pot plant shenanigans

There's been some expansion among the pot plants this year. The light bulb gardens were probably the first hint of a problem. I was looking up air plant containers and found that these could be purchased online for a few pence:

They're faked-up lightbulbs, vases in the shape of lightbulbs. I figured they'd make good airplant holders, but the moment I got them they screamed terrarium. Glass gathers condensation, which might make an airplant rot. But the various bits and bobs I did put in them are doing fine.

Then I started feeling a bit bored with the samiliness of many, many jade plants and stinky feet plants. This jelly bean seems quite happy to re-root any lost fragment, so it probably going to be just as much of a plant-spawning menace as the others.

A friend gave me this. It was in a delightful state of glossy health. That didn't last. Many dropped leaves later, it's finally reached an accommodation with its gloomy new home. It's in a ceramic pot, which I'll have to fix before winter or its roots will get too cold and wet.

Then there's the airplant situation. I found those little neon red ray-trace baubles on sale in Debenhams. The white one was an on-trend Christmas gift, which came with an included, half-dead, airplant. Half dead being one of airplants' natural states, all plants involved have since rallied and are now pupping merrily. The large prestigious-looking airplant came from a large prestigious-looking airplant stall at a garden show, where the lady on the stall told me that Spanish moss (also pictured) will flower if it feels sufficiently at home! Stretch goals!

This little trailer dries out too fast, and probably needs a bigger pot. It's up high, becxasue the kitten can't resist anything trailing. The Flamingo plant behind is also up high because he's a bit of an orchid-nibbler, which won't do him any harm, but he's too silly not to nibble lilies too, which will.

This helicopter-leaf succulent came from a friend who'd just had an overweighted flower-stem fall off. It's never flowered for me, but has dropped off numerous pups which are now scattered all over the place. That manky-looking leaf next to it is from a beautiful Streptocarpus called Harlequin Damsel. It came in slightly odd soil that's hard to keep water balanced, and suffers, and struggles, but never stops producing beautiful flowers.

The Chinese Money plant is such an on-trend plant I accidentally asked two people for one and they both came through. The more mature one is already sprouting children, so I'm sorted for these now. This one looks a bit hairy because it came to me in a terracotta pot that the kitten knocked off the shelf and rolled around the floor for half the night. The plant didn't die. They usually don't

I honestly don't know what that thing with weird bulbs at the bottom of the stems is. I got it from Wilko's mixed succulent shelf, which sometimes comes up trumps. It looks like someone tried to reproduce an onion using palm ingredients .... oh, and just like that, I've identified that it's a Ponytail Palm. Cute. The cactus shooting down between it is a Queen of the Night, according to the people I bought the cutting from. It's.... not dead?

The Monkey tail - another cactus with potentially fabulous flowers I've never seen - also came from a friend. It roots readily and he had a lot, probably from a parent plant collapse. The "Christmas" Cactus (I have December and June flowering plants) came from a more direct collapse, where I knocked over a very heavy plant at a party. The host instantly divided it and gave me half, which is top-notch hosting in any book.

Finally to the orchid that's currently in flower. This sinister little maroon moth has been a slow grower, but recently got her own container after I realised she was top-heavy in the pot she came in. This often precedes a growth spurt, so great things may be ahead of her.