New Plant Roll Call

ABUTILON!

You sure do need a lot of water. And I'm not sure I like you as much as I like my two Abutilon thompsoniis, River and Simon. Nevertheless, your flowers are very cool. Carry on.

ALOE PLICATILIS!

Keep in mind that you are here as a long term investment. You want to grow slowly? Fine. Carry on.

ASPIDISTRA ELIATOR 'MILKY WAY'!

You have proven yourself to be of high aesthetic quality, while requiring minimum maintenance. Also, the new leaves are looking swell. Carry on.

DRYOPTERIS ERHYTHROSORA!

It has come to my attention that you are a fern. Also, you are not dead. To exist under this botanical dualism in my home is rare indeed... most impressive. As a caveat, I must warn you... I've had bad luck with indoor-outdoor ferns. If I find a single scale or mealybug on you, I'll make you wish you'd never been germinated. That is all, carry on.

PASSIFLORA!

I can't trust anything with such... racy looking flowers. I've got my eye on you. Just keep those tendrils to yourself!

PEPEROMIA CAPERATAS!

Never met a Peperomia I didn't like. At ease.

BEGONIA REX NOID!

Don't think that you get special treatment, just because you were a gift cutting. We don't take kindly to begonias around here. You better keep that growth habit bushy and compact or I will equalize you, for serious.

SENECIO MACROGLOSSUS VARIEGATUS!

You are climbing that hoop like a champ. Great job. Take five.

That's it, now everyone, BACK TO WORK!

Bow Chicka Bow Bow, part two

Spring is here, summer is almost here, and that means nature is feeling Awesome and Sexy. There are flowers all over the place, and even indoors, things are growing crazygonuts.

Abutilon cuttings. I'm hoping I can train them as a standard.

Neoregelia 'Kimberly' flowered beautifully, and has put out a few pups. Here's the biggest:

and the plant still looks awesome. Not quite the same for as my mystery bromeliad (neoregelia 'carolinae?'), which flowered totally in secret and is looking a little haggard now.

Still, maybe the decline is due to MORE PUPS!

Bromeliads are so fun. They have such a wonderful life cycle.  Meanwhile the opuntia seedlings have totally grown... shhyeah. Frigging cactus.

No really, I'm fine. I'll just stay like this for a couple more years. I'm good.

Of course, there have been failures. My papayas committed mass suicide! My passiflora cuttings drank the cool-aid. My clematis never sprouted. Spring is a time of everything being wonderful... then you forget to water, and it's a time of "AW SHIT."

And speaking of "aww," check out my scindapsus argyreus. What's that? The view is obstructed by sleeping cat adorableness? Oh, I know. Our cats are still all up ons.

Maybe it's their mutual need to destroy houseplants and possessions that brings them together.