen on the web have thicker leaves, and aren't variegated.

Another from the CBG. Unidentified Sempervivum displayed as a companion plant to a large bonsai.

Seed grown Linum perenne, (Flax) from my garden this past June

My Crassula 'Campfire' in its bold summer coloration

And finally,

I've got my eye on you

(As always, click pictures for larger versions. I recommend it for the Hoya, Helenium and Crassula, and maybe for the Gaster-whatever and Anemone as well.)

Why I Hate the Month of March: A Photo Essay

Yesterday:

Today:

And of course, there is Peppermint.

Yesterday:

Today:

He seems unperturbed.

Life in the Trees

I had considered a photo montage of some of my plants with heart-shaped leaves as a Valentine's Day post, but since the topic was covered so well yesterday by Mr.Subjunctive at PATSP, doing so seemed a trifle redundant.

So, because I haven't done a pet post for a while, and I'm also jonesing for spring in the worst way, I thought I'd share some pictures of my cats playing in the trees during the warmer months. Keeping things on topic, there are some houseplants in two of the pictures.

The fearless and intrepid Peppermint in the Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) in our front yard.

The considerably more cautious Luke in the same tree. I had hung an Asparagus sprengeri and Chlorophytum on the branches so they could summer in the partial shade.

Your considerably less intrepid, but equally fun-loving blogger, behind the same tree. This one looks better in its larger version, when clicked. In addition to the plants in the trees, my Strelitzia reginae and Tradescantia pallida were enjoying their summer outdoors on the ground.

Spring cannot get here soon enough for me, and several of my plants as well.

Happy New Year

As nice as Monday's photos of Hippeastrum 'Benfica' were, all four flowers weren't fully open then. Here they are now:

All flowers are open; the rear two can be seen reflected in the mirror

The photographer gets into the act. Maybe some day I'll post a picture that includes my whole face, not just an eye. Or maybe not.

And because we are headed into the weekend, it's time for pet photos. Here are some shots of Jenny and Luke back when the plant was still in bud. Jenny was curious about the plant, but Luke was more interested in going outside.

Jenny gives H. 'Benfica' a good sniff. "Oh, it's just another one of those plant things. Nothing to eat. Damn!"

Luke eyes every cat's enemy: A closed door. "Maybe if I jump up in the air, I can grab the knob between my paws and turn." (Believe it or not, he's actually tried that!)

Luke: "Oh, well at least I can look out the window." Jenny: "Hmm, I wonder if the cat is tasty? Better not risk it."

2009 was a difficult year for me, one with a number of personal challenges and losses. But there were bright spots too, one of which was having the ability to share my love of plants here on this blog. Here's to a happy, healthy 2010 for everyone!

'Tis the Season...

for Luke to hang out under the Christmas tree. All of us here among the leaves wish everyone the Happiest of Holidays, whatever you celebrate. If you aren't celebrating anything in particular: Happy Friday!

How to Beat Holiday Stress

There are no plants in these pictures (I don't count the dried Eucalyptus) but I decided to share them anyway:

I'm sure Peppermint understands that while napping in the box of decorations is not the best way to help me trim the tree, it is one of the best ways to put a smile on my face.

Leaves and Luke

Luke knows he doesn't belong on the table. I know Luke doesn't belong on the table. Heck, even the Monstera deliciosa and Philodendron bipinnatifidum behind him know that he doesn't belong on the table. But he's so cute that I had to take pictures.

Animal Life Among the Leaves, Once Again

I haven't made a weekend pet-and-plant post for a while, mostly because I was preoccupied with less than happy pet activities. But I'd like to take it up again. Here's a picture from summer 2008:

Peppermint sniffs at the base of an Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, with Hippeastrum 'Charisma' blooming in the background.

I hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving this past weekend had a happy one, and that those for whom this is not a custom had a great weekend as well. There will be a return to more substantive posts this week.

Those Glowing Eyes...

Can only mean one thing: Happy Halloween!

This is our cat Luke, investigating the Hedera helix cultivars in the tub after their bi-weekly soap-and-water rinse.

Luke is not particularly photogenic, but in person, he is a very handsome cat indeed. Unlike our other cat, Peppermint, Luke is quite shy, but he is also very sweet. I call him my "little boyfriend," much to my husband's annoyance.

Below is a bonus Hedera picture. Had I known I had a photograph of this particular plant, I would have included it in this week's Ivy Chronicles.

I think this is Hedera helix 'Yellow Ripple'

Who Ordered the Salad?

Welcome to the weekend slacker post. This is Jenny, litter mate and lifelong companion to Laces, who was featured last week. Jenny doesn't have the same health problems that her sister does, but she doesn't have the same sweet and easy-going personality, either. But she's cute, and we love her. She decided to investigate the Haworthias that I put on the floor to photograph on Thursday. In an unusually smart move, she decided not to taste them.


(No, Jenny doesn't usually eat houseplants. But she does love vegetables. And these were in bowls on the floor, like her food. And she's not the smartest dog in the world...)

Animal Life In Front of the Leaves

Here is this week's Saturday-Sunday Slacker Post. This is Laces, one of our golden retrievers, in front of my Philodendron bipinnatifidum. (There is also a Monstera deliciosa leaf visible, if you click the picture.)

Laces is thirteen years old, and very arthritic, and I absolutely adore her. I met her when I first started dating my husband 7 years ago, and she's the sweetest dog I've ever known. I know, because of her age and health problems, that I won't have her for that much longer, but right now she is still happy and full of fun. She doesn't care for the sounds my camera makes, hence the expression of canine consternation.

Animal Life Among the Leaves

This is my Sunday (night) Slacker Post. My intention is to take either Saturday or Sunday off from blogging. So on one of those days each week, there will be a brief post consisting of a picture of one (or more) of our pets, posing with plants. My other intention is to start posting earlier in the day, so that the date of the post matches up better with the day that people are likely to be reading it.

So without further ado, here is Peppermint (the cat, not the plant):

Clicking the picture will produce a much larger view.

(10/24/09) Edited to add: It looks like these animal posts will be it for the whole weekend, rather than just Saturday or Sunday. Life does get busy here among the leaves.