Did anyone get plants forChristmas?

Happy "day after Christmas" everyone. I received a couple of new plants for Christmas: "Crown of thorns" and a purple pitcher plant which I am excited to learn more about. Anyone else get any new plants?

Not plants, but some really neat plant books!

LOL! My kids tell me I have so many houseplants that every window should have a "No Vacancy" sign. I've never had a pitcher plant but I've had both the red flowered and white flowered crown of thorns. You will love this plant--it's so easy to care for. If a piece breaks off it will root very easily.

No Plants just my favorite type of gardening gloves. I cannot have any more houseplants my husband teases me about livinging in the Rainforest
I tell him that is why we are so healthy. Every room has one or more plants

2 nice plants you have there! No plants for me this Xmas but I did give an Oncidium orchid ("Carnival Costume" with 2 spikes) to my sister. I need more plants like I need another hole in my head!

LOL!

No plants here for Christmas, I have way over 100 and I live in a small 2 bedroom apartment. I have a few plants coming to me in the Spring from a few trades though

I got a large miniature poinsettia. It is loaded with small bi-colored (green and red) flowers and is gorgeous. I live in zone 9 and we do get an occasional frost and once in a great while we do get a freeze for a few hours. I was wondering if this plant could be planted in the garden at Spring time and left to grow out there? Does anyone know? Will it have to be protected next winter if there is a frost or freeze? I have given up on plants that need that as often times even covering them didn't save some. I really don't want to lose this plant but it is really quite large right now and will surely grow more. Any thoughts?

"I got a large miniature poinsettia."

HUH??? LOL!

In Houston people grow them outdoors and they rarely freeze. Your temps should run about the same or warmer. I don't know where in FL Dade City is.

So, I received a Pointsetta....Any ideas on how NOT to kill them? I only to get any life out of them for 2 or 3 weeks. I have over 70 house plants that do well, but I just can't seem to be able to keep a Pointsetta...or is it normal?

Do they drain properly? Often the pots are wrapped in decorative paper and that keeps them from draining excess water when you water them. They're in the euphorbia family, so overwatering is usually the problem rather than underwatering. Only water when the finger test tells you they're bone dry. Needless to say, the better the light, the better they will do. Are they in a potting mix, or that stuff that feels like styrofoam? The former is what they need to live long-term. In MI, you can plant it outdoors in May, but it will die at the first fall freeze. You won't have the colorful bracts, but the green foliage is nice too.

Venus,
Bright indirect Sun, let soil dry out a bit between waterings. In March or April Cut it back in half and wait for new leaves to sprout. Start fertilizing every other watering with half strength miracle grow or any 10-10-10 at HALF the rate listed on the label. If it says 1 tablespoon per gallon do HALF a tablespoon.

Yes, the euphorbia was wrapped in decorative paper but I removed it. Thanks for the tip.

On another happy note: My birthday is coming up this weekend so my daughter is taking me plant shopping at Lowe's and Home Depot! She likes to pick up one or two nice plants at a time but I prefer to do lots of "rescues". Won't she be surprised? Might be the last time she volunteers to take/ go plant shopping with me.! LOL!

little, poinsettias are very easy to grow from cuttings. When the weather warms up, just cut off some stems and put them in potting soil in the shade. (Strip leaves off the portion that goes under the soil level.) Keep them in the shade, and water as needed, never letting the soil get completely dry until they begin to root. You will know they are rooting when they begin to put on growth. When you make the cuttings, there will probably be the "milk" sap typical of euphorbias. Let the cuttings completely dry before potting them. Overnight should be fine. Otherwise disease organisms can enter through the wounds.

Thank you for the info on the Poinsettia...and don't I feel like a doof! It's that dumb "decorative paper"...I left it on because it was pretty. Well finally I should have on that lives. Thanks again.

venus, good luck with your plant. If you want to leave the pretty "decorative paper" on there, you can poke holes through the bottom of the paper to let the water drain out. The holes won't show, of course, and it will still look pretty. When you water it you'd want to put the pot in the sink or somewhere so it can drain. Anytime you water a succulent (or any other plant) it's best to use lots of water and thoroughly wet the potting mix. If no water runs out the drain holes, you haven't watered it enough.

No, unfortunetly, my hubby doesnt know how to tell if its a hoya or not yet......lol. But will get more in the futur:)

As promised, my 19 year old daughter took me plant shopping today for my birthday and boy was I surprised! Instead of going for the "big full price guys" she went to the clearance table with me at Lowe's and between the two of us we brought home 7 new plants. I don't know what all of them are yet but I will have a lot of fun looking them up. One was a "corn plant" from the draceana family, maybe "fragrans", about 3 feet tall, 2 hoya plants, cream and green in color on bamboo hoops, name unknown, another bright green and yellow draceana, again name unknown, about 2 and a half feet tall, a draceana marginata in a 4" pot and a 4" pot of baby pony tail palms, probably 10 in the pot and some type of anthurium! The best part is we spent just a little over $15 for all these rescues and she loves them. She wants to set up her own plant stand with lights in her room! Another plant lover is born!

I got an indoor mini iris kit with bulbs and a minature grow your own bonsai kit

Let us know how you do with your new kits. Sounds fun!

okay Tommyr! It is a large miniature poinsettia!! LOL The plant is about 2' high and it is a good 2+' around. It is loaded with small blooms........31 to be exact and each bloom is about 2 1/2" across. The blooms are a lime green that turn red but stay edged with the green. Really a pretty plant but I think it would be happier in the ground come spring time. I just don't want the cold to kill it next winter. I did lose a regular poinsettia that was about 10 years old last year but maybe it was more than the cold that killed it off.
Thanks to Texas for their info. They are in 8a and I am in 9 so maybe I will give it a shot.

I broke down in Walgreens and bought a plant! lol I was there Christmas morning on my way to work and there were the "gifts" there.

a coffee plant in a coffee mug, and boy did this one look sad. so i bough her. She is doing great! Full and green and standing straight up, she's grown over 4 inches since i got her!

Now my only thought is that if I hear : "Feed Me Seymore" I'll be in trouble for sure! lol

I buy new plants every week, especially Coleus>

Dale, is that outside?!

Zone envy!

JuneBug,

It is a container that spends a great deal of time outside, but, today it is under cover.

This is a croton, they live outside, they are tougher than coleus>

Zone ENVY, anyway! They sure look lovely!

I really like that croton, mine is the more common type with rounded leaves. We had also grown it in HI, where we transplanted a super large (6'-8' or so) bush and then cut branches about 4' long and stuck them in deep holes in the ground and every single one of them grew into gorgeous bushes.
I had taken 45 cuttings of an overgrown coleous and planted them in a nursery area. Every one of them grew, too. Couldn't believe how easy it was to garