just some plants i am growing

i am going to do some how-to posts very soon. but for now...

1. sansevieria trifasciata

2. peperomia argyriea, post-division

3. microsorum thailandicum and schefflera

4. more p. argyreia (post division, after all)

5. abutilon hybrid

6. strelitzia (nicholai or reginae?)

7. senecio macroglossus

8. aloes and agaves

9. cotyledon tomentosa

10. nephrolepis 'emina'

11. phalaenopsis 'balinese splendor'

12. sansevieria 'crazy-ass fool' (i can't figure out which

 cultivar this is)

13. fatshedera lizei

Houseplanters of the World, Unite and Take Over.

The Chicago Garden and Flower Show was fantastic once again. The venue was huge, the exhibits were lush, and the vendors were varied and fun. I got to converse with Cactus Bill of Ted's Nursery, the dip people were there, there were even packs of seeds in the press room... what more could a girl want?

Of course there were the greenscapers exhibits, where businesses show off their talent for garden, patio, and "water feature" design with interactive displays. The Shedd Aquarium, Garfield and Lincoln Conservatories, and Chicago Botanic Gardens also had beautiful walk-throughs to showcase their conifers, tropicals, and bonsai, respectively. The theme/concept this year was something goofy having to do with the theater, but it was kept to a tactful minimum. We can't forget why we're here, after all... the wine tasting! I mean the plants, the plants.

Flowering Nymphaea (noid) amongst some floating Pistia (noid)

Unfortunately, the "New Varieties" exhibit was less than exhilarating. I was anticipating wild hybrid Aglaonemas from Thailand and psycho Asiatica-caliber ferns. But alas, the selection was limited to the Ball horticultural company's latest dabblings in coleus and petunias. If I sound a little disappointed, I am. I mean, Jesus christ, I love coleus, but who cares about ANOTHER new one? Let's get some tropicals up in this bitch!

To be fair, the majority of attendees at this event are likely gardeners of the... um... garden variety, and not houseplant freaks like you and me. So perhaps I'm not the target market. And I'll admit that Petunia 'Sophistica Collection: Lime Bicolor' was pretty neat; I would party with that Petunia.

Ball's Petunia 'Lime Bicolor:' you and me, chilling at the Holiday Inn. Bring your friends.

I was also thoroughly surprised by the amount of tropical houseplants that were displayed as landscape material. Indoor gardener that I am, each of my plants feels very precious to me, and I take pains to keep them alive year after year. So it seems a bizarre practice indeed to plant a yard full of tender plants for summer, only to pull them up and throw them out in fall. And what Chicagoan in their right mind would plant a yardful of tropicals? What are you gonna do, store 'em all in your garage for the winter? I know that ultimately these displays were only for decorative effect, but let's keep it real people. Achmeas belong in conservatories or in pots, not en masse between your sprinkler and your grill:

Phalaenopsis orchids and calatheas in your yard? That'll look good for about, mmm, eight days:

Aphelandras (they know that these don't spread, right?):

A battalion of Sanseverias and Campanulas. Now, Campanula can be grown as a houseplant or a perennial groundcover, but you won't be seeing those Sans again in spring. Not around here, mon frere!

Primulas and Clivias. Primula is another houseplant that is commonly planted outdoors in the yard or in patio baskets, and then discarded in fall. Clivias, though? What would Thalassa Cruso say? Probably "Balderdash."

And now, the story you've been waiting for with baited breath: The Houseplant Competition! I wish I could have been there during opening weekend to see the judging. It would have been a delight to see all of the entries, but the winners were still interesting. Each division had its own table; here we see winners of the "Non-Flowering Plants" division (what is that begonia doing in there?).

The Araucaria excelsa looked small but pretty for an eight-year-old specimen; the judges gave it 3rd place and recommended turning to improve symmetry. Although the growth pattern of Araucarias is radially symmetrical, it can be difficult to see in a small specimen, so the issue isn't worth dwelling on, in my opinion. Likewise, choosing the Malpighia pendiculata for first place (far right) seemed odd, although it was well deserved of the Youth Horticultural Award, since its keeper was only ten years old. The orchids were seriously underrepresented:

The Cactus division had a couple of cuties, including this Ancanthocalycium thionanthum, which was awarded second place. The judges suggested was aesthetically overpotted, and again, I have to disagree. Why go smaller with such unique specimens?

