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The beauty of Amaryllis

Over the holiday, I bought a beautiful Amaryllis from Krogers. It was not in bloom, but the stalk was well developed. It looked like a candle with an enclosed flame. It was cool looking and the picture of the bloom was beautiful, so I bought my first Amaryllis. I had no idea how much joy watching this plant bloom would afford me.

My first stunning bloom


Then after the holiday, krogers had a few boxes of amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs for $3.99. I bought a box of each, read the planting directions and watched in awe as the plant grew from a bulb to stunning plants in a matter of a few weeks. Heck, the paperwhites grew inches in a matter of a few hours in a day. Amazing indeed.

My First Paperwhite Bulb


My First Amaryllis Bulb


The Amaryllis had 3 additional huge blooms. Last week I moved my amaryllis on my front porch and it fell over and broke in the center of the stalk. Actually, my son came in the house to deliver the bad news. He said it just fell over when he came in the door. It was an accident. I was very sad, and threw the plant away in anger. Then, I went back, got it out the trash and replanted it. Hopefully if I do everything correctly, I will have blooms by Christmas of this year.

I ordered 2 additional amaryllis bulbs from American Meadows. They were one of the few places I found online that I could still purchase amaryllis bulbs. I ordered a "Jumbo Amaryllis Lemon Star" and by God, the bulb is humongous. just got it today and I have already planted it. I am going to journal the progress of this bulb. I am like a little girl waiting for a brand new doll....so excited. So, I will have to come up with another blog specific to this amaryllis journey.

The second amaryllis I purchased is a Charisma bulb. That bulb is pretty big too. They sent me a third amaryllis for free called a moonlight amaryllis.

I will plant them in a few weeks so that I have beautiful bulbs through Feb and into March.

American Meadows also sent me a package of wild flowers and beef steak tomato seeds. Yippee. They may have a customer for life...cuz their products are guaranteed.







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Stone Cold

My tropical plants in the dead of winter



I really like this picture. My tropical plants against the background of leafless trees and white snow. It is cold in Ohio. I supplement the lighting with T5 grow lights.

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My cuttings

A few Saturdays back I decided to try to propagate a few of my plants. I have never attempted to propagate a plant, so I had to do some reading on it. So, I bought some rooting powder and some great seed growing potting mix. I read up on the individual plants that I wanted to propagate.
Plant #1 My spiderplant baby.


This cutting stayed attached to mom for a little over 2 weeks while planted in the soil. I accidentally dislodged him from mommy and noticed he had two little root legs...so I cut him away from mama and he is on his own.

Plant #2 Wandering Jew Stems (2 stems)


I read that these plants are invasive and grow like a weed, so when I accidentally pulled off a few good stems as I pulled dried leave, I placed the pulled plants in the soil and pressed them in the dirt....and look at it...grew about 2 inches in 2 weeks. I did nothing special...no root powder...nothing. Just some water and sun.

Plant #3 Persian Shield Cutting


I read and did everything to get this cutting to root. I used the root powder, enclosed it in a plastic bag for humidity and placed under a grow light. See the two baby leaves in the middle? They are new baby leaves...so that's a great sign! One more week in the bag and then I will keep it in the open.

Plant #4 Aglaonema cutting



Now this cutting has been treated with tender care like the Persian shield but it is not looking as hopeful. It appears to be drying out and not taking. I will see what another week will bring.

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Relief says my plants

As I posted in my previous blog, I decided to totally drench a few of my plants that seem to be struggling in my dry winter home. I checked on them when I awoke and they appeared to be super happy. They were all bright and perky and rejuvenated. I decided to treat all my plants in the same manner, so I spent 3.5 hours watering all my plants....not including my ponytail palms. Wow....what task. I will wait and see how all my other plants respond to the soaking and if they respond well, how often in-between regular waterings would I have to repeat this time consuming task.

I am not overly concerned about the over-watering because my house is so dry, but maybe I should be concern since I am a newbie at this. Well my gut says it is all good.

Check out one of my cute little ferns that I bought from Meijers last week.

DRYOPTERIS FILIX-MAS LINEARIS POLYDACTYLA





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Thirsty Plants

Several of my plants have been looking drier than normal despite my attention to watering them. It concerns me when my plants appear to to struggle...it really makes me feel bad. I am new to gardening and houseplants, so I read up on the care of each plant and I watch all my plants for signs of distress.

