Why I Oughta...

I've now put together my fourth Staghorn Fern that is mounted on a board.  But, just the second one that I've kept for myself; the first one being the tiny one I posted about last week . I gave the first two away as gifts, but after those initial mountings, I had three Staghorn Ferns in containers that I needed to do something with.  So, I got busy mounting another, large one. This is the third of four of the good-sized plants that I bought at Home Depot in February .   I mounted this one - just like the other ones - on a board with a Sphagnum Moss base and 'volcano' using some fishing wire and drywall screws.  The board has a knot hole on it, so I mounted this one a little lower so you can *see* the hole in the mounting board.  Here, below, is the new fern mounted and hung on the wall in my office. Here, below, is a profile shot showing how far the Staghorn Fern sticks out from the board.  One of the things that I've been thinking about is adding a sort of 'bum

I've owned a Staghorn Fern (Dutch Staghorn) for almost a year, but it took buying a second, smaller one to finally compel me to get it properly mounted on a board and hung.  And, now, it has a home on the wall in my office.  You can see the mounted board below, hanging on a peg near a corner that looks at a western-facing and northern-facing set of windows.   My current plan is to keep my mounted ferns on boards in my office during the cold weather, but as soon as the temperatures improve, I'll get them out on the screened porch along with my other containers.  Below, you can see the mounted Dutch Staghorn Fern - a small one - on a board with Sphagnum moss as the base.  I used 1-1/4" screws around the perimeter and fishing line to keep the moss down and attached.   One of the things that I'm going to adjust - going forward - is using a more water-hardy species of wood.  I used pine because I had it on hand, but that's not the best choice.  I *did* apply a clear c

In late January, I tried a succulent propagation experiment with one variable:  cutting vs callus'd-over pieces of Burro's Tail.  I used rooting compound and went about planting two small containers of little pieces of succulent.  In the green, plastic container, I planted segments that I sliced in-to and then applied the rooting compound.  In the clay pot, I left the segments with their calluses and just rubbed rooting compound on the surface.  The little white post-it note says:  "Uncut = Clay".  (I keep an offline garden diary of sorts, too...) Four-or-so-weeks later, here's what those two containers look like: What has happened?  The cuttings on the left - the ones that I sliced into with a knife BEFORE applying the rooting compound have just melted away.  On the right - the ones that I left intact?  Many of them are still there and doing just fine.   Lesson learned:  when propagating succulents, make sure they have completely callused over before attempting

Yesterday I posted a couple of photos of our second Staghorn Fern - a tiny one that we bought with the intention of trying to mount it to a board - as is typical for these kind of ferns.  Having poked around the Web and watched dozens of YouTube videos of how-to's, I settled on this process: 1.  Find board, cut to size. 2.  Seal said board.  I used a can of clear coat spray that I had on hand.  Don't think this is necessary, but since you dunk the board AND fern in water to keep it hydrated, I figured this little extra step couldn't hurt. 3.  Draw a circle on the board, a little bigger than the container it arrived in. 4.  Drill a couple of short screws in the back that I can run picture-hanging wire from.  I did these first, because I figured that once the fern was mounted, I wasn't going to be able to flip it over and apply pressure with an impact driver to get these screws in. 5.  Flipped it back over and laid down a temporary piece of wood that it rested on top of

Sometime in 2021, we bought a couple of prayer plants.  They were on a deep discount sale at Home Depot and as you all know:  I love a deal.  These are formally called Calatheas and are part of the family Marantaceae .  And, they're always listed as one of the houseplants that tolerate 'low light' , but after having this one around for a bit, I've learned a few things.  When we brought this one home - you can see how it currently looks below - it was a more-full plant in a 6" plastic container that had drainage holes in the bottom.  What happened?  Well, the plant struggled.  Brown tips, die-back and curled existing leaves with very little growth.  It was spending most of its time on the screened porch, but like everything else, I brought it in during the cold weather in January.  Below is a look at one of the mature, existing leaves.  These all had brown tips that I trimmed off and have been monitoring them since that haircut.  I believe this was a due to a couple

My reasons for keeping my own [garden diary] are the usual ones:  get smarter (make better choices) and to document changes over time (appreciate wins/losses).  I've taken that same approach to some of our indoor house plants .  I'm interested in understanding what they look like during different seasons - seeing if they're growing, if they're in trouble, etc.  That's covered my Staghorn Fern , my Standing Mickey Topiary and even one of our umbrella plants . Just this past week, I documented my re-soil'ing of my Maidenhair Fern .  But, I haven't tracked - via my [ container diary ] the largest houseplant we have:  Nat's Fiddlehead Fig Tree.  I don't exactly know how long we've had it, but I know it was introduced in our new house - at some point.  It sits in a room that has southern exposure and has just grown and grown.  This isn't a plant that I tend to - at all.  This one is all Nat.  She waters it.  Feeds it.  Cleans it.  Turns it.    Al

