I am perpetually taking cuttings and propagating house plants. I have an illness that keeps me from throwing trimmings away. When we combined households I gave up my breezeway to our DOL so she could have a space for plants. All but two of my plants are out of the breezeway. Most have moved into the house for winter. This is the first winter I have felt the crush, but it will only last one season of the year. I will then move a majority of plants into the shack. The majority of my plants are multiple generations away from the parent plants so that they are fresh, healthy looking and not too big. A very few are decades old, my bonsai and unusual orange blooming orchid that seems to like me are probably my current oldest plants. Thought I’d post a photo of some of my starts. This is a new area with a grow light. I have a couple of other prospective areas that may eventually get lights also. Half of these are to make a healthier, thicker foliaged plant, some are for a spring giveaway and some are replacements for larger plants. One is even a “new to me” start. As you can see I tend to start plants in dirt, water, or in a transitional freezer bag for some potted plants. It just depends on the plant type. in case your interested they are: 1. Philodendron berkin 3. Philodendron pendatum 2. Philodendron Amazon 5. Alsobia dianthiflora (African violet type hanging plant) 7. Monstera siltepecana 4. Peperomia prostrata 6. Piles peperomioides I tend to have starter plants throughout the house, scattered among larger plants, under lamps, on window shelves. Maybe I will highlight some others tucked away. It’s only this year I’ve even considered letting the plants getting larger. Which is silly since I don’t have the space. Since the DOL needed a growing space I had my son help me build her a multi level structure for plants where I used to winter plants, in the breezeway. I didn’t know she was even crazier than me about plants. Our preferences in plant varieties are quite different and she likes her plants plentiful and big. This is quite the jungle even according to me, a plant lover. This might now be a household of plant hoarders
Jewell, it is a remarkable sight. Two plantaholics in one family—-how good is that !? It is fun looking at all the plants individually. That is an interesting list of bring-ins you have there...well, whatever it takes to keep them safe. Good luck this winter.
Jewell! I laughed out loud at the thought of not being able to throw away a cutting! I am the same way. its awful. I feel horribly guilty tossing the trimmings of patented plants. they need pinched but having oodles of extra patented plants and no labels to go with them is an expensive disease if I do it and get caught. can we see your orange orchid? that sounds interesting.
@Sjoerd It’s great for me. My sweetie used to always complain about too many house plants (but always bought multiple huge bags of potting soil without my requesting). He had no idea what was to become of our abode He is now mum about houseplants and says nothing at the checkout when I am buying a new pot. Having another gardener in the house is fun since DOL likes such a different variety of plants both inside and outside the house. The only difficulty for me is relinquishing control That’s an inside job for me @carolyn I have multiple plants from a David Austin rose I propagated. The flowers and scent are so lovely. My blaze climbing rose is also so lovely to have multiples of. I am slower to propagate the long term plants anymore. Houseplants that quickly root in water or pots fulfilled the keep need for dirt. I divided and repotted this orchid last summer. Now I have to find another home for the extra That’s always hard for me. The main plant is doing exceedingly well but needs some 50-60 F temps to set bloom. I set it out in the shed to encourage some blooms. Here is a previous post and photo. https://www.gardenstew.com/threads/little-orange-surprise.38427/#post-351162
That is a very lovely orchid, Jewell. Just remarkable. Good luck with relinquishing control. Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....difficult.
that is darling Jewell. I love it. I would beg for one but I have never done well at growing orchids nor is it the time of year to get plants mailed to me here. its a bit frigid today. 35 and overcast. nasty damp cold.
That is a lovely lovely orchid Jewell! I love the pic of your DOL's plants and the shelving system you and your son built for her. But even better is the mental image of two plantaholics living under one roof! At least you all will have plenty of oxygen to breathe. BTW, I have a good friend with whom i swap perennials every spring. After I have tempted her with this division and that division, and loaded up her car with plant material, she has said to me "You know Mary, we really aren't very good for one another". It is unfortunately true.
@carolyn love that you have a friend that gardens too. My enthusiasm for plants hasn’t rubbed off on my friends that much. But I continue to try . The trick with orchids is to treat them like cactus and don’t use store bought orchid mix just get some scavenge bark on your walks and break it up. Instant, well maybe not instant but certainly cost effective orchid planting mix. I used to over water orchids and their roots would rot. Now I tend to just forget them and they like that.
@mart DOL = daughter of love in our household. She turned down my sons proposal of marriage (is it wrong to say I think she’s on that?). She’s like our daughter and after my son’s 7 weeks in the hospital, both ended up moving in with us. Even with my son returning to work as soon as permitted by the doctor it’s been a tough road for them. A nurse told me that more than 2 weeks in a US hospital often means financial devastation. It’s not just incredibly high medical bills, but also job loss and inability to work for sometime afterwards, with evictions somewhere in there. All of that happened for them. Without insurance or poor insurance...I can’t imagine. Goodness what a rant. Any way it’s been a boon for me and my husband to have house sitters when we want to take off, and more people to share the cooking and work of home and yard. They both appreciate their current living situation, pet care when needed and lowered cost of living (initially they wouldn’t have been approved for rent or lease because of the eviction and bankruptcy and exceedingly tight rental market here). Close proximity to work and enjoying each other’s company are huge bonuses and were even prior to the pandemic. I learned it is very easy to end up homeless with only one catastrophic event if you don’t have family or an extensive network of people to rely on for support. (Few people can weather the $60,000-$100,000+++ added medical expenses.) With multiple years of home destruction on the west coast because of fires, apartments are leased before construction is finished. We also have a huge influx of people from other states (a lot from midwestern states) for jobs. Things are tough for a lot of people now, so we are spurred to continue to support our local food bank. Rant finished
That’s a moving rant, Jewell. Chilling and surprising to think that all can be lost and people ruined for years because of illness. We don’t know those conditions here. One can learn so much on this forum.
Jewell I am very glad that they have had you two as back up during this tragedy in their lives. And it sounds as though you are all benefiting.
