Gallons of Fun

Today, boyfriend and I visited the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. What does this have to do with you, and your houseplants? Well, aside from the amazing aquatic plant life...

...there were plenty of tropical species on display. The same tropical species, in fact, that you can grow in your living room! From every continent, the Shedd Aquarium has brought in plants to compliment their animal life. It's a great opportunity to see your favorite home or office specimen in a recreation of its original habitat. This dart frog vivarium, for instance, houses several well-known decorative plants. Of course, some moron kid had to go and stand in my picture. I know what you're thinking... children at a fun and interactive museum?!? How revolting. Those were my sentiments as well.

Many of us who love tropical plants are familiar with the use of these specimens as vivarium subjects... herpetology-supply websites like Black Jungle are popular sources for exotic plants. But you know, you really don't have to be a reptile hobbyist to enjoy terrariums. As with the old-fashioned Wardian case, terrariums are perfect for displaying dazzling tropical plants that need high humidity levels.

The truly surprising thing about the vivariums at the Shedd Aquarium is the the simplicity of their construction. Straying from complex recipes, the Shedd uses a simple three-layer system to provide circulation and drainage. In my mind, this setup would need regular dismantling and cleaning, because it lacks certain ingredients that inhibit algae. The need for good hygiene is only increased by the fact that there is animal life in these vivaria. But hey, these guys have been doing this sort of thing WAY longer than I. So, here endeth my critique.

Plenty of other household favorites can be found amidst the fishy life...

... although certain species eluded me. Does anyone recognize the bronzy plant with the venation in this picture (just above the water line)? My guesses include caladium and syngonium, but beyond that I haven't a clue.

With such a sea of classic plants spread before me (no pun intended), it makes me realize why pond gardens are so very popular in the southern states. Given the right zone, it wouldn't be difficult to replicate the Amazon river or lake Malawi in your own backyard! Of course, this raises questions about the ethics of harboring invaders species... but that's a topic for another post.

All told, the Shedd Aquarium is freaking awesome. Take a day trip whenever you can, to see your favorite houseplants in action! As active as they get, in any case.

Update Schmupdate

Yes, the season of suck-ass has begun here in the Midwest. If it weren't for holiday lights, Chicago would look like The Swamps of Sadness. You know what I'm talking about.


Thank god for our beloved tropical and/or evergreen plants! If you can't get any place equatorial, then its time to hit your local greenhouses, conservatories, or any closed ecological system to get a good humanizing dose of plant life. I don't know about you, but when I see lush greenery and smell warm, humid dirt, I feel totally renewed.


New pink bracts on an Anthurium

New growth on Leptinella squalida 'Platt's Black'

New leaves on Monstera deliciosa

And then there are, of course, terrariums. What could be better than a whiff from your own miniature biosphere? Unless of course you're growing a lush crop of botyritis, which doesn't have the greatest smell, as I have discovered. But I digress. Look, gametophytes!

And moss! The arrow on your left indicates some unidentified volunteer spikemoss (selaginella), and the arrow on the right points to new growth from cultivated Kyoto moss. The rest is algae, which is doing terrifically well considering that I am making every effort to kill it. Don't worry, algae, as soon as I get my hands on some Physan, it will be your turn for a dose of delicious murder.

Well, that's all for now. Here's hoping that your houseplants are bringing you lots of happiness.

Ficus Pumila...

... can just go to hell. And nearly did.

I JUST got this plant and I've already maimed it. I had heard so much about this plant being tough, so I was really surprised when half of the foliage crisped up in ONE DAY, and I had to cut it all back. With hanging pots I'm usually concerned about overwatering, because excess water has no means to drain and can easily cause root rot. Thus I held back on the water and amped up the misting in an attempt to meet moisture needs through humidity... and killed it with kindness. I also neglected to repot it with a better, healthier mix when I brought it home, which was simply foolish. It shouldn't take too long to bounce back as long as I'm careful about the watering. I'll be keeping a much better eye on it - as you can see, it's a spider mite infestation waiting to happen. Apologies for catbutt.

After the loss of my asplenium bulbiferum and the rather accidental assassination of my Dryopteris erythrosora (previously and erroneously labelled "Davallia"), I needed a new fern to cheer me up.

According to the greenhouse people, "It's a red fern. A red-leaf fern." Erm... okey dokey. Hopefully I'll find out what it actually is before I kill it. In other news, I have resumed the terrarium art project...

These globes are on the fifth day of their quarantine. In case my ingredients were not perfectly sterile, I decided to give each little microsystem a week or so to start "breathing" properly and send up any volunteer stowaways. Next week I'll add a thin, thin layer of wet peat to the top, and then my Kyoto moss spores. The labels indicate different watering techniques (I'm trying to find the best way to prevent mildew and compaction).

"What's that green crap you're growing on the shower shelf?"

It's moss, honey! Don't be mad! In all likelihood, it contains no spider eggs.

Recently I began making small terrariums out of local mosses that I came upon in my walks through the northeast side. The mosses are indescribably beautiful, and I've currently got 4, possibly 5 different species going. I made a small, portable terrarium out of glass flour container with a sample of each species, and I'm hoping to find someone at a local university or the botanical gardens to help me ID each one.

As far as care goes, they have been kept barely moist in humid air. It's still much warmer and dryer inside than out, and I hope they aren't injured by the change. I am keeping a very close eye one each one for stowaway bugs, but I'm not worried since each one was thoroughly cleaned. I went through each section with a pair of tweezers and a magnifying glass after I rinsed them out in very warm water, so hopefully nothing giant and poisonous will emerge out of them and into my bathroom anytime soon.

I've decided - given that I have enough moss and recently came into possession of a veritable assload of terrariums - that terrariums are going to be my next art pieces. I don't have the space or supplies to be oil painting right now, and this will combine several of my loves. I've begun collecting items for each terrarium, and I think perhaps each one will represent a different neighborhood of the city, based on what I put inside. Or perhaps they will all contain different arrangements of the same thing; tiny replicas of garbage.

I'm also using my newer sections of moss that haven't had time to spread as tiny terrariums or simply tiny potted plants:

Earrings by Julia Wolf *

I'm going to hold on to them and make sure they are somewhat hardy before I put them on display/propose a show for them. Wouldn't that be embarrassing to assassinate an entire gallery of work?

*Julia's work on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5770356