I have a few variegated Ivy's and I am finding that their leaves are drying up even with proper watering. Some of my other plants are distressed as well as evidenced by brown leaf edges. So, I figured perhaps it is the dryness of the house. I purchased a couple of thermometers and found that the humidity was only 32% with the humidifiers running!!! My plants are dry! I put a tray of pebbles with water under the ivy and some of my distressed plants to bring the humidity up around the plants. I still did not feel satisfied. Then I got the idea that I should soak the plants in water in the sink and fully let the water drain out. Then I know they are getting the water they need throughout their roots. This is a bold move door me, but my inner compass says it is all good. The plants needed it. Well, we will see about that.

My gorgeous prayer plant.



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Spiderplant #1

This is my first spider plant. I bought this plant at DeHavens in Findlay a few months back. It loves the bay window. I have a supplemental grow light in the window and it is responding well. Babies galore lol.


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My Nephthytis

This is pretty plant. I find it to be a bit fragile and have found that it really does not like alot of sun. I had this plant in a south facing window where it struggled a bit. I think it was a combination of the direct sun light and dry air in that room. I moved it to a smaller window with some blinds. I will see how it fairs there. The leaves on this plant are thin and easily damaged. It is said to be a low maintenance plant, but I have not found that to be true. Hopefully it likes it's new home.







Now the plant below is the same thing. I bought this plant on the distress rack at Lowes in Tiffin. I have nursed it back to relative health, but it is still fragile. I moved this plant as well to a smaller window without as much sun.






What I really like about this plant is the pink veins it has in the leaves.

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My Birds Nest Fern

I bought this beauty at Krogers in Findlay on 1/14/11.


I went to Findlay to shop for plants and could not find a thing. Prior to giving up, I decided to try the grocery store where I hit the jackpot with 3 lovely ferns. This is one of them.

I read up on this plant and found out it likes indirect light and water when soil becomes slightly dry. I will see how this gem likes her new home. It also states I should mist it in morning and evening. I will play it by ear and watch the plant for signs of happiness or distress.

Stunning for sure. I am stoked!!!


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PARTHENOCISSUS

Stunning plant! I bought this plant last Thursday or Friday from Lowes. I immediately fell in loved with it and had the perfect vase for it. I have read up on this plant and found that it is frequently killed because of overwatering. One would think that a plant like this needs alot of water. The soil needs to dry in-between waterings. Glad I do my homework.




Speaking of homework, I bought this book called Botany for Gardeners so that I can learn as much about my plants as possible. It is an awesome book. I am taken back to my elementary days when we learned about each plant part. It also reminds me of all my biology college courses that I had to take for my nursing degree....studying human cells versus plant cells....but basically a cell is a cell human or plant with alot of the same functions. I was always interested in biology, but never serious about it. It is kinda cool to relearn this stuff because I am going to actually use and apply the knowledge that I gain from the book. It will make me a better gardener and I will have happier plants that will give back to me as much as I put into them.

I am a knowledge junkie....always wanting to learn everything I can about a particular hobby or interest. Prior to my gardening hobby, I focused on physical fitness and nutrition. That is still my love and hobby as well.....bodybuilding. But as I get older, I finally have become aware of how important rest and relaxation is. In the past year or so, the awareness bug has hit me. The awareness that life extends beyond me and my personal surroundings. It's about nature and the collective consciousness of every living thing on this planet. It hit me all of a sudden and I don't know why. But I am glad it did. Actually, I am going off in another tangent that I have the other blog for....hahaha. Back to my plants now.



My plan is to introduce each of my plants. Right now, I have indoor plants because as you can see out the window, it is pretty cold in Ohio.





Last summer, I had my first flower garden. I moved into another house and I wanted to add spice to the landscaping, so I set out to do just that. Initially, my goal was just to pull up some bushes, replant some new bushes and lay fresh black mulch in-between the bushes for a nice crisp finish. Well, I did all of that and then decided that I needed to add color. Before I knew it, I was planting plants here and there and they were so pretty.

