Thursday, March 14, 2013

An Extraordinary Poinsettia

I think these variegated reds and greens are just gorgeous.
Have you been having trouble sleeping? Well, you came to the right blog! This post should knock you out...

Just kidding. Well, maybe not. Of all the flowers in the world that I could be yapping about today, I imagine I'm the only one who cares about a Poinsettia so long after the holidays.

But, this is no ordinary Poinsettia. I've had her for several years. And, I'm just fascinated with her. I guess the conditions in my home are perfect because she turns red without all the hoo ha.

* If you listen to the experts, Poinsettias need 14 hours of total darkness every day, for eight straight weeks, in order for the leaves to change from green to red. And, if you screw up that regimen even once, you have to start all over again. 

I suppose I would have to follow those rules if I wanted a solid red plant. But, this one doesn't get any of that special treatment. She lives in a south facing window and right about the middle of March... we start celebrating Christmas. {Granted her biological clock is way off kilter, but I still think it's pretty cool.}

* Poinsettias can reach 10-15 feet in height. I'm grooming mine to be an indoor tree in the sunny room.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Monday's Mystery


She's an itty bitty seedling, growing in my sunny window. About an inch worth of leaves have sprouted from the tiny pot. With any luck, by summer's end, she'll reach a whopping 15 feet tall ~ showing off some truly spectacular flowers.

Who could it be? {hint - she's not an annual.}

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Wordless Wednesdays: Prettiest Place on the Planet










The ocean walk in Wailea, on the island of Maui. {Whenever I'm having a bad day, I pull out this photo and dream of living in this house.} For more slightly Wordless Wednesday participants click here!

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Friday, March 1, 2013

The Hearty Little Hen

I think this is a Blue Rose Echeveria succulent but if you have other ideas, please let me know.
This is the pretty little wrist corsage that I wore to my darling daughter's wedding in September, 2012.

It laid on the table in my bedroom for about a month after the big day. Had it been a standard flower corsage, I might have pressed it, and dried it, to keep it forever. But, it was a pudgy little succulent. A rubbery rose, if you will. And, I didn't know what to do with it.

Until... I noticed how she was trying ever so hard to survive.


The corsage had laid on that table for a whole month without any type of moisture, yet only the tips of the leaves were turning brown. It still looked very much alive.

So, I thought... what the heck, let's experiment with this little cutie. Mid-November I put her in a dish with a teensy bit of cactus soil and filled the dish with water. Just to see what would happen...

Look close! My hearty little hen has given birth to two chicks!
She was in desperate need of a drink. The water disappeared very quickly. Days later, the brown disappeared from her leaves. So, I transplanted it. The little one promptly died. But, the big gal made a fantastic comeback! She's twice as large as she was when the florist had turned her into a corsage. And! She's gifted me with 2 little chicks. Pretty cool, don't you think?

* This group of succulents is called Hens and Chicks because the large plant, the Hen, produces numerous offspring, called the Chicks. Those will produce their own offspring during the next growing season. Most varieties do well in your garden. Some are cold hardy to zone 4.

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