I've recently become interested in growing plants, both in my house
and in my yard.
Houseplants
I have a number of plants at home and in my office at the University
of Maryland.
Moonlight philodendron: This plant is at home in a north
window. I bought it on about Jan. 15, 2006. It eventually died and I
threw it out on November 26, 2006. Pictures.
Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)): This plant is at
home in a north window. I bought it on about Jan. 15, 2006.
Pictures.
Bromeliad guzmania: This plant is at home in a north
window. I bought in in the fall of 2005. The mother plant has
produced a number of pups. I cut off two pups in the spring of 2006.
In August 2006, I cut off the third and fourth pup. I gave the fourth
one to my sister. All of the pups eventually died, although some
lasted longer than others. I'm not sure what I did wrong. Pictures.
Sedum nussbaumerianum: This plant is at home in a south
window. I bought it on about Jan. 15, 2006. I'm not sure that I've
identified it correctly; it came without a name. Pictures.
Occasionally a leaf will start to shrivel up and then it will fall off
if I don't cut it off. This happened a couple times, and then I
started watering it twice as often, which seems to have prevented any
more shriveling.
Love plant (Anacampseros rufescens variegata): This plant
is at home in a south window. I bought it on about Jan. 15, 2006. Pictures.
Semiminiature African Violet Rob's Slap Happy (Saintpaulia):
This plant is at home in an east window. I got it on about Feb. 15,
2006. Pictures.
Semiminiature African Violet Rob's Squeeze Toy (Saintpaulia):
This plant is at home in an east window. I got it on about Feb. 15,
2006. Pictures.
Miniature African Violet Rob's Loose Noodle (Saintpaulia):
This plant is at home in an east window. I got it on Apr. 21,
2006. Pictures.
Streptocarpus Bristol's Lan Doodoe (common name: Cape
Primrose): This plant is at home in an east window. I got it on
Apr. 21, 2006. Pictures.
Streptocarpus Bristol's Yumpin Yimminy (common name: Cape
Primrose): This plant is at work in an east window. I got it on
about Feb. 15, 2006. Pictures.
Streptocarpus Bristol's Anteater (common name: Cape
Primrose): This plant is at work in an east window. I got it on
Apr. 21, 2006. Pictures.
Petrocosmea momo: This plant is at work in an east window.
I got it on about Feb. 15, 2006. Pictures.
Begonia rex Stained Glass: This plant is at home on my back
porch. It seemed to be suffering from low humidity, so the move
outside seemed like it should help. However, the plant still seems to
be dying. The edges of the leaves get brown and hard. The brown-ness
gradually grows to encompass most of the leave, at which point, the
base of the leaf's stem usually just falls off the main plant.
However, new leaves are still growing. I got this plant on about
Feb. 15, 2006. Update: the last new leaf grew to normal size,
then began turning brown and crusty on the edges, and eventually
rotted (?) away. I finally put this plant out of its misery about
mid-May 2006. I still don't know what happened to it! Pictures.
Mammillaria elongata: This plant is at home in the south
window of my upstairs hallway. It is a cactus, with golden spines. I
got it on July 29, 2006. By the end of September 2006, I realized
that I had overwatered it, which caused it to rot at the soil level.
I cut off the longest fingers, trimmed off the rotted parts, and let
the ends seal. Then I dipped them in rooting hormone and planted
them. They didn't seem to do much. On March 11, 2007, I pulled them
up...they hadn't rooted and were just drying out. I threw them away.
Pictures.
Euphorbia griseola mashonica: I'm not sure about this
identification of the plant. This plant is at home in the south
window of my upstairs hallway. It is a cactus, with long, brown
spines. I got it on July 29, 2006. Pictures.
Kalanchoe thyrsiflora (lucieae): This plant is at home in
the south window of my upstairs hallway. It is a cactus, but it
doesn't have any spines (does that mean it's a succulent?). I got it
on July 29, 2006. Pictures.
Begonia semperflorens 'super olympia red': This plant is at
home in the south window of my upstairs hallway. I got it on July 29,
2006. It did just fine for several months, although it got leggy with
the winter light. However, starting in about January 2007, the leaves
and canes started to die off, after the leaves sagged and got soft. I
thought I was overwatering it, so in the beginning of March 2007 I
spaced out the watering a bit. If anything, this accelerated the
die-off. So I started watering more frequently toward the end of
March. However, this didn't help it - maybe it was too late. I had
to throw it out. Pictures.
Hibiscus 'simple pleasures' (hibiscus rosa-sinensis): I
got this plant from Hidden Valley Hibiscus
online in mid-November 2006. It arrived with a fairly large bud,
which has been growing. I keep this plant at home in a south window.
Pictures.
Peace lily (spathiphyllum): I got my first of these plants
on Nov. 26, 2006, from a local gardening store. I am keeping it at
home in a north window. Pictures.
