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asarumgreenpanda

Dead-of-winter houseplant buying spree

Hi -

I've been away from this forum for a year or more. It's so inspiring to come back and look through all the excellent advice and beautiful pictures. Thanks, everyone.

It's the dead of winter here in MA, which means...I need houseplants! Ahem. I already have houseplants, but, when everything is frozen and gray outside, a person just can't get enough greenhouse therapy. So I haunt the local nurseries, and, somehow, they always have something irresistible. I know this is far from the ideal time to bring new plants home, but I haven't been able to resist some of them. I wanted to share the new additions. Thanks for looking! --Amanda

I fell in love with the stromanthe 'amergris' (I think) when I saw it online. Two days later, there it was, in my local nursery. It was a little battered, but putting out some new growth. Bring a member of the marantaciae family into a non-greenhouse environment at this time of year? I know, not optimal, but it called to me. Loudly. We'll see how it does.

Comments (18)

  • Amanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Here's the whole plant.

  • Amanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    And, somehow, against all logic, I brought home another marantaciae family member, the even-trickier-to-keep-healthy-in-a-dry-house marantha (leucophylla, right?). I don't know, maybe the dead of winter brings optimism, but I have a good feeling about this one. I also rescued this little bronze-leaved syngonium, which looks better already, after a week here. Always nice when that happens. Oh, and I couldn't resist an orchid, one of the "Twinkle" oncidiums. Those flowers smell wonderful. (I didn't get a picture of that one.)

    Again, thanks for looking.
    Amanda

  • Corry_Engelbrecht
    11 years ago

    I am SO glad I'm not the only one who has middle of winter plant buying binges. I purchased around 10 over the course of a week and the only reason it stopped at 10 is because I didn't have anymore money! Your plants look beautiful!

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Those are great plants! Your Maranta looks like a leuconeura to me. What a big leaf on that Syngonium! Wow. Never seen that Stromanthe before, love the purple leaf backs and unfurled leaves, pretty.

    And you're not alone, I brought home about 15 plants in January. It IS good, relatively inexpensive therapy.

    Here is a link that might be useful: EA Marantas

  • teengardener1888
    11 years ago

    I have been buying thopusands of plants. It is so addictive in winter to buy so many plants to spread your own self too far. the medicine is self control. I have literally ten baby spider plants alone. i basically have plant refugees

  • greybird_keke
    11 years ago

    Beautiful plants! And there IS something about the dead of winter that makes one want to buy plants...I'm so glad to finally know the name of it's cure, "greenhouse therapy"! Thanks for sharing!

  • Amanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for all the nice comments. It's good to know I'm not alone. ;) Yes, M. leucoNEURA was what I was trying to remember. Thank you, Purple.

    Teengardener, uh-oh: I thought I was only going to have to buy 5-10 more plants if I wanted to keep up with Corry and Purple, but you set the bar at thousands! I'm just kidding, of course. You're right that a lot of it comes down to self control

    ...which I did not exhibit today. I had part of the day off and used my free time to commit a premeditated act of plant-buying. I actually brought an insulated lunch cooler thingy to my local nursery so I could take home a Philo I'd seen there on Saturday. It was 28*F this afternoon, but I wanted to get the Philo out of the nursery as soon as possible because they're keeping the entire lot of these plants in a too-cool location. I don't know how it will do, as a few of these Philos showed obvious cold damage. (I chose one that didn't.) I took some cuttings, just in case.

    Greybird_keke, did you say there's a CURE? I thought of it more as managing an addiction to plants. That's encouraging, that there might be a cure.

    New Philo:

  • Amanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I'd love it if anyone could help me ID this Philo. (It was labeled 'Black Cardinal,' which it clearly isn't.) I think the key to identifying it is in the leaf petioles, which look almost like second leaves:

  • Amanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I'm working on figuring out what this newest plant is. I'm unconvinced it's a Philo, now, because it doesn't appear to have cataphylls.

    Any ideas?

    Amanda

  • Amanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Aha! Newest plant looks like Monstera standleyana (stanleyana?) variegata. What do you think?

    (I don't know anything about the vendor at this link. I just found the photos helpful for identification.)

    Amanda

    Here is a link that might be useful: M. standleyana variegata

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Hmmm, I have no idea, but is sure is pretty! Maybe ask on the Aroid forum?

  • plantomaniac08
    11 years ago

    I love that last plant!

    Planto

  • jos176
    11 years ago

    I can relate with the urge to fill up the house with more greenery.every year I build more shelves,put up more lights,move things around,and go to town!I also do a lot of studying on light,water,air circulation,ph on different plants,and what plants look the best by other plants.I stock up on supplies and come home with tons of plants.this winter I'm practicing on doing different types of propagation.the picture is 2 elephant ears and 8more plants you can't see.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Hey Jos., welcome to Gardenweb! Love your indoor jungle!

    Zusya, that's brave, those get HUGE! If you run out of room, contact me immediately! LOL!

  • Amanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks, purple, planto, jos and zusya.

    Purple, great idea. I'll ask on the aroid forum.

    Jos, that's a lovely photo of your jungle. Can we see more? It looks so inviting. I also like to think about what plants not only grow best together, but look best together, and I do a lot of propagation experiments during winter, as well as at other times of year.

    Zusya, those are great plants you got. Funny, I was just contemplating hacking up my variegated Monstera. Then I thought, wait...do I really want to cut it up into 6 pieces (it has two vines right now) and let all six grow as big as they get?! So, purple, are you making a general offer? :)

    Amanda

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    LOL! I get into the same trouble, propagating like I've got all the space in the world. Wish the offer was real. The inner propagator typed that... Almost anyone has more "extra" space than I do. I can't tell you how anxious this family is for these plants to go back outside. Oh my! (If they only knew my anxiousness is ALL ABOUT making MORE!) Shhh!

  • Amanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Darn it, Purple, I thought you were going to enable MY inner propagator!

    I really like that term for whatever part of me it is that keeps taking more cuttings and starting more seeds. Can we shorten it to IP, do you think? As in, I'm having a bad IP day today...started 6 new Monstera, took 15 cuttings, made a seed order... That hasn't happened yet today, but we're in teh middle of a blizzard, here, so the IP is making its presence known.

    Thanks for the laugh.
    Amanda

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