Ten Good Things on a Monday...Plants

I've wanted to do this one for a while, so this evening I'm joining in with Nina at Brush Up On Your Reading with her 10 Good Things on a Monday.  It's for all us list lovers out there, and I just love a good list!  It doesn't matter that I might not finish them, but I am a compulsive list maker.  I'm going to do ten of my favorite things for my first time here.  Here goes...

Ten of My Favorite Things Plants

1.  Succulent Collection. 

This is a small grouping in what I refer to as my tub.  It includes three of my absolute favorites...'Mother of Millions' Kalanchoe, 'Lilypad' Aeonium and one that I've never been able to identify, but she's in the corner and her leaves are trimmed in purple...beautiful!!

2.  Pineapple Lily

This has to be my absolute favorite right now, or rather a tie for first place.  I picked up a white one too this past week for my mother.  I'm going to take some of mine and share with my mother, and take some of hers to share with me!  This is made easier by the fact that I have them both here!!

3.  Passion Vine Bloom

This is the most whimsical bloom I've come across yet, and she is the other "most favorite" contender.  As though her beauty isn't enough, her fragrance is intoxicating!

4.  Balloon Plant

I have had this little gem for a number of years.  She pops back up in the spring and then dies back when the summer months get too hot for her.  The blooms start out like very small balloons and keep growing and growing until they burst open.  What makes this year especially exciting is that I remembered to collect her seeds, hoping to have a row of these next spring!

5.  'Lady Slipper'

The real name is around here somewhere, but I'm being a little lazy tonight.  This is my first year with this succulent, and am I glad a bought her!  Her blooms darken to a deep pink as they mature and are supposed to look like an old fashioned lady's slipper.  You have to turn them around though to get that, my personal opinion is that they look more like elf shoes!

6.  Pitcher Plant

I lost my original Pitcher Plants in my greenhouse mishap this past winter, but I found replacements in February.  They stayed in the house until it warmed up, lost all their pitchers, but are getting new ones.  This is a first for me, so I check on them daily and am extremely excited that they keep growing!!

7.  Bolivian Jew

Also known as 'Mouse Earred' Jew, this is hands down my favorite non-flowering, non-succulent plant.  With her purple undertones on the bottom side of the leaves, she's extremely dainty, but at the same time extremely hardy...perfect fit!

8.  Red Hibiscus Bloom

Of all my hibiscus plants, and there are a number of them, this one's bloom is my favorite!  She's frilly, she's fluffy and she's solid red...enough said!

9.  Bachelor Buttons

If you would have ever asked me if I liked these, much less wanted them, the answer would have been a flat "no".  I was desperate this year for something that the deer wouldn't eat, and these are not supposed to be attractive to them.  Well, let's just say that the hungry deer in our neighbor hood missed the memo and snipped the ones I put out right up.  I didn't know what to do with the rest, so I stuck them in a pot in the backyard.  I'm really glad the deer ate the one in the front yard, these little guys have grown on me.  They keep getting bigger and bigger and are just as bright as the day I brought them home.

10.  More Succulents!

These are in my mailbox pot, and are still relatively new.  After the verbena died, what else do you put in when it's already 100 degrees outside and it's not even officially summer!

This has been fun, hopefully I'll remember to do it again!

Happy Monday!

Lunchtime Finds

As promised, I stopped by the nursery down from my office to get a picture of the blue orchid.  Take a close look behind the orchid and check out all those Pitcher Plants hanging in a row! 

Is this not the most gorgeous thing!  They have an abundant supply of Pitcher Plants this year too.

From there, I popped into my favorite Half Price Books.  I started out juggling all my finds in my arms and had to resort to the basket.  The book count ended up at 22 for a grand total of $44!  13 of the books were on clearance for $1 and are all a series that I enjoy reading so no money wasted there.  I got to the counter and as we were joking about it being a good addiction, I said something about picking up so many books when my coupons are at home.  The cashier was really nice and said that someone had left a coupon behind and she'd let me use it...sweet!  My co-workers think I'm a little obsessive.  Maybe, maybe not.