The real ass-kicker was this Bowiea volubilis, which took Best in Show. I have never even felt an inkling of desire over a Bowiea, having previously regarded them as nothing more than botanical curiosities. But this plant (which was nine years old) blew my mind. I daresay it was pretty!

So I think the message is pretty clear: next year, we take over the horticultural competition! Given all the garden bloggers that attend this event, we could really bring in the noise. I want to see gesneriad lovers getting in fistfights, and cactus nuts chucking gymnocalyciums. Mr. Subjunctive could give a lecture on zombie-gardening while we spitball the landscapers. Then, we storm the Botanic Garden exhibit and take the bonsai collection hostage until someone agrees to validate our parking. Garden Show Smackdown 2011: Rumble At Navy Pier.

Photo credits for this post belong to Boyfriend Assassin, who was kind enough to take pictures while I zipped around making glee-noises.

All Growed Up

One of the other great things about visiting a garden conservatory is that you have the opportunity to see older or larger specimens of some of your own plants, or plants you may have considered buying. Think of my excitement, for example, when the Garfield Conservatory desert house yielded mature specimens of three plants I recently brought home.

Agave funkiana (here labeled A. lopantha poselgeri)

Aeonium arboreum variety atropurpurea (possibly "Schwarzkopf")

Crassula perforata

And these are my new plants. In the back is the Agave funkiana, which I now know will get bigger, but not nearly as big as A. americana. Which is fine.... I don't have much room for giant spiny plants, and I'm glad to see that A. funkianas retain their beautiful blue hue into maturity.

On the left is my Crassula "Babies Necklace." This variety won't get as tall as the C. perforata at the conservatory, but at least I have a better idea of what to expect. In fact, I think I'm happier, because a dwarf variety like mine should retain the lovely colors, but stay more densely clothed with leaves. Compact plants are usually more attractive than leggy ones.

Finally, the Aeonium arboreum atropurpurea on the right is teeny-weeny compared to the specimen at the conservatory, which really puts the "arbor" in "arboreum." I can't wait for mine to get that big... although it will certainly require some waiting. These guys aren't exactly sprinters when it comes to growth indoors.

Other comparison photos...

Sansevieria gracilis

My Sansevieria ballyi. The habits are different, but the offshoots develop similarly.

Cotyledon tomentosa

My C. tomentosa at home. So I guess that I can expect C. tomentosa to get taller and leggier with time, eventually becoming a shrubby clump. Not the prettiest thing for indoor display, but it could be worse. Take, for example, Kalanchoe tomentosa...

Yuck! I knew there was a reason why I always pass these up. Yes, they're furry and soft, and like many succulents they are adorable in their young age. But give them time and care, and they will reward you by turning into a bunch of ragged sticks! This also applies to Chamaedorea metallica...

I keep almost buying on of these palms (come on, it has "Metallica" right there in the name) but then I hesitate. Now, after visiting the Garfield Conservatory, I'm glad I waited. Pretty though the foliage may be, the passage of time does not improve the attractiveness of the growth habit. It looks... sort of boring and unstable. I think I'll shift my desires for a palm tree onto a variety that develops a bigger trunk.

Of course, if you are curious about how your plants will look when they mature, there are easier ways. Google is expedient (if often wrong) and Dave's Garden has a pretty comprehensive database of facts and pictures. But actually standing in the presence of an old, vigorous specimen... well it's kind of like standing in front of a painting that you've only ever seen in photographs, isn't it? There's a kind of mesmerizing quality to being thrown into the shade of a towering Bird of Paradise or Coconut palm and realizing that this is what your houseplants were born to do. When I come home, it makes me pat my little plants reassuringly and say, "that'll do, palm."

But not you, Kalanchoe tomentosa. You got NO kinda potential.

Cheap ideas!

Just a few ideas to maximize your houseplant enjoyment, totally free.

1) Calibrate a hygrometer. Based on this excellent how-to article for cigar humidors, you too can turn your crappy analog hygrometer into a tool of fastidious precision! If you don't have a hygrometer, this is still a "cheap idea," because they are inexpensive and available at most hardware stores.

2) Save your favorite glass bottles and start propagating! It is definitely auspicious to have some tribute to PeeWee, the patron saint of vibrant homes.

3) Clean some humidifiers in preparation for the coming onslaught. If you plan to have one or several humidifiers running this winter for the benefit of your houseplants, it's wise to get familiar with the humidifier-disinfecting process. Otherwise your home will rapidly become redolent of Mrs. Whoever's third grade class fish tank. You know what I mean. If you are using a warm-mist humidifier (tut tut) don't forget to finish with a bleach dilution.

4) Pick up an interesting plant book from your local library.

5) Get creative with plants you already have. Try making a bonsai or topiary out of something unusual. I'm currently attempting to train a sansevieria to have curly tips. Think it'll work?

-NA

Nature Assassin: Tokyo Drift

Get ready, these next few posts are going to be fast and furious.

Vin for the Win!*

Anyway. Wha.... oh yeah. Plants.

Ledebouria (socialis?) has bloomed a-gain. The flowers aren't particularly pretty, but they are interesting at least. Dave's Garden lists other common names for this plant as Violet Squill and Silver Squill. What the hell is a squill?

This species reportedly hails from South Africa. I picked mine up from Ted's Greenhouse in Tinley Park, IL. Ted's is really a neat place... they have an incredible variety of cacti and succulents, and they label much more meticulously than most greenhouses. I've purchased three lovely and unusual sansevierias from them - ballyi, ehrenbergii and halli "baseball bat." The other great thing about Ted's is that their young specimens are often available in tiny, inexpensive pots... two inchers are usually two or three bucks, even if you're getting a rare variety. This is great for people like me with limited funds and plenty of patience for little plants. One time I was there eyeing a group of sans in a big pot, and an employee asked if I wanted to buy it. I told him I was really looking for just one specimen rather than the whole big expensive pot. He grabbed a big offshoot from the parent plant, hacked it off, and made me an offer!

One more ledebouria photo.

CHECK OUT MAH NEW TABLE! I made it myself. Well, me and IKEA. It was hella cheap, and suits my purposes nicely. I've got my terrariums down below (updates on that project to follow) and my high-light plants (bananas, BOPS, etc) sit on top. It also serves as a workspace for repotting, checking for pests under clamp-lights, any anything else that might make a mess. I had previously used my drafting table for this purpose, and now that we have something more appropriate, we have our drafting table back in the living room. Boyfriend is pleased because he is afraid of the plant room, with its ensuant spines, barbs, toxic sap, and insects.

Of course, moments after this picture was taken, the table was completely cluttered with plants and books, and three piles of vomit appeared thereupon. The responsible party has not stepped forward, but evidence showed traces of Ficus pumila, so the case is not closed.

That's all for now.

Endnote: I seriously love VD. I did a life size oil painting of him in college. When I briefly interned at Fantagraphics in Seattle, my boss and I loved to talk about The Chronicles of Riddick, particularly how he showers with his clothes on and doesn't use big guns. My theory is that - unlike other beefcake action heroes - Riddick doesn't wield many phallic weapons because he IS a phallic weapon. From his rippling pecs to his shaved head, the man is like a total-body erection. I could 'Intro to Gender Issues' that shit all day. Add in spaceships, sweet-ass costumes and ridiculously bad acting, and it's pure cinematic gold. They should make 100 "Riddick" movies. Throw Bill Nighy in a couple of them. I will see them all.

I Will Straight Up Cut You, Plant

The Nature Assassin guide to water-rooting your own cuttings. For specified indoor tropicals only; no grafting, no rhizome division. This is easy as hell. Plants that will root in water include but are not limited to:

Gynura aurantiaca (purple passion vine)

Tradescantia zebrina (wandering jew, inch plant)

Epipremnum aureum (pothos)

Hedix hedera (English ivy)

*Update: Peperomia

1) Pick your plant. Scindapsus pictus 'argyraeus,' I pikachoose you. This plant goes by many names, including satin pothos and silver philodendron. Whether it is a true philodendron, I don't know... I really doubt it is a true pothos. It looks remarkably similar to philodendron sodiroi, but is apparently not the same thing? Expert advice will hopefully follow. This plant was sick when I bought it and has never been particularly vigorous. Still, even when it was down to just a few sick stems, it wouldn't be killed. So I have managed to coax it slowly towards becoming the full, compact, well-colored plant that it was meant to be. Check out the amazing silver metallic sheen to this plant. It's even better in person... you can see literal glitter.

