Historians Family Members I will look back on these cold, bleak February days of 2019 as the beginning of my moss phase. (By the way, when writing "February" is it necessary to also write "cold, bleak" or is that implied?) I don't know why it took me so long to start planting a few containers with moss. But now I have started and it looks like moss and I are going to have a long-lived relationship. For the historical record, we can call this little teacup "container 1" of my moss phase. … [Read more...] about My Moss Phase
houseplants
I might have crossed a line
I might have crossed a line from "having a few Sansevierias" to "when and where will I buy my next Sansevieria?" Which might mean I'm becoming a "collector of plants in the genus Sansevieria." Or maybe I'm just another obsessed gardener who is trapped indoors and now seeks her solace amongst a wide variety of snake plants, or mother-in-law's tongues, or whatever you want to call houseplants of the genus Sansevieria. Oh yes, I, too, once thought there were just two kinds. A tall one and a … [Read more...] about I might have crossed a line
The Great Responsibiity
I mentioned the other day that I have been given the Great Responsibility to care for a friend's African violet (Saintpaulia sp.) that was once his mother's and before that it was his grandfather's. I am taking my Great Responsibility seriously. For starters, I read up on the care of African violets, even though I know how to care for African violets. I wanted to be sure I didn't have any gaps of knowledge and understanding of African violets brought on not by my advanced years but by simply … [Read more...] about The Great Responsibiity
My Houseplant Revelation
I had a revelation about houseplants the other day and I'm here to tell you that it is the most liberating revelation I've had in quite some time. I have some really old houseplants in my sunroom. I have an aloe vera plant that comes from an aloe plant once owned by my great-grandmother. Offsets from that aloe plant have been handed down to me and I, in turn, have given offsets to others in the family. My great-grandmother was born in 1878 which means my aloe plant originated from a … [Read more...] about My Houseplant Revelation
A Bit of Advice on Houseplants
If I may, I'd like to offer a bit of advice on houseplants. Or is it house plants? I prefer houseplants, myself. I have a few houseplants that I keep and enjoy. I've had some of them for years, even decades. My night blooming cereus dates back to 1987 and prior to me taking ownership of it, my father cared for it. I think he got it around 1970 or so? That would make it 46 years old. My pothos, sometimes called Devil's Ivy, dates back to 1987. That means it will soon be 30 years old. Like … [Read more...] about A Bit of Advice on Houseplants
Amaryllis, they barely know thee!
Amaryllis blooming I recently conducted an unscientific polling of 20 random individuals to find out who many know what an Amaryllis is. I showed them an actual Amaryllis and asked one question. "Do you know what this is?" The particular amaryllis I showed them was sitting on a bed of decorative rocks in a large clear glass vase so the entire bulb, some foliage, and a big flower bud were all in full view. Pretty straight-forward. Do you know how many people correctly identified the … [Read more...] about Amaryllis, they barely know thee!
