Posted in Gardening, House plants, Uncategorized on June 3, 2013| 6 Comments »
Mould on Begonia Escargot leaf…
Oh dear. Pride comes before a fall! I had been planning to share some pictures I had been taking of three lovely indoor Begonias I bought at the Cardiff RHS Garden Show. But suddenly they are all but destroyed by begonia mould!
Where did (more…)
Posted in Gardening, House plants, Nature, Uncategorized, tagged Gardening, Nature on December 14, 2012| 5 Comments »
My paperwhite narcissi Ziva in early December – picture taken with my versatile Olympus C-765 Ultra Zoom
The pot of paperwhite narcissi was a bit of an experiment, really. I always thought they would be a good idea for Christmas and this year I actually got around to buying a do-it-yourself kit from Marks & Spencer.
I planted the three bulbs in their white oval pot on November 10 and the instructions said (more…)
Posted in Gardening, House plants, Uncategorized, tagged Gardening, indoor plants on October 24, 2012| 27 Comments »
I always thought of Ctenanthe’s leaves as pink and brown…
This is just a short post to pay tribute to a house plant I have lost. Her name was Ctenanthe, pronounced Tee-nanth-ee. I say “her” because that sound’s like a lovely woman’s name to me…
In fact (more…)
Posted in Gardening, House plants, Uncategorized, tagged Gardening, indoor plants on May 21, 2012| 7 Comments »
My new white Easter cactus or Hatiora gaertneri
It’s a couple of weeks now since the Cardiff Horticultural Show, but I thought I would share one of my purchases with you.
It’s a (more…)
Posted in Gardening, House plants, Uncategorized, tagged Gardening, indoor plants on December 14, 2010| 4 Comments »
My Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera russelliana) has grown a lot since last year - it usually sits on my study window ledge but I put it on the cooker hob for its portrait after I had washed off the dust from its greenery...
Last December I blogged on the subject of A Christmas cactus is for life – not just the festive season… and I urge you to go there and read a bit about the Christmas (or Holiday) cactus, Easter cactus and other succulents.
Schlumbergera russelliana in flower in December 2010
Schlumbergera russelliana in flower in December 2010
Schlumbergera russelliana in flower in December 2010
Posted in Gardening, House plants, Nature, Uncategorized, tagged Gardening, indoor plants on December 24, 2009| 1 Comment »
Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera russelliana) in bloom
The key to looking after cacti is to think about their natural habitat. It may come as a surprise to some people, but the plants we call “cacti” come in two very different types – the desert varieties, which are usually prickly and built for storing water, and the epiphytes, which are strappy and prickle-less and grow on trees in the jungle. All come from the New World.
Saguaro - Carnegiea gigantea in the Arizona Desert
Only recently have I realised this – in my youth I knew only (more…)
The Squirrelbasket 