I also discovered how relaxing tending to plants can be and most of all how giving plants are. With a little attention and care, they return the love times 10. So, that is how I became in love with gardening. I am a newbie, but I really try to find out what each plant needs before I plant it.

It started getting cold and all my annuals began to fade away. That made me very sad, so I decided to invest in houseplants over the winter. I have over 100 houseplants now, several grow lights, all kind of books on houseplants, and everything I need to properly maintain them and I have been blessed with beautiful plants all over my house.

So cool.........
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My Peperomia Rotundafloria

I just bought this beauty a few days ago at Lowes in Toledo. I fell in love with the dainty small leaves. I had a beautiful vase at home that I new would be perfect for this plant. As you can see it is dainty and pretty. I will have to do some reading on this plant. I believe they named her Isabella which is a perfect name for her.



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My other wandering Jew

I purchased this plant in December at a Home Depot store in Toledo Ohio. I liked the mixed colored varieties of the wandering Jew so I bought it. It was nowhere near as full as my ther wandering Jew that I got in Florida. As a matter of fact, it was a bit scraggly, but I bought it anyway. It has done super good.




I have grow lights inside my home to help supplement light to my indoor plants. The height of the lights vary depending on the location of the lights. Recently I moved this plant to a different spot which placed it 3 inches below the light. The plant responded tremendously and started filling out and growing like a weed. It also started blooming. I learned alot from this. I had no idea the difference that the height of the grow light had on plants. I learned that perhaps I need more lighting, but I am not going to supplement with more lights at this time because my electric bill has doubled because of the cost it takes to add light, heat, and humidity to all my plants.

I am very happy with this plant.

Mya

I ordered this ponytail palm from Brussels Bonsai. I was devastated to find the top of the plant severed from the trunk in the box. The top was full and gorgeous and I was really sad that the plant was injured. I called Brussels Bonsai and told them what happened and I sent pictures. They were awesome and told me they would send me out a replacement immediately. In the mean time, I did some research to see if the top would grow back. I love the Internet which helped me to find the answer. I ended up making a drastic cut into the entire trunk of the plant. Wow....I sealed the wound with special plant sealant commonly used on rose bushes and took care of her like I did my other palms.



I waited and watched for a few months. I noticed a few bumps forming on the side of the trunk which thrilled me. After a few weeks, the bracts emerged through the thick trunk....an amazing feat in itself. The bracts began to resemble the bottom portion of the palm. Four bracts emerged. How cool is that?



I am in awe of nature and feel blessed that I am witnessing her beauty and grace in this plant. I am glad I did my research and did not discard her when she was injured. I truly believe that this ponytail palm will end up being my most beautiful. I feel a sort of connection with this plant. Yep...I am a weirdo.

My Wandering Jew from Florida

I bought a wandering Jew in Florida in October at Lowes. At the time that I bought it, I did not have the slightest clue what it was...but to me it was beautiful. I am partial to deep warm colors so this plant fit my fancy perfectly. I was amazed by the shimmer of it's leaves and the deep purple hue on the underside of the leaves.




I have read that this plant is highly invasive and many people look upon this plant as a weed. It does appear to grow very easy. A week or so ago I was tidying up the plant and lost a few healthy looking leaves and stems, so I took the broken off stems and simply placed them in seed growing soil and the cuttings appear to be doing just fine.

As you can see, this plant is gorgeous. It probably needs to be repotted. I will do that in the spring time.

Persian Shield

Now my Persian Shield is an interesting plant indeed! It is somewhat high maintenance and is a drama queen when she is not watered and cared for perfectly. This is the plant that one minute is standing tall and proud, and five hours later is wilted and sickly looking if I am off a little bit on her watering schedule.

This is what she looks like when she is being a drama queen....



This is what she looks like when she is happy...



I bought this plant in Kissimmee Florida in October 2010. My husband and I have a timeshare
In Orlando that we visit yearly for a few weeks of rest and relaxation. I asked my husband to take me to the local Lowes so that I could checkout the plants. I ended up buying several plants for a great price. My Persian shield was sitting amongst several other foliage plants and the beautiful leaves grabbed my attention so I bought it without a clue on how to care for it. I struck up a conversation with the lady at the checkout counter and told her all the plants that I purchased were going north to Ohio. Of course she informs me that the plants will have a major adjustment with the change. My goal was to keep my plants looking great in Ohio, so I purchased grow lights, humidifiers, and the right soil. I did my homework and all of the plants that I bought from Lowes are doing well in Ohio. Ha!!!!

