Houseplants: Highs and lows of 2018

The houseplants did pretty well this year. I did lose my beloved rubber tree but a friend at work returned the one I had given her (she was not a fan). I brought home some new plants,  including a dieffenbachia, 2 dracaena, and succulents (I got a bear paw!), and I put a snake plant in my room after reading it releases oxygen at night and improves air quality. They are all cozy on my plant table, enjoying the bright light in my living room now that the tree in my front lawn has lost it’s leaves.

Highs

Orchid

My garden friend gave me this Dendrobium Kingianum, a lithophytic orchid from Australia, in May of 2017. Last year it grew 2 new branches and several new roots!

A new branch and air root (white)!

Not the best picture but you can see new roots are forming

Aren’t they gorgeous?!

No flowers yet but I hope it’s just a matter of time.

Air plants

The first air plant I ever bought made a pup. A year later, it grew up (awww!).

The baby is now bigger than the mama. Hope it blooms this year!

This baby didn’t grow at all

The second plant I bought bloomed in December 2017.

The bloom didn’t get any bigger or fancier than this.

And now it has a baby!

Isn’t he cute?!

Kalanchoe/Bryophyllum

This mother of thousands is being true to her name.

I’ll have to repot these in the spring

Would you like to receive this gift that keeps on giving or would it be a cruel joke?

At times it feels like a bit of a burden having to deal with all of the babies, but it’s hard not to be impressed when all the leaves are covered with little ones. I guess that’s why it’s a high, not a low. For now.

How cool is this?!

Lows

Desert rose

I bought these seeds in 2017 on Amazon.ca from somewhere in Germany, if I remember correctly. I was excited when they began growing, but since then the ones I gave away last year have died and the ones I kept are barely growing.

The tall one is about the length of my palm and very narrow. It’s the only one that’s really been progressing, albeit very slowly

Aren’t these leaves gorgeous?

I’m still hopeful they will improve but definitely disappointed in their progress.

Gollum jade

We had a heatwave during the first week of July, with temperatures feeling like 40 degrees Celsius and I had no air conditioning.

The heat really took it’s toll (it was a bad time to take a week off, I could barely function). I lost several plants, including my gollum jade. I was so ill from the weather that I didn’t notice it shriveling up.

I think this has to be one of the most horrifying plant deaths I’ve ever witnessed

Shriveled leaves and branches and a soft, squishy stem. Just horrible!

Perhaps I didn’t water it enough during all the humidity. Or over-watered? Thankfully I got another one from my garden friend. Not full grown and glorious like the last one but it’s coming along.

Hoya

I was so sad to see this one go.

I jumped for joy at the sign of new growth

Best new find

New air plants

I bought these air plants at Tiny Flower on Bay street. I love how they look like they’re from outer space but I also think they look pretty classy in the pots that came with the mini orchids I bought at Metro (couldn’t get them to re-bloom and then they died).

These air plants are so elegant

Even classier in this sleek white pot

 

 

 

 

Circle of life

As predicted, my recently bloomed air plant is starting to make a pup!!!

When old enough, the pup will bloom, produce pups of its own, and die. Circle of life.

I excited showed my discovery to my mom and sister, telling them that the mother plant would die after making pups. My sister said, “that’s so sad”; I said, bluntly, “that’s life.” And we were silent for a moment, as if sharing in some profound realization.

Maybe people are drawn to plants because they mirror our experience of life and death. Hopefully in life, much like these plants that bring us such joy, we blossom and bloom before our time is up.

Tillandsia in full bloom

I’ve been checking every day since I last posted. Morning and evening to see it’s progress.

First bloom

Two blooms about a day later

Interesting to examine the different parts of the flower up close. Had to think back to grade 10 science class. Could only remember the stamen but in the end had to look up which parts were which (pistel white, stamen yellow)

Finally all 3 flowers were in bloom yesterday.

So glad I got to capture it in full glory

Today the blooms are already fading.

I was very sad to read that they only bloom once in their life-cycle! But I guess the good news is that it will start to make pups!! Really looking forward to that.

Baby mother-of-thousands

My friend and I have been buying plants from Grow Something for about two years. The owner has seen my friend pregnant with her first child, held him as a baby, and entertained him as a toddler while she was pregnant with her second child.

A few months ago we went with him (sadly (for me), but practically leaving her second child at home) for more plants. The owner gave him a baby Kalanchoe (Mother of thousands or Mexican Hat variety) that had fallen off the mother plant. I noticed that he dropped it so I picked it up, intending to grow it and present it to him when it was bigger.

It was really tiny at the time, now it’s about the size of the pad of my thumb (thought I had a pic of its original size, but can’t seem to find it).

Baby mother of thousands (Bryophyllum daigremontianum). Sedum morganianum (donkey or burro’s tail) leaf in the background.

I’ve had it on a west facing window, fertilizing with diluted kelp meal once a month as I do with my other plants, and it’s been doing well.

I’m not sure when I intend to give it back to him. Perhaps I’ll let it get big enough to have babies (wonder how long that would take?). That might make it more interesting for him, and it gives me more time to enjoy its growth.

I also bought the following:

Another air plant (tillandsia)

A jellybean plant (Sedum rubrotinctum)

string of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus)

Tillandsia bloom update

More exciting news! The flower bud on my air plant is getting bigger!

Love that purple flower!

A fine end to the day!

Tillandsia bloom!

I’m so excited! I noticed that my tillandsia (air plant) has a tiny little flower just waiting to bloom!

Love the pink leaves and tiny purple flower! Can’t wait for it to bloom!

The leaves just turned pink recently. I bought it about 2 years ago from Grow Something and I’ve had it on a west facing windowsill except for when it’s winter and too cold to be on the sill. As instructed, I soak it once a week in water (ideally it would be rain water) that’s been sitting for 24 hours. I also fertilize once a month with kelp meal that I got from Urban Harvest during the growing season when I fertilize my other houseplants. This regime seems to be paying off!

I bought a new air plant last month. Hope it will bloom in due course.

Air plants enjoying the sun!