Norfolk Island Pine

Rescued Baby Grows Up

| Flower Roberts

In one of my previous posts, I shared that I felt compelled

to rescue some holiday plants left abandoned in a big box store.

These living things were piled among the other left over holiday decorations.

Not only that, these babies were covered in glitter and glue.

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I love glitter and glue when it comes to decaupaging things,

but I do not consider it an appropriate decoration for plants.

I brought home some particularly pitiful, abused Norfolk Island pines.

I am happy to report that after much tender loving, cleaning and care

this baby is now big enough to decorate.

Not with more glitter and glue, but with little lights and tiny balls.

Hooray for Post-Holiday Plant Rescue!

Mission Accomplished.  Merry Christmas

FLOWER

My Trip to Another Planet to Visit the Queen

| Flower Roberts

Okay, I was really still on Earth; but Zone 10 seemed like another planet.

Everything was bigger there in Florida… the plants, the shrimp, the hotels, the prices.

The Shrub Queen was my “Plant Identification” tour guide through the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens.

I would ask the name of the plant I was pointing to and she would supply both its Latin and common name.

Many times I would respond with “Holy #*@, that’s a house plant.”  So even the houses are bigger in Florida.

Just joking.  These plants grow multiple times bigger in Zone 10 because there is so much more sunlight to make food through photosynthesis, also heat and time to grow.  The growing season slows in “winter” , but never stops like here. Many of our plants die back to below ground and go dormant during the winter in Zone 7.

If I had chosen the name Flower Queen, I would have to demote myself.  My little tropical plants that I have been so proud of are itty-bitty versions of these giants.

Here are examples.  My epiphyllum has been growing nicely for three years.

Here is a wild one in Florida.

I have been super proud of my Cereus which greats folks in the foyer. Here is my “monster.” Zone 10 is 10x this size. (Not pictured)

The last example is quite an embarrassment.  Mr. Flower and I had been marveling at a certain tree whose silhouette we had spotted numerous times on our journey southward. I took a photo for the Shrub Queen to identify this possibly unusual and rare species.

To my chagrin, she informed me the it was a Norfolk Island Pine.

Here are my two.  Notice how especially pitiful the smaller one is (Rachel).  I was ashamed.

So I will conclude with; The Queen knows her stuff and the Flower knows her place.

FLOWER : Zone 7

Post-Holiday Plant Rescue

| Flower Roberts

I can’t stand to see a plant suffer.

Shopping after the holidays is particularly painful, because I know that any “gift” plants left in the stores will die a dry and sunless death.

This year I rescued two, tiny, Norfolk Island Pines that were covered in glitter. One of these was given to my sister. The other is recovering  nicely with me.

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Norfolk Island Pine/ Araucaria heterophylla

It really perked up when I replanted it. I tried to remove the glitter, but it would not wash off.

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The other rescue was an Minerva amaryllis bulb in a box. (Did anyone see those dipped in colored wax? )

I had all ready been given a Minerva, which has sprouted several inches since Christmas. When I saw this one crammed onto a clearance shelf, I knew its days were numbered.

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I brought it home, wet it down and peeled back some of the many dried, brown layers.  It stayed white for almost a week, but finally a little hint of green is showing at the top.

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I just couldn’t bring myself to rescue any of the spray-painted cacti.

Who are these people?

Follow the push-over Flower.

(Don’t anybody dare drop a puppy off at my driveway!)