Over the weekend, I posted some photos and an update on our potted Maidenhair Fern .  After having this delicate plant in our house for close to a year, it was time to give the soil a little refresh and to give it a closer look as Winter and the dry air in our house was taking a toll on it.  In that post, I also talked about a little bit of digging around the Web that I did in order to figure out how I can best help the fern live its best life.   If you read anything about Maidenhair Ferns, you'll find that most people recommend that they do best with very humid environments and that some people even talk about misting the fronds of the Maidenhair fern 'multiple times a day' .  Who the heck has time for that?!?   But, as I kept poking around on ferns and houseplants, I continued to come across resources talking about terrariums.  There are all sorts of terrariums.  Open ones.  Closed ones.  Succulent ones.  Orchid ones.  And, variations on those ideas.  You can't swing

We're coming up on my one-year anniversary of living with a Maidenhair Fern in our house.  I picked up a tiny one at Wannemaker's in February of 2021 and re-potted it into a larger clay pot .  If you go back and look at that original post , you can see that the fern was quite happy.  Feather-light and green.  A month later (March of 2021), it was thriving .  I seemed to have figured out how to keep it happy in terms of light and moisture and feeding.  After that post, I don't seem to have shared any further updates on the fern.  But, it has *been* a journey.  When people talk about Maidenhair Ferns being finicky, they're not lying.   During the life of this potted fern, I've kept it inside.  Either in our family room or screened porch.  And, it has been a series of ups and downs.  After that March post, I think I saw some decline.  Followed by me tending to it, watering it and feeding it.  Which lead to a period of happiness.  Then, typically followed by another cyc

We have a pair of dwarf Umbrella container plants that Nat has had around the house for a couple of years.  One of them had prime placement on our kitchen table.  The other was neglected up in our spare bedroom between last Summer (2020) and this Winter (Jan/Feb 2021).  The one on our kitchen counter has been something we look at all the time, so I've been pruning it pretty regularly by lop'ing off the tips to try to push some new side growth.  Properly known as Schefflera arboricola ,  that particular Umbrella plant is thick and full from a few inches off the soil all the way to the top.  The pruning has worked.   The other one - the neglected one - was shaped like a lollipop.   It was angled and top-heavy.  The first thing I did was to dig it up, transplant it and straighten it out.  Then, I began to prune it.  All from the top, hoping that it would push out some new growth further down the trunk. Here's a post in mid-Feb where I did the first top-prune . And, just a week

I've been thinking about topiary for a number of years.  I've talked about backyard topiaries - including (recently) the idea of a Block I one and as far back as 2017, I bought a topiary wire (angel) at an Estate Sale and never did anything with it .   It is something that I've included on my to-do lists over the years ( 2019 and 2020 ), but never was able to tackle the project.  I've also set it as #24 on this year's list (topiary), but I've taken a little veer off course. Instead of moving on an outdoor topiary, I've somehow started with a tropical topiary on a stuffed frame. This, too, has been like five years in the making.   Over those five-or-so-years, we've been down to the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival a number of times and EACH TIME we're there, I always pause and pick up a Mickey Mouse-shaped topiary and THINK about buying it.  But, each time, I've put it down.  Either logistics, or impulse control or something.   But this year...

About a month ago, I decided to take a dwarf umbrella plant that was mostly forgotten about upstairs in our spare bedroom and transplant it to a different container .  The goal was to straighten it out - and get it standing straight up in the air.  But, also to try to compel some new growth through some top pruning.  It wasn't long before that initial care that one or two tiny buds began to pop from the trunk .  But, they didn't take off.  Checking back in this week - about a month from that initial top prune - and you can see (below) that the tree is showing some new top growth right at the point of cutting.  There are a couple of smaller branches growing and the light green, larger branch: As for the trunk buds, they're continuing to exist, but not breaking much in terms of throwing off new branches.  You can see one of them on the left side of the trunk below: That one (and another one) appeared right after I did that initial top prune.  So...you're thinking the same

If you ask me what my favorite plant type is, I'll answer by talking about ferns.  They're my favorite plant type to grow.  When I talk about ferns, I mostly talk about my love for outdoor, perennial ferns.  Ostrich Ferns were my gateway drug .  We have others, now.  Like Japanese Painted ferns .  A Lady Fern that I planted last year .  And a big, happy unknown cultivar "teardown" fern deep in the yard .  We plant Foxtail ferns what seems like every year. Nat also keeps a big Boston (I think) fern on our front porch during the Summer and we've tried to overwinter it upstairs.  It has lost a LOT of leaves/fronds, but there's still a lot of green, so maybe it will come thru. I also added an indoor fern this Winter when I bought my first Maidenhair Fern .  What is supposed to be a finicky fern has - so far at least - been ok for me. I keep it pretty well watered and thus far, it hasn't shown much stress.   But, for a few years now, there's been another ty