So we're ready for step...

2) Assemble your team.

3) Assemble your tools. You will need a clean vase filled with room temperature filtered water, a bottle of rooting hormone powder, and finally your cutting. Rooting hormone powder can be obtained cheaply from any garden store including major hardware chains. One bottle will last you forever.

WAIT, WHERE/HOW DO I CUT IT?

Along the stem between two leaves/by merciless shanking. Use a clean knife, not scissors, and definitely not your fingers. Cutting the stem wounds the plant and the cutting, so it should be a sharp, clean cut rather than a messy tear. The cutting should be at least 5 inches long, though others may tell you that 3 inches will suffice. Leave the endmost leaves or terminal buds in place; remove all the other leaves along the stem. Make sure your cutting contains at least one adventitious root; it will look like a very small brownish protruding scab or bump. Without them, your cutting will not produce roots, and will eventually die. Now for step...

4) Dip the cutting in rooting hormone powder. Some people only do this if they are rooting a cutting in soil... I find most of the powder stays on and speeds the rate of root productions in water as well. From my understanding, rooting hormone powder functions like an antibacterial protectant, keeping the wounds and new roots from rotting. Therefore, I dip all of the cut sections in rooting hormone powder, as opposed to just the stem tip.

To prevent contaminating your entire bottle of rooting hormone powder, pour however much you will need into a smaller container and throw it away when you are finished. The cap, by the by, is from Two Hearted Ale by Bell's Brewery. So good or no good? Soooo good.

That's it! You're done! Put it someplace sunny (but not blindingly so; bright indirect light is perfect) and leave them alone. No humidity chamber, no nothing. Just change the water about once a week, more if it takes on a green tinge. If you notice sections of the stem getting soft, dark, or fuzzy, get rid of them; they are rotting. You can keep a few types cuttings in water permanently; I find them much more attractive than vases of blooms.

Newly assembled cuttings should start to make roots after about 2 weeks, depending on the type of plant you are using.

Other cuttings that I have going:

Sanseveria NOID, courtesy of a friend. I believe these will only root in water when a piece of the original root is included.

Neon Pothos (Epipremnum aureum "Neon")

Variegated Hedix hedera NOID- this one has taken a long time to root, but root it has!

Happy cutting!

Bow chicka' bow bow...

Happy spring, my bishes! It's is officially here, and it seems that roughly half of the inhabitants of the household have decided to get busy with the babies. Not the Monsieur or myself, thank you very much. I will casually defenestrate a plant at the first sign of obstinacy, so I shudder to think about what I'd do with a baby. Maybe my plants saw the death strokes that befell the two sickly ferns during the recent repot, and they decided to put on some new growth to please me. This was rather intelligent of them, I think.

Et tu, Nephrolepis?

So here's what we've got. My little tiny Aloe "Dorian Black" now has a pup. "BUT SHE'S SO YOUNG!" I know, I know. I told her the same thing. I can't say I'll be sad to have another one of these, though... I mean look at it! It's stunning, almost completely white.

My Meyer lemon seeds have finally sprouted! Do you see my thrifty invention? I took one of those clear egg cartons and made a little incubator out of it. It's always moist and gets plenty of sun, plus it sits between the window and the radiator, so it never gets chilly. I opened it up for this picture:

The Epipremnum aureum "Marble Queen" immensely enjoyed its repot. I also rooted this winter's cuttings, which are doing fine. It's in a really fast-draining medium of mostly pumice and pine bark fines. Rapidly, it became bushy with new growth.

Here's a better shot of the color. The new leaves are almost completely white, probably because they're getting more sun.

Here's the baby crosiers from my Nephrolepis "Emina." Now in a slightly peat-ier medium.

My teeny-weeny Philodendron "Moonglow" has put on a new leaf after I gave it a much-needed soil change.

The beastly Philo "Black Cardinal" has finally adjusted and is putting out this beautiful new leaf:

Strelitzia Reginae is now completely mealybug-free and putting on tons of new growth after being potted up:

Sansevieria "Bally" has made a baby offshoot:

And as usual the cats are all up on it. We keep telling them that they are both fixed, and will never consummate their love, but do they care? No, they just continue making out on the couch when we have friends over, which is awkward for everyone. 

K thx bai