Adventures in houseplanting.

I LOVE having plants in the house. They're pretty and they liven the place up and just plain make me happy.

Trouble is, keeping the things alive seems to be a bit of an issue. I'm trying, and I think I'm learning... but damn. Is it just me, or is successful houseplanting a little tough to "get the hang of"? Sheesh. The aloe vera I blogged about back in March has long since perished. Same with this beast. Killed them with kindness, I guess... I'm pretty sure I ended up over-watering both.

So I bought some new plants, and plant food, and am trying my hardest to only water them when I think they need it. Which honestly is still a bit of a puzzle... short of shoving my finger in the soil and busting the roots all to hell, how exactly do I know for sure that a plant NEEDS water, anyway?

But, I do think I'm making progress. My new plants, for the most part, seem to be doing okay. I've started watering them from a basin beneath the pot instead of from the top, which appears to be working well. I can even see that the plants have grown... that's gotta be a good sign, right?

Anyway, let me introduce them to you.

First, a big leafy number I saved from Wal-mart. Saved. They had a whole bunch of them marked way down because they were clearly on the brink of death. This guy is looking MUCH better these days than he once did, that's for sure...

Next, my African Violet, which I also saved from Wal-mart. The blooms on it are pretty well spent. It's grown a little in width since I got it, so I'm pretty confident I'm not killing the poor thing. Someday I'm gonna get brave and try to start a new violet plant from one of its leaves. I've read it's quite easy to do.

Next up is a "Gerbera" I got at the Stupid Store. It had really pretty daisy-like blossoms when I bought it, which later wilted... normal, or so I've read. This plant was growing like CRAZY, until last week I noticed that the roots were growing out from the holes in the bottom of the pot and it looked ready to tip over at any moment! So -- get this -- I REPLANTED the sucker into a bigger pot last weekend! I have no idea whether or not it'll live... I guess we'll see. Unforunately, it isn't much to look at when there aren't any flowers...

Which brings us, finally, to the plant that currently has me absolutely puzzled. It's a "Calandiva" apparently, which I picked up a few weeks ago at Sobey's. The thing didn't look too hot when I bought it in the first place, so I saw it as a bit of a challenge I suppose. Honestly, I have no idea whether it's dying, or thriving!

Check out the big leaves on the left. They don't look good at all... yellowish and turning brown and obviously withering away. But look at what I noticed today....

All kinds of new, baby leaves! And buds that weren't there before! Certainly encouraging, but what the hell is going on with the rest of the plant?? I'm thinking those lower leaves should be removed? Or, should I just let them go and see what happens? A puzzle indeed. Suggestions are welcome!

So there you go, my latest adventures in houseplanting. Quite a challenge, as it turns out... but definitely a fun one. Wish me continued luck!