challenge for the green thumb
I have inherited (or more suitably, adopted) some of Mother's houseplants. Some had been in much need of TLC, but, at the time our focus was on attending to Mother's needs. Below are photographs of the more critical cases. I thought it would be fun to share the progress of these plants on their journey to recovery, or if (heaven forbid!) they perish under my care.
Below is the Chinese Evergreen that I think will be my biggest challenge. As can be seen in the photograph, there is much trimming that needs to be done. At the base of the taller stalks there is new growth, which offers hope that it will fill in quite well. This plant won't be transplanted into a larger terracotta pot as I don't want to put too much of a strain on it at this time.
Below is the Aloe Vera, which had held up considerably, and shown it's resilience under some rather trying times for us. A little pruning of the dried portions should do the trick, along with a transplanting into a 4" terracotta pot.
Below is the Christmas Cactus that for many years had bloomed beautifully for my parents. I don't recall just how many years they'd had it, but, I do have recollection of the Christmas Cactus from my days as a young boy. At one time this had been an expansive plant, and it is my hopes to return it to it's former glory. A transplanting of it to a 4" terracotta pot could be done at this time without having too much of an impact on it. Generally, it is in good health.
Below is the Spider Plant that had hung in my Mother's kitchen window. It is of the size that it had been for the past few years. Despite our best efforts, Mother and I, just couldn't seem to get this one to grow beyond it's current state. With this plant, I'll be transplanting into a 4.5" container that had been gifted to me some years ago, and will take it's place in the kitchen window of my home. Along with transplanting it, I'll be placing the knot at the base of the greenery (evident in the photograph) into the soil to generate rooting. Once this has taken hold, I'll sever the two portions and with luck, the older portion of the rooted plant will generate new growth on it as well.
Now, I just couldn't resist sharing the latest in the Butterfly Garten. For nigh on five years the Common Milkweed has been growing in the garten, but, had never bloomed. I was elated to find that this year two of the plants went into bloom. In my youth, the Common Milkweed had grown prolifically in the fields that surrounded our yard (the fields have since grown into a wooded area where new homes have sprung up). We could observe many Monarch Butterflies fluttering about the plants. We'd had the honour of observing the various stages that this species undergoes, beginning with the caterpillar (larva), the chrysalis (pupa), and the emergence as the Monarch Butterfly (adult).
I've inserted links to various websites containing information about the plants in the photographs above. Just click on the words in bleu, and this will take you to each website.