Pitcher Replacements

Several months ago, I posted about the disaster with my Pitcher Plants.  Evidently, they don't take to kindly to temps below 65 degrees or so and certainly did not appreciate a night at below freezing without a heater.   I'm pretty sure this happened before my heater incident, this time I think I just forgot to turn it on.  It just so happened that I needed a walk through a nursery down from my office to calm myself over my lunch hour, and would you believe what I found for 20% off...you got it, Pitcher Plants!!   I was able to replace both of mine for what I thought was a decent price.  The larger one with the ruffles on it didn't have any pitchers yet, but it was really nice and full with the promise of plenty of pitchers!

The one with smaller pitchers has several that are brown and will have to be cut off sooner or later, but like the fat one she promises new ones as well. 

For now, they're going back and forth from the house to right outside the door.  Hopefully within the next few weeks, the nights will also warm up enough for them to move to their home under the tree.  I just adore these little guys!

Pitcher Plants and a ZigZag Cactus!

This has really been a very cool weekend for me in regards to my plants.  First we had the Hoya Kerrii treat and then Saturday, I was forced to make a detur due to a "Plant Sale" sign. Yes, my car made a very quick turn that my girls are still talking about!  This guy was having a plant sale at his house, he has a nursery of sorts in his back yard and I really wanted to take a look at his greenhouse.  While we were back there, I mentioned I had a succulent addiction and he offered to show his to me.  Ok, so most of what he had, I have (imagine that), but what I didn't have was this funky looking cactus they called a Ric-Rac or ZigZag Cactus.  He snipped a piece off and handed it to me!!  Then, he had something that looks like my Chandelier Plant or Magic Tower, only it was huge...he plucked two out of the ground for me as well.  I cut the ZigZag Cactus up to make several cuttings in a pot and the other one's in there as well.  It's been raining, so I haven't been able to really make them at home yet, but they're cozy for now.

I did buy my mother a 'Torch' Bougainvillea.  Go figure, he just cuts them off and sticks them in the dirt and they root...mine have yet to be that cooperative!  But for $5.00 I was excited to get her something that I've really enjoyed. 

I was uber excited Friday evening...I went to check on my Pitcher Plants and one of them has baby pitchers growing!!  I've got some brown pitchers, but I googled it and I guess it happens.  Check them out...

Now I have to go find some meal worms to put in them...I read this online today, it's supposed to give them nutrients or something so they don't turn brown and close up. 

Mandy

Friday Mixup

I took a vacation day today, so while the girls were at their last day of volleyball camp, my mother and I got to spend the day together...without extra voices!  Our first stop was Schultz nursery were we picked up a pot saucer, much needed Hibiscus food and a yellow bell pepper plant and a cucumber plant.  I'm going to try these from seeds for next year, but when I saw them already growing I wanted to see how well I'd do with them.  My intent is to grow the bell peppers and cucumbers for the guinea girls.  We'll see!  Then we hit Half Price Books!!  This is our favorite spot and the fact that she's been here since Friday afternoon last week and we'd yet to make it there was nothing short of a crime again book lovers! From there we went by Ross, just to look of course.  :) I got a pot for my Plumeria and another great pot for that "just in case" moment since I never know when I'll bring another plant home! From there we had to pick up the girls and took them to the mall for some school clothes shopping...not the best part of the day considering everyone and their extended families were there!  Okay, maybe not that bad, but close enough to cause my blood pressure to rise.

I'll post pictures as the vegies grow (keeping my fingers crossed), but I've got one of the Plumeria...can't wait to watch it grow and smell it's lovely blooms!  Never mind, I guess I just thought I'd downloaded them and my camera's been hijacked by Caitlin so she can download her volleyball pictures.  Priorities!  So, I'll just have to share a photo from their summer adventure.  I think I need my eyes checked...found them!

Plumeria...shared the little one with my mother.

I forgot to share this little surprise I got the other morning.  I went out to water and my Senecio Haworthii 'Cocoon Plant' had three little blooms! They are different that any other's I've gotten so far from my other succulents, they look like sheer paper umbrellas like you'd get on a fruity drink.  The only lasted a day, looked the next day and everything was gone, stems and all!

Senecio Haworthii 'Cocoon Plant' Blooms

Pitcher Plant...made two baskets out of this one; one for my mother, one for me.

Another carnivorous plant to add to my collection of one! This one has bigger "pitchers" and they look like they have fur on them. 

Now for summer fun. Excuse the crappy size, I haven't got a clean copy yet and took this one off the oldest's Facebook page.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mandy