Soon To Be Orphans...

Sadly, it's unlikely the plants below will not be making the trip to Tennessee, alas.

I need to take another look to see if perhaps I can securely box up some, like the Oxalis and Pothos, but unlikely the Aloe, Snake Plants and the Bamboo (not pictured), as they're just to bulky -

I may need to just start from scratch once in and settled in the new place.

Reuse and Repurpose.

I've finally found a functional use for the cat scratching\seating post\tree...

I'm now able to bring the plants up that I've been storing in the basement all winter. With the cat gone I no longer have to worry about him eating the plants...and vomiting them back up, YUK!

Now that spring has arrived I removed the insulation plastic I installed over the bay window back in the fall.  Seems like a pretty good spot to move my Philodendron plant to.  However, since it's SO big and the lower leaves SO full and heavy, I moved the car post over to keep the limbs up. Remove the temptation for Trixie to take a bite or two, as these plants are not dog or cat friendly.

Of course this is only temporary, as the cat tree is a going bye-bye very soon!

Now I can enjoy this plant all the time!

A Full Day Retreat!

I finally made it to Marshfield, MA to see my farmer friend Tim.  It was a long overdue visit, one that I am ashamed took too long to take place.  However, as with all my visits, spending the day with Tim is wonderful!  I stop and grab coffee and tea, and muffins and we sat for hours just talking and catching up.  Although, the day flies by, it also stands still and it let me forget about my troubles and struggles and to just relax and be in the moment.

And always I never leave empty handed, he will NOT let me! Typically, I leave with a car load full of plants, which means work for me when I get home, and this visit was no different.

He sent me off with a dozen or so outdoor plants, perennials, that needed to be planted, which I took care of yesterday.  However, I'm finding it harder and harder to find places to stick all these due to full flower beds and lack of sunny spots.  My yard was once mostly sun, however, over the years and with the all (small) trees I've planted (now BIG trees), the yard is mostly shade.

He also sent me home with the below house plants.  He was offering and pushing more and I would have taken more but the foolish cat I have will not leave them alone and is always finding a way to eat them, GRRR, so I was selective and passed on many!

A beautiful Aloe Vera plant, which I transplanted into this larger pot -

A nice Bamboo plant, in a fancy elephant pot -

This unique plant is called "Hoya Kerri", also known as "Hoya Heart", which you can see why.   Like the Aloe Vera, this plant is also a succulent and doesn't require much care, and for what it's worth this plant is pet friendly and not toxic to dogs and cats.  However, if the cat does get into this plant, he'll have BIGGER things to worry about than toxicity...ME!  He's already on thin ice!

The last thing I need heading into the cold New England winter are house plants but I welcome them and very thankful for Tim's gestures.

Philodendron Update

My adopted Philodendron is doing fantastic!

The top 3 shinny leaves just recently opened and it's getting even bigger.

The cat seems to have finally stopped eating the leaves too. Guessing he was tired of getting sick each time he dined on it.  I was sure getting tired of cleaning up after him too, that's for sure!

This is an update to my November 18, 2023, King Of The Jungle post.

Turned One Into Three

I came across this Sansevieria while running errands yesterday and just couldn't resist. I could see there were three separate plants in the original pot, so today I transplanted them into their own pots.

Sansevieria, also known as snake plant or mother-in-law tongue are super beneficial indoor plants, especially when kept in the bedroom!

Here are some of their benefits - it's one of the few plants that can convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into oxygen at night, remove toxic pollutants, effective against allergies, mental health booster, filters the bedroom air.  Also, these plants are very easy to maintain, with little care needed.

One will go in my bedroom.  One in my office. The third will remain in the kitchen -

I'm thinking Spring!

King Of The Jungle

Mighty Oliver checking out the Philodendron I placed next to his domed litter box.

An elderly friend, who had to move into assisted living, asked me to take this plant. Mind you, when I first brought it home, it did NOT look like it does in the picture, nope!  I transplanted it into a larger pot, using miracle grow soil, then left it outside under my deck all summer long.  It loved it and took off, more than twice as big.

And YES, I am aware that Philodendrons contain calcium oxalate crystals, which are toxic to humans, dogs, cats, and other animals.

I've since moved it from the bathroom, as shown in the picture, to a tall table in the living room. It looks really nice there and will keep an eye on Trixie and Oliver to make sure they don't bother with it.  Chances are it will need to go back down to the basement, so not to temp the mighty one from eating it.

Mighty my ass! 

Philodendron Selloum

I was given this philodendron sulloum back in the fall by an old friend of my folks who moved to an assisted living facility.  It was in rough shape at the time, starving for light and also rootbound.  I kept in in the basement until the spring, when the weather warmed, then outside it went.  I repotted into a larger pot and added some fresh Miracle Grow indoor plant soil.  Fast forward to today and this bad boy has taken off and doubled in size and looks terrific!  It's loves being out, under the deck, in the sun (partial shade) and rain.

However, I'm now faced with a dilemma with fall approaching.  Obviously, it can't remain outdoors during our New England winters, so inside it must go but the question is where inside?  The basement is more of a place to go dormant and to overwinter my plants, so they don't freeze and die.  It's not a place for them to grow and thrive.  Ideally, I would like to have it someplace in the living area to be enjoyed and for it continues to grow.  The problem is, Philodendrons are a very poisonous houseplant and is NOT recommended to have pets around this plant. 

I guess we'll see and I'll make a decision when the time comes to bring it inside.  Until then it'll stay where it is to enjoy what's left of the summer.

Bargain Succulents

Trixie and Oliver both approve of my Lowe's bargain find.

It was marked down so low I just couldn't refuse.

I've since separated the plants into three individual pots, and so far so good, they seems to be doing just fine.

The good news too is that Oliver hasn't bothered with them.  He's notorious for chewing and eating on my plants, such a bad boy.

Aloe Vera, Mr. Succulent

JoAnne secured a couple Aloe clipping.

They sat in a vase of water, on the sill of the kitchen sink, for several week until they started putting out roots.

It was then time to transfer them to a planter.

They've now been in the soil for several weeks and seem to be doing well and growing!

Bring on the cuts, scratches and burns...

Winter Succulents

Mother-in-law's Tongue

A type of Graptopetalum or Ghost plant

Here are a couple succulent additions to the ole homestead.  They both seem to be doing well, so far.  The Mother-in-law's Tongue is loaded with babies and could be separated into at least five individual plants.

I'm Getting the Gardening Itch!

Two new house plants and a hold over from last year:

NEW - Mexican Hat plant, also known as Mother of Thousands (Bryophyllum crenatodaigremontianum). So named because of its unusual production of tiny baby plants all along the edges of its leaves. These baby plants drop to the soil below and easily take root on the surface of the soil. Given to us by our farmer friend Tim.



NEW - Sansevieria or Mother-in-Law's Tongue (Sanseveria trifasciata) not to be confused with the Snake Plant, which is all green, while the Mother-in-Law's tongue features a yellow border. Obtained as a "clipping" from one of the many planted throughout my office.



HOLD OVER - Amaryllis (Hippeastrum). This is the same bulb that we enjoyed from last year. It looks just as striking today as it did last year - two flowers wide open with two more about to burst. I kept this dude outside for much of the summer so it could soak up the sun and feed the bulb. About the August time frame I cut back the leaves and moved it into the basement behind my toolbox where it's dark and cool. Then in November I brought it upstairs, placed it in the window and began watering it. WALLAH!