Wordless Wednesday: Merry Christmas Plant Lovers

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info. Thanks!

 Featuring a Santa Figure from Dollar Tree nestled in a potted Aurora Borealis (kalanchoe fedtschenkoi).

Read More »

Online Plant Shopping: Butterwort Unboxing

 This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

So, I sort of recently got myself another carnivorous plant, specifically a Venus Fly Trap (see Plant Shopping: Halloween-ish Home Depot Trip), after previously swearing off them due to previous fails. Well, just like potato chips, you can never have just one.

I was itching to get a specific type of carnivorous plant that wasn't available locally, so we turn to the internet. In all the articles I've read about shopping online for plants, they always advised to be careful which site you choose and to read reviews, etc. The one site most of them said to use the most caution or to flat out avoid, Amazon.

So, guess which site I used to order my bug eating dream plant? Amazon.

And it has arrived! And hopefully I won't regret it.

(Okay, technically it arrived weeks ago before cold weather set in, and I'm just getting around to posting it. Remember: never order plants online during Winter, the cold weather will kill them.)

I ordered a Butterwort (pinguicula) here on Amazon from the shop Garden Belle. I paid about $20 which is pretty normal for Butterworts, even tiny ones.

The reviews were a bit mixed with many people raving about the quality of the plants and careful packaging. The bad reviews seemed to mostly be from people who didn't read the descriptions (complaints about the small size despite photos and measurements provided) or didn't follow care instructions (when it says acclimate slowly, they mean slowly). As such, I thought it would be okay to give them a chance.

The first thing I saw when opening the box is this insert. 

It includes links to care information, and instructions for any issues with the plant. Definitely reading this carefully.

Here's the plant wrapped securely in foam with the company's logo sticker. I kind of want to save the sticker since it's cute.

There was a plant marker wrapped in the foam too.

Here's my baby plants packed in what appears to be a cup with a clear lid. It was great at both protecting them from getting crushed and keeping them from drying out.

And here's my new little babies. They are only a few centimeters in size and oh so cute!

The biggest has a yellowing leaf, but that's to be expected.

I actually expected more yellow and brown leaves than that. The plastic cup packaging really seems to work.

So far, I am please with them, and will probable order more plants from this shop in the future. Preferably after the cold weather passes.

In the meantime, I will try my best to acclimate them slowly, and keep them alive. I will post a update soon on how well they are doing.

Until then, stay green!

Read More »

Wordless Wednesday: Snoopy Loves Plants Too!

 

Read More »

Wordless Wednesday: Leaf Stretching

Featuring the Blue Star Fern (phlebodium aureum).

Read More »

Plant Shopping: Halloween-ish Home Depot Trip

I was in need of more supplies, so I took a trip to Home Depot. 

And of course, I ended up in my sanctuary, aka the houseplant area. The timing was excellent, they had so many more tropical plants than my last visit. 

So many large green leaves.

And look at those tradescantias hanging above the huge elephant ears.

And this bromeliad is beautiful, I just wish I had the space for it.

Here's all the bags of potting mixes and amendments. This was the real reason for this trip.

Here's some "seasonal" plants. They're easy care houseplants wrapped in Halloween print packaging. I'm tempted to come back after Halloween to see if they go on clearance. 

Here's a flock of false Bird of Paradise (heliconia psittacorum). Get it? Flock?

These appear to be coral cactus. I don't have the right conditions for them, at least not yet.

Speaking of cacti, here's the succulents table (and an unfortunately blurry photo). There was a fresh batch of cute succulents, individual and grouped.

But, among the grouped succulents were these holiday themed ones.

Three assorted succulents packed in cute Halloween skull pots.

It has a Nightmare Before Christmas vibe, and the $6.98 price for 3 succulents is actually pretty good. Plus, the pots actually have a drainage hole, so they're not just a cheap decoration. 

Before I could leave, I spotted the Venus fly trap display. Boxes of carnivorous cuties crying out "take me home!"

So, what did I actually take home?

Well, I did take advantage of the good deal on the skull succulents. 

It just took ages for me to decide on one that had three plants that I actually wanted.

This pot includes a jade plant (crassula ovata)...

...Moonstone (pachyphytum oviferum)...

...and Golden Sedum (sedum adolphi).

I still haven't decided if I want to split them up or keep them potted together. 

And yes, I did bring home one of the Venus fly traps (dionaea muscipula).

I picked one that seemed to have fewer black leaves compared to the rest. It also had few new baby leaves.

As soon as I got it home, I got out the tweesers to carefully remove the black leaves and other debris.

Behold, the fruits of my labor.

I took my new Venus Fly Trap to work and set it up in the breakroom. It will live here for few weeks dealing with a fly problem before settling back at home.

Hopefully this one will survive longer that the last one I had. Oh, what happened to it you ask? That's a story for another day.

Stay green. 

Read More »

Wordless Wednesday: Take Us Home!

Taken at Summer Winds Nursery in Mesa, Arizona.

Read More »

Plant Problems: The Lucky Bamboo That Could

I am a fan of Ikea. I shop there as often as I can with my sister. It's a little like going to an amusement park for us, but with better food. Plus, they sell plants, fake and real in their showroom.

But, that's not where I got this heavily yellowed Lucky Bamboo.

It was in their "as is" section. They marked it down to $2 because of the yellowing. 

A well-meaning fellow shopper tried to warn me not to buy it. She claimed it was basically dying because the yellowing was from the bottom going up. I bought it anyway. 

Because I know that when you have a plant in such a bad state, then the only solution is to chop off the good part and try to root it. So, I cut this Lucky Bamboo about 2 inches above the extremely long yellowed bit, then stuck it in water hoping for the best.

It took a few weeks, but it did pop out some roots and later new leaves.

The difference is incredible. I had to cut back the right side because it was getting a little too tall. Not bad for a plant that was supposedly a goner.

Hopefully this Lucky Bamboo will continue being lucky for me.

Stay green. 

Read More »