Gardening Indoors Again
Welcome to the garden friends! As I teased earlier, I have been a busy bee lately. I have been researching, studying, and gathering new and exciting plants to add to my gardens.
That's right – gardens plural. I will once again be working with an indoor and an outdoor garden. And thanks to my bright, beautiful home, I am able to embrace larger and more exotic plants these times as well as giving myself a true gardening space. I am starting a little later in the season than I wanted but due to quarantine many nurseries and garden shops have just started opening back up and receiving shipments from their greenhouses.
What that means for me is that I got a lot of my plants and my set up all at once so I will need to spread out these posts over time but you can check out my incoming flowers and plants on my Instagram @Melissagrows
As I joked before "a rattlesnake, a rabbit, and an umbrella walk into a bar" and which you've probably guessed if you've been following my Instagram, refers to 3 new plants that joined the household.
All three plants were purchased from Plant Decor Shop of Orange County (Website at plantdecroshop.com or on Instgram @ Plantdecorshop). I got a great deal on a rattlesnake plant, a rabbit's foot fern, and a variegated Hawaiian umbrella plant. I went for a smaller 4" potting this time. I wanted to start small this season and see where I was going with all my plants before I went too big indoors. I wanted to focus my large foliage outdoors for our barren and hot back porch.
The plants plants took under a week to ship to me and arrived in the finest plant pack I've had the pleasure of seeing (photo below). I have had plants shipped to me from all over the world and by far this is the best and safest packing I’ve experienced. A real credit to the amount of care Plant Decor Shop really puts into preserving their plant's quality for their customers.
The rattlesnake plant is an eye-catching treat with its reptilian-like leaf pattern and sensuous, purple underbelly. The leaves on my little plant have unfurled nicely in a wide, upright manner reminiscent of the striking stance of its namesake. The wavy edges of the leaves give the plant an appearance almost like it is slithering.
My friend "A", an environmental biologist and a keen window gardener herself, turned me on to these little plants during a Skype call with her. I was instantly taken by the rattlesnake’s unique appearance and coloring. I had been picking her brain on ferns, a plant I haven’t tried growing yet, when I saw her rattlesnake plants. I knew instantly that I need to try growing one in my home.
Rattlesnake plants themselves are native the to Brazilian rain forests and enjoy moist, warm temperatures in the semi-shade. They adapt well to the home, needing very little maintenance, indirect light, and a light watering. Even better, while they take their names from a poisonous snake, the Rattlesnake plant is actually non-toxic to pets.
As I mentioned, I had been picking "A"’s brain over ferns. Ferns and fungi are sort of her bread and butter and I’ve spent hours at her dining room table being delighted in conversations about both. I’ve never seriously attempted ferns myself before because I’ve always heard how fussy and delicate they can be growing. As well, I’ve always seen Boston ferns for sale and thought they looked amazing but their size is overwhelming for an apartment.
A lot of other garden blogs suggest asparagus ferns for beginners as they are far less delicate than their cousins and hearty growers. When I suggested I might buy this fern to "A", she immediately shook her head no before setting me straight as a friend. "A" said the first thing I will want to do as a tactical person would be to touch and run my fingers through the fern’s foliage. She let me in on a little secret that few bloggers will let you know – Asparagus ferns are spiky. Now we’re not talking the thorniness of a cactus but a noticeable poke that will spoil the sensation of the soft foliage's tickle.
I started wondering if I should try a sensitive plant or a maidenhair fern when I stumbled upon the Rabbit’s Foot Fern. Same family as the asparagus fern but lacking in the poking factor. The Rabbit’s Foot Fern (Davallia fejeenssis) gets its unique name from the adorable brown, fuzzy rhizomes that grow out from below the base of the plant. Rhizomes are actually creeping root stalks that are capable of starting new fern shoots. In a pot, these little fuzzy roots look like tiny paws poking out from underneath the fern. A lot of growers will actually grow their ferns in hanging baskets so the rhizomes can drape down the sides.
The fern itself has lace-like leaflets that have what is described as a “gauzy” appearance. It is a resilient plant for a fern and like its cousin, less temperamental compared to other ferns. The plant originates from Fiji and is non-toxic to pets, which is important to me with Buddy always following me around in the garden. Despite its calmer disposition, it is still a fern so in-direct bright lighting and misting is a must to keep the Rabbit Foot content.
Lastly, but not least, I went back to an old but tried and true grower in my window gardens ---the Hawaiian Umbrella plant. Amusingly, it is neither Hawaiian nor welcome to Hawaiian and Florida, both places where it is considered an invasive species. This invasive nature has actually earned it the less friendly nickname of the “Octopus Plant”. Admittedly, it does have an octopus like shape, but I still think it looks more like an umbrella, but you decide for yourself.
Now I’ve grown a green umbrella plant before in Indianapolis for several months. During that time it actually grew so quickly that I moved it out of my apartment and into my office to give the place some “green” space. After we moved offices, my boss at the time adopted the plant and I left with her when I moved to Texas.
This plant is so easy to care for beginners and it just has such a fun look that I love growing this plant. They grow quickly and are not fussy as long as they can get bright, in-direct lighting and plenty of water. Not that doesn’t mean soaked, they are by no means a bog plant, but they do like a good misting and a good, moist (not soggy) soil. If you’re interested in starting a bonsai, these are easy and fun to start shaping. Be careful though because they are poisonous to pets and people, so keep them out of reach.
For me, I wanted to try something with a little more color and I was tickled when I discovered a variegated Umbrella plant. The variegated version has what I can only call streaks of white shot through that striking verdant, glossy green leaf pattern. Right now the coloring isn’t as eye catching as the plant stands only about 5 inches high, but as the plant grows, those white shots of color will become even more standout and it will really captivate.
This is all just a taste of what’s to come. I’ve already started ordering more plants and I have been visiting my local nurseries to find unique plants that I would never have been able to find and/or grow in the Northeast. While dealing with the 105 F degree heat in Dallas might feel like a punishment, I am finding the upside is being able to enjoy the exotic and tropical plants that I never before I moved south.
Coming Up ----- Summer in Texas is sweltering but these plants like it hot. The porch garden is next!
If you want more updates or want to check out pictures of my travels, treats, and new plants, please check out my Instagram @Melissagrows
And for those that just want to check out my junior gardener and now traveling companion, Buddy the Malshipoo, you can follow him on Instagram @Buddyspass
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