My Stunning Aglaonema

Around the last week of November 2010 I was at Dehavens, a garden store looking for T5 grow lights. Well, whenever I am in a store that has plants I just have to check the plants out. I wandered back in the greenhouse area where they have a small selection of indoor plants during the winter season. They had a several hanging baskets and some succulents and seasonal plants. I spotted a gorgeous spider plant that I loved but in the corner was this stunning Aglaonema plant. I looked at the price and said forget it. They wanted $40 dollars for it. I bought spider plant and went home. I visited the store at least once a week for different things that I needed and always went back to see if the Aglaonema was still there....and it was. I think the owners of the store had it priced so high so that it would not sell.

On December 20,2010 my boss gave me a few gifts, one being a $50 gift card. I knew what I was going to get. Excited, I left work and went to Dehavens to see if the Aglaonema was still there...and it was. I purchased the plant then went to Hobby Lobby to find a basket to place the plant in. I found the perfect basket and I had my awesome plant.



I named this plant Peggy Sue. My boss' name is Peg, so I named the plant after her for the gift to purchase this plant that I wanted so much. Peggy Sue is thriving and giving me much joy.

My first indoor plant...the ponytail palm

My first love...Ponytail Palms



One of my first indoor plants was a ponytail palm. I simply fell in love with this plant and ordered several more. I was scared to death of killing this plant because I had zero experience with indoor plants period so I did my research and learned everything I could about ponytail palms. I also called the nursery to make sure I fully understood how to water the plant. What I ended up getting was conflicting advice. Everything I read on the Internet stated not to water the palm often. The nursery said water every week and drench them. I took the middle road. After a month or so, I felt like I was not watering it enough. It looked fine but the mound of soil it sat in appeared to dry, so I took a chance and filled my sink with water and soaked the palm....pot and all in the water for a minute. I let the water fully drain from the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot and put the palm back to sun bath in the window. I nervously watched my palm (I named him Markus) for a week for signs of root rot. He was fine and thrived from his water soakings every 7-10 days. I have several more palms...some I soak in the sink and others I water normally....depending on the type of pot it is planted in.

Markus is thriving and is beautiful. Here is a current picture of Markus

An introduction me.....

I am fairly new to blogging and new to the world of indoor plants. I am a wife, mother, and grandmother. I have 4 beautiful children (3 girls ages 22, 18,& 14 and 1 boy age 20). I have a 10 month old grandson and a granddaughter on the way in April.

I work at a hospital full time as an inpatient nursing director of a medical surgical unit and an Intensive care unit. My education includes a bachelor degree in nursing and a masters degree in health care Administration.

Three of my four kids are living on their own, and now have all kinds of time for myself for the first time in 25 years. At first, I felt the sting of the empty nest syndrome (I have shared custody of my youngest) and for the first time experienced time alone. I was not accustomed to not running here and there and caring for the kids, so when my 18 year old moved out, I was devastated. I still have my 14 year old at home....but only half the time due to shared custody with her father. So, in my need to take care of something, I began caring for plants.

My love of gardening started in May of 2010. I decided to try to have the prettiest yard on my street, so I started landscaping and planting flowers. Before I new it, I was totally in love with my flowers and the joy of beauty and bring.I spent all my free time gardening and had a
beautiful yard. Then the fall came and I had to say goodbye to my annuals. This saddened me greatly, so I decided to buy some indoor plants to care for over the winter and this is where my passion for plants has taken off. I have collected over 100 indoor plants and I am constantly adding more. I have become an obsessed plant lady and I love it!!!!

I also love fitness and bodybuilding....but not more than plants now. My plants have become my babies and I have a relationship with each one of them. I guess I must admit that I have turned into a eccentric plant lady. I love my plants and plan to use this blog to journal about my successes and failures with my plants. I will write about each and every one of them and the joy they bring to my life.

This blog is for me mainly, but if there are any plant lovers that happen to stumble on my blog and want to comment, feel free to share.

Forgive my spelling and grammar. I refuse to proof read my posts and frankly enjoy being just me.....my non-professional side.