Croton (codiaeum variegatum): I got this plant from my
Grandfather's funeral on Nov. 30, 2006. I am keeping it at home in a
south window. Pictures.
Dieffenbachia: I got this plant from my Grandfather's
funeral on Nov. 30, 2006. I am keeping it at home in a north window.
Pictures.
Pothos (epipremnum aureum): Also known as Devil's Ivy. I
got this plant from my Grandfather's funeral on Nov. 30, 2006. I am
keeping it at home in a north window. I managed to kill this plant
quickly by overwatering it - I got rid of it at the end of January
2007. Pictures.
Dwarf schefflera (brassia arboricola): I got this plant
from my Grandfather's funeral on Nov. 30, 2006. I am keeping it at
home in a north window. Pictures.
Wandering Jew (tradescantia or zebrina): I got two cuttings
of this plant on Nov. 30, 2006, from my sister's plant, which is a
beautiful example of the purple variety. The cuttings are in water,
so I hope they will grow roots and then I can put them in soil. The
cuttings grew lots of roots, and I potted them in January 2007 and put
the plant in a north window. The cuttings are growing spectacularly.
Pictures.
Prickly pear (genus opuntia): I got this cactus on Mar. 25,
2007. I am keeping it in a south window. Pictures.
Aloe aristata v. montana 'lighter than lace': I got this
succulent on Mar. 25, 2007. I am keeping it in a south window. Pictures.
Espostoa melanostele 'snowball': I got this cactus on
Mar. 25, 2007. I am keeping it in a south window. Pictures.
Aloe: a colleague gave me this plant at the end of August
2007. I don't know what specific variety it is. I am keeping it in
an east window in my office. Pictures.
Perennials in My Yard
Sedum larenium park: We planted 16 sedum under two large
evergreen bushes in July 2005. They receive a lot of direct sunlight,
despite the bushes. It was really hot, so they did not flourish. By
spring 2006, several had died. I transplanted the rest to open up a
flower bed and fill in gaps. The remaining sedum have done very well
this spring (2006). Later in spring 2006, the sedum turned a
greyish-yellow color and most of the leaves died off. Some of the
plants recovered in the fall. In spring 2007, they again grew very
vigorously, then died off abruptly with the same symptoms at about the
same time of year. I have no idea what is happening.
Liriope: I planted four of these plants around a tree on
Labor Day weekend, 2005. They get partial shade. They have done well.
Tiarella: I planted three of these plants in partial shade
on Labor Day weekend, 2005. They are flourishing in spring 2006.
They also came back well in spring 2007, but the very hot, dry summer
has hurt them.
Polemonium: I planted three of these plants in partial shade
on Labor Day weekend, 2005. They seemed OK through the fall and their
foliage died back over the winter. As of May 2006, only one has
re-sprouted. I planted three more of these plants in a shade garden
in Sep. 2005. As of May 2006, only one of these has re-sprouted. It
died, and none of them returned in spring 2007.
Helleborus: I planted three of these plants in a shade
garden in Sep. 2005. They survived all winter, and one is blooming
this spring. They did well through 2006 and 2007.
Primrose: I planted three of these plants in a shade garden
in Sep. 2005. They survived all winter, and two have bloomed this
spring. They have done well through 2006 and 2007.
Astilbe: I planted four of these plants as bare roots in a
shade garden in Sep. 2005. After planting in the fall, two of them
started to sprout. Their foliage died back over the winter. This
spring (2006), all four have sprouted and grown about a foot high so
far. In spring 2007, all four eventually sprouted, but the very hot,
dry summer caused them to die back by mid-August.
Forget-me-not: I planted three of these plants in a shade
garden in Sep. 2005. Their foliage died back quickly in the fall. As
of May 2006, they have not yet grown back.
Hosta: I planted one of these in a shade garden in
Sep. 2005. Its foliage died back in the winter. It has started to
sprout again this spring, but didn't last long. In spring 2007, two
leaves from it sprouted, but the hot, dry summer quickly killed them.
Pink rose: I don't know the variety of this rose bush, since
it came with the house. It is on the west side of the house, with a
southern exposure as well. It flourished last fall and is doing very
well this spring.
White rose: I don't know the variety of this rose bush,
since it came with the house. Originally it was planted on the north
side of the house, and looked very anemic, with only one cane, few
leaves, and one bloom per season. In mid-March 2006, I transplanted it
along the house near the pink rose bush. Since then, it has
flourished and grown numerous branches and leaves, and even has
multiple buds. Aphids have been a problem, though.
Creeping jenny: I planted four of these in the shade on the
north side of the house, around some azaleas. They are flourishing,
and I'm starting to have to cut them back so they don't climb up the
house.
The Violet Barn, which
sells online African Violets, Streptocarpi, and many other
houseplants. I bought all of the African Violets, Streptocarpi, and
the Petrocosmea momo described above from them. They arrived in great
condition.