(Schlumbergera segments in water)
When moving three of my Schlumbergera plants last week two different plants lost a couple of leaves. This has happened before but I'm trying a method which is a little different than before. A few days ago I placed them into a plastic pot tray with some water. Now we'll see what happens.

Speaking of my Schlumbergera's, I purchased all of them in the past few months...since prior to that the only personal experience I had with them was the "real" 30-year-old Christmas Cactus (not Thanksgiving Cactus) that my parents own...and also hasn't bloomed for many years. I got a couple of beautiful flowers from my plants, but before I knew it there were no longer any flowers. I know that they had to adjust to a new environment and I probably wasn't giving them the right conditions to continue blossoming, but hopefully by next year I will have figured out how to make them bloom to their greatest potential.

Photo Credit: Me

(Euphorbia milii 'Creme Supreme')
This Crown of Thorns was purchased along with Jordan's recently purchased:

1. Ficus elastica 'Burgundy' ("Rubber Tree Plant")
   
2. Aglaonema 'Emerald Beauty"
   
3. Alocasia amazonica 'Polly' ("Elephant Ear Plant")

At the Lowe's in Owatonna, MN. Jordan was ecstatic to visit a new Lowe's location and check out a new plant section with new and different plants! Our goal is to hit up every Lowe's in Minnesota.

As Jordan was cleaning up a few of the dead leaves from this plant he noticed some white ooze coming out of a few places on the plant. After researching the plant he found out that that substance is an irritant and could have really bothered his skin.

Did you know?

Euphorbia - Euphorbus was the Greek physician of King Juba II (about 50 BC to 19 AD) of Numidia (present day Algeria). King Juba II was the first person to find a succulent-type Euphorbia, and he named it after his physician.

Milii - named for Baron Milius, once governor of the island of Bourbon, who introduced the species into cultivation in France in 1821. (From: http://www.wanapluk.com/crown-of-thorns-plant/)

Photo Credits: Annah

(My work Ficus retusa.)
The Ficus retusa or "Ginseng Ficus" (or even Ficus microcarpa var. nitida) is a type of ficus which has very bulbous roots that form a shape similar to ginger roots which give them their common name. It is native to Malaysia and Taiwan. They are easy plants to grow since they require low amounts of light, can be watered once weekly, and have so far seemed to be resistant to bugs, other than the one I have at home.

My work Ficus retusa is a very nice plant. I purchased it from Wal-Mart for a relatively cheap price. It has so far survived for more than three months. The one thing that bothers me with the arrangement of this plant are the giant rocks that have been glued together in the pot that I purchased it in. One day when I need to repot this plant I will need to take a hammer to those rocks and hopefully not kill the plant in the process.


(Annah's delightful Ficus retusa.)
Annah's Ficus retusa from Walgreen's sits calmly on the kitchen table and has nice dark green colored leaves and is a delightful plant to be around while eating.

My Ficus retusa had a brief encounter with some nasty spider mites, but thankfully a few sprayings of Safer's Insecticidal Soap seems to have eradicated their attempted colonization. It is also from Walgreen's and is exactly the same as the picture above but it is in a blue pot. (I don't have a picture at the moment, but when I get one it will be posted.)

Photo Credits: Jordan and Annah.

(Ardisia japonica 'variegata')
One of my seven works plants is an Ardisia japonica 'variegata' plant that I bought in November. It is a lovely little variegated ardisia plant that has so far been doing well under the fluorescent lights in my office, having grown a few inches, and will hopefully continue to do well. If you look closely at the picture you will see some new growth coming up. If it continues doing well, I might even get it to bloom and produce some small fruit.


(Another view of my Ardisia japonica 'variegata')
I have been watering it about once per week, every now and then I let it get some direct sunlight for a couple of hours, and the humidity is low and this has not bothered it so far. Therefore, at the current moment, I will say that it is an easy houseplant to grow with relatively low sunlight and moderately light watering. If you are looking for another plant to add to your collection, an Ardisia japonica 'variegata' would be a great choice!

Photo Credits: Me.

(Various types of orchids; The only one I can identify is the second flower which is a Pink Lady Slipper or cypripedium acaule.)
This past weekend Annah and I traveled to the Como Zoo Conservatory in Minneapolis, MN. We had been up there a few months ago, before I had become so enthusiastically addicted to houseplants, and this time it was very interesting to see several houseplants growing in their natural habitat. We saw some huge adult pothos plants growing abundantly, numerous pilea, orchids (they had a Pink Lady Slipper or Cypripedium acaule, which is one of my favorites), star fruit trees, mango trees, monstera deliciosa, peperomia, philodendron, fittonia, syngonium podophyllum, cycas revoluta (sago palm), and many other plants that we have been growing on a smaller scale at home. It was nice to escape the dreadful Minnesota weather and spend some time with plants.


([1]Epipremnum aureum, [2] Peperomia obtusifolia, [3]From left to right: Fittonia, Philodendron scandens (f. micans?) or "Heartleaf philodendron", and Syngonium podophyllum, [4] various other plants.)
It was also a delight to stop by the Bachmans Floral, Home & Garden Store in Minneapolis which has a great selection of indoor plants which are decently priced. I purchased an Epipremnum Aureum 'Marble Queen' and Annah purchased a cute little Zamioculcas Zamiifolia plant.

Overall it was a lovely trip and we look forward to the next time we're able to take a trip to Minneapolis.

Photo credits: All me.