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.