This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

RE: what's blooming, etc.

Hi John,

Thanks for the tour.  I know I've mentioned having to leave many of my plants behind when I moved out here.  I kind of forgot what it was like being surrounded by green all the time, but you reminded me!  I once thought of starting a succulent collection, but had bad luck so went in the AV direction instead.

None of my cacti are blooming. Unusual.  Perhaps the new climate?  Hm.  Oh well, maybe they're just shy this year.  My ficus cuttings are growing incredibly fast, so I'm excited about that.  My palms have looked better, but I am still analyzing my lighting situation.  

I picked up a clearance plant a few weeks ago.  The tag only ID'd it as a desert rose.  It looks like a small tree but the truck and branches are very soft and bendy.  It already has a little pink bud- I cannot wait to see how it turns out.

Molly

----------
From: 	John & Pat Adney[SMTP:johnadney@email.msn.com]
Sent: 	Tuesday, December 01, 1998 7:41 PM
To: 	indoor-gardening@prairienet.org
Subject: 	what's blooming, etc.

Greetings all:

Following the thread on what's blooming or otherwise growing: Thrashing
through my basement plant room jungle, I find Thanksgiving cacti either
finishing bloom or just beginning. Christmas cacti have fat buds that will
pop open soon. I fear I won't have many blossoms by Christmas.

What's this? An Easter cactus, blooming for the THIRD time! It bloomed on
schedule earlier this year, put out a few more flowers in September and now
there are eight new buds and one open blossom. The Easter cactus has never
bloomed at this time of year before, so I count this as a bonus.

There are a variety of other cacti and succulents, including three varieties
of jade plant (the usual large one plus two miniature versions with
different leaves). One of the miniatures, now three years old, grows in a
small clay pot and is trained as a bonsai. It has won blue ribbons at two
shows.

The other small jade, whose leaves are inverted (sort of looks like they
were sucked in), also will get the bonsai treatment. This jade was purchased
about four months ago at a cactus show.

The huge jade was started from a leaf in 1961; it's now a tremendous plant,
which produces masses of tiny white flowers. It's 37 1/2 years old, a family
heirloom.

Other plants include standard and dwarf pelargoniums (geraniums) that are
wintered over and set out in containers the following spring; cane, rhizome
and wax begonias; four varieties of ivy; impatiens; and hibiscus, some of
which are in bloom.

I take cuttings from the pelargoniums, impatiens and wax begonias to grow
plants for setting out in beds and containers in spring. The mother plants
are cut way back and kept just alive, giving them a winter rest. They
receive no fertilizer until April. The growing cuttings are fertilized at
half strength until April.

The biggest stars of the jungle are the gesneriads, especially African
violets in standard, semiminiature, miniature and trailing varieties. I also
have other gesineriads such as streptocarpus, episcia, nematanthus,
eucodonia and kohleria.

Everything is grown under lights.

There are plants in the main part of the house, including ficus, palm and
banana trees; green tropical plants such as the peace lily, and more ivy.
Some of the ivy is trained onto frames made with hangers in various shapes.
Most of the plants in the living area can handle low light. Our windows have
narrow sills that cannot handle plants. Besides, my wife doesn't want me to
drip water on the carpeting.

Some of the plant room plants are moved upstairs when they're in prime
bloom. Some are used in table arrangements for the holidays.

My wife, Pat, scanning all the plants around the house, often tells
visitors: "John has terrible luck with plants. None of them die."

Happy growing to all!

John G. Adney
Marion, Iowa
johnadney@email.msn.com

Unrecognized Data: application/ms-tnef

Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index