It Can Get Worse

Well, I thought I had seen it all. Yet, when I went to the IGC (Independent Garden Center) show a couple weeks ago, the plant torture was alive and well, and had actually gotten worse.

Painted succulents

These succulents above are painted on the outside, but these new cactus below are worse than painted. They are injected with color and then given growth regulators to slow down the the growth so they have a "longer shelf life". They will eventually grow out but the "in" color will probably have changed by then, so in the trash it can go.  Can you believe it?! The paint flaked off the others, so now they are injecting the poor plants with color. "Its really for the decorators," they told me. Decorators, get some fake plants and paint them. It will last longer and then "no plants will have been hurt in the making of this decorated room."

Color injected cacti

Painted Hoya kerrii

And then there are these beauties. Hoya kerrii leaves painted with flowers. Look! There are even poinsettias for the holidays. How lovely.

Let's not support these crimes against plants by buying these.  Please!

Hearts Aplenty

Heart shaped ivy topiary framing my Mom's circa 1956 Valentine card.

Philodendron hederaceum  'Lemon Lime'

 Love is in the air this month and the ultimate symbol of that is the heart. My engagement ring is a heart and I really love anything heart shaped; stones, beads, vases, etc. It makes sense that I would also love any plant with heart shaped leaves. The topiary above is made of ivy, but can be made with any vining plant and a  frame.
The two philodendrons shown are commonly called heart shaped philodendron, Philodendron hederaceum (or scandens)  and the 'Lemon Lime' variety. They are very easy to grow, tolerate low light levels, and are relatively pest free. I really have an appreciation for this plant. Common does not mean boring. This plant definitely has a place in my home, wherever I have a low light situation.

Heart-leaf Philodendron

Ceropegia woodi 'Variegata'

I love the Rosary vine, Ceropegia woodii, but I like the variegated form even more. This is an easy to grow succulent vine, perfect for a hanging basket. It produces small tubers on the vines which can be used to propagate the plant. They need plenty of light to have the best coloration.

Ceropegia woodii on a heart shaped frame.

The rosary vine also has the common name of string of hearts, so I wound it around a heart shaped frame.

Ceropegia woodii

Notice the tuber in the upper left corner.

Adorable heart shaped cactus.

I'll be honest, I do not know the botanical name of this cactus, but I had to have it. It is so cute and only about 1.5 inches across. I planted it in a 2" pot.

Opuntia microdasys at Matthaei.

I saw this stacked heart opuntia at Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2012. (Read more about it on this post.)
I recently bought one at an IGC (Independent Garden Center) (see picture below) and I'm hoping mine will some day look like this one.

I'm not sure how long that will take, but I'll keep you updated as it grows.

Recently purchased Opuntia which already
 has a couple of hearts.

Hoya kerrii 'Variegata'

Hoya kerri is a wonderful succulent

vine, one of many hoyas I have in my collection. They have lovely star shaped flowers borne in clusters, many of them fragrant. The varieties and sizes are endless, but that is a post for another day. 

Hoya kerrii

Philodendron at Hidden Lake Garden

I photographed this philodendron at Hidden Lake Garden in Tipton, Michigan. I loved the unusual heart shape leaf, and it was Valentine's Day.  The anthurium below was also at Hidden Lake. Of course it's not a leaf, but I included it anyway. It's a pink pretty heart.

Anthurium spathe and flower at Hidden Lake Garden.

Hope your month and year are filled with love and of course plenty of houseplants!