Discussion Board

Do all of you have lots of green house plants? Do you put them outside in the summer? I seldom do because it is too windy at my house (we are on top of a hill)....

So what kind of house plants to you have? Have you had any for a long long time? And are any heirloom type plants? I mean, my mom has one from my great-grandma!!

We had cats, and had to be very careful about what kinds of things could be where they could reach them. I did have a few in hanging pots, just reasonably carefree philodendrons. I don't suppose multiple vases of grocery store herbs in the winter count, eh? No, they did not go outside in the summer, they would have fried in the stronger sun. Once upon a time I had a cat who loved to graze on my ferns.

I have a house full and have managed to load up the office too... LOL

All of mine are low light specimens as we really have a dark house.

THey all do really good. I don't know all their names either. I will look them up when I get home and post them for you.

I have a Christmas cactus that was given to my mom in about 1980. She took care of it until 1998 when she had a stroke and my dad took over all of the household chores. He babied that plant way too much. At first it grew and grew then the TLC he was giving it overwhelmed it and it started looking pretty punky. Way too much water. He worried and worried over that plant.

When he moved into an assisted living facility I inherited the cactus and for a couple years it lived in the perfect spot, a cool enclosed porch that got lots of coastal afternoon light. It bloomed and bloomed with very little attention from me.

When we moved to another town about a year and half before my dad died it took another hit. I just couldn't find the right spot and it languished. In October, 2006, I couldn't see a bloom forming anywhere.

Then my dad took a turn for the worse and we brought him in to live with us. In November still no buds. And then two days after he died, right in the front of the plant there were two beautiful blooms. They seem to have come over night. I've always known that they came from Dad, telling us that he and mom were okay (and doing beautifully). At Christmas the plant was in full bloom.

Where all those buds came from I'll never know but no one will ever be able to convince me that those first two weren't from my dad. That plant has a special place of honor, the same place it bloomed here in this house, but it has never again bloomed like the year my dad died.

Linda

oh Linda what a fantastic story. It sounds like that plant does have a place of honor.

I use to have so many indoor plants. I really enjoyed them. My ex husband would always give me a hard time about them, so I gave them all away. He did the same with my poodle too. Now you know why he's my ex.

I admit, I've gotten use to not having to take care of them. I do look forward to starting and watching the garden plants grow though when it gets that time.

Yesterday was "clean day" for the sunroom. That is when my plants that cannot stand very cool temps are moved into the house for the winter. Spent several hours moving plants around, finding spots for them in the house and then really cleaned the sunroom. It has a door to the outside and sometimes is used like a porch or mud room. So I scrubbed the floor and got it cleaned up.

But what do you think I saw? My big thanksgiving cactus has hundreds of buds on it--it is going to be just beautiful when it blooms. Also I have another T-giving cactus but it has white blooms on it. It's also loaded. Some years they don't bloom at all but this year they will. They stay in the sunroom all winter. Temps get down pretty cool in there, lowest being about 40 degrees but they seem to do fine. I'm going to have to learn how to put pictures on here---

Is that the same as a Christmas cactus? Mom's is beautiful when it blooms.

Faith, I seem to have Thanksgiving Cactus and Christmas Cactus and yes they are the same thing--only they bloom at different times.

I'm thinking the first one I talked about is actually a Christmas cactus--there are hundreds of buds on it but they are small yet. The white one though must be a Thanksgiving cactus because the buds are huge and about to explode....

LOVE to see them bloom!!!

Interesting. I have never heard of a Thanksgiving one. I haven't peeked at Mom's to see how it's coming.

wow, thanks for the tips elxzp99!!!

I have two papaya plants I grew from seed in my kitchen (I have a large greenhouse window). One is over 7 feet tall and has had one papaya, but it is now touching the top of the window, and it really needs a new, taller home. I did move it upstairs to where we have a cathedral ceiling in one room, but there was not enought light and it wasn't happy, so I moved it back down. The sencond plant is about half that size and has blossoms. Not sure whether it is female or hermaphrodite yet. If hermaphrodite (as the other one was), it should fruit with no problem--otherwise, it will need a friend in bloom.

Then, I have lots of orchids, some African violets Christmas cactus, and lots of carniverous plants. I got the latter to take care of the fungus flies that come with the territory of growing house plants. Some people think it's a little odd that a vegan would keep carniverous plants, but, it saves my killing all those little flies. And they are fun to grow.

I keep the warm growing orchids in the house, but put them out when it rains. The cool growing ones are outside all the time. I don't put the other houseplants out because they do better inside.