A week ago, I shared a photo of a dwarf umbrella potted plant that I straightened out by repotting it in a slightly larger pot and giving it a haircut to try to push some lower growth.  The plant was growing at an odd angle - leaning towards the light after being neglected for months and by repotting it, I was able to stand it up straight.  But, it was still top-heavy.  Hence, the haircut. Based on my experience with our OTHER umbrella plant, I've found that if I cut off the leaders, two things happen:  first, it usually flushes out some lower growth and second, the part that I cut has some die-back...about a half-an-inch. So, when I lop'd off the leader, I left a little bit to account for the die-back.   And today? There's some good news.  First, near the top.  Here's a look at the tiny new growth that has appeared next to the top cut.  The stress of the pruning has flushed this new growth.   But, there's more.  Down the trunk - which is where I was aiming to flus

From their Grammy, the kids received these six packages of flower seeds as part of the effort to keep the kids occupied while being home during their social distancing period.  I showed recently that some of the Cut and Come Again Zinnias had germinated and mentioned that we didn't plant all the cells with Zinnias. That's where these seeds come in:  the kids are choosing from these six varieties to plant the balance of their little greenhouses. The six seed sets they are choosing from include: 1.  Butterfly Wildflower Mix - North American Mixture. 2.  Forget Me Not - Cynoglossum Blue. 3.  Shasta Daisy. 4.  Marigold Sparky Mixed Colors - Heirloom variety. 5.  Four O'Clock 'Fairy Trumpets' - Mirabilis longiflora. 6.  Night Phlox 'Midnight Candy' - Zaluzianskya capensis. The one that I'm most drawn to are the Four O'Clock 'Fairy Trumpets' from Select Seeds.  From their product page, they talk about the historical significance of

Just a few days ago, I posted some details that I've found in terms of the timing of when to sow flower seeds indoors in Northern Illinois (the answer....4-5 weeks before the last frost which usually takes place at the latest on April 30th. So...Right around April 1st). Today, we already have some Zinnias that have germinated.  Be still, my socially-distant heart. The kids took wooden plant markers and decorated their own little sections.  Here's one of them showing seven of eight cells have germinated:   Each of the kids planted at least eight (and up to 16) cells of two zinnia seeds each.  You can see that in many of the cells, both seedlings have emerged.  I'll thin them after the first true leaves appear. Here's another container showing six of eight cells germinated and a couple of cells to the left - still under the 'propped up' dome that have germinated, too. These are Zinnia "Cut and Come Again" mixed color flowers.    With

Back on our Summer trip to San Diego, I came across a tree that had a specific look to it:  the Norfolk Island Pine.  There was one of these trees right across the street from our house - and it was that one that got me to research what the tree was called.  But, we also came across the '1st outdoor lighted Christmas Tree' that is up at the Hotel Del Coronado - and it turns out that *that* tree, is too, a Norfolk Island Pine tree .  The reason that I bring this up is that when I was at Home Depot recently, I came across these tiny Norfolk Island Pines that are $6.99.  My hand is in that photo at the top for scale.   These young trees don't have the shape that I think about when I think Norfolk Pine.  Here's what I'm talking about .   Has those long, limited limbs with needles pointing upwards.    They also have slightly larger ones for a few bucks more.  All of them come in these holiday-packaged pots with little ornaments as I think they're either intende

Here's a current look at our four Amaryllis bulbs.  One of them - the Star of Holland - is out in front in terms of growth as it has two buds that have emerged and are starting to gain some height.  You can see that one on the left of this photo above.  At center - near the bottom of the photo - is the Cherry Nymph bulb that cost almost 3x the other ones .  If you look closely, you'll see a little leaf emerging from the bulb, so things are moving on it. As for the other two, you can see them in the background of the photo above, but for a closer view, check out the photo below.  The bulb at the bottom of the photo is the Apple Blossom Amarylli s and is a little bit further ahead than the one in the back - the Red Lion Amaryllis . I've switched over now to watering these all with a alcohol-blended water mixture to try to limit the height/leggy-ness of the stems.  What is most striking is that all three of the Menards bulbs have taken off.  The last time I tried o

Like a lot of you guys, I have a whole bunch of Christmas traditions.  Sure, there's the Christmas Train and all the various foodstuffs, but there's also one that is gardening-related:  Planting an amaryllis bulb.  Here's a post showing the two bulbs I planted last year (one from Wannemaker's and one from Menards) .  If you look at that post, you'll notice that the one from Menards - that cost $2.99 - never took off while the $15 version from Wannemakers shot up and bloomed right around Christmas Day.  This year, I simplified things and decided to just do one of these and (obviously) went with what worked last year and bought the $15 version from Wannemakers.  You can see how they pack the bulbs above in a kind of foam carriage to protect the bulb while keeping it free from trapping moisture.  When I was at the store recently, I couldn't remember what variety I bought last year, but remembered that I went with a double flowering version.  So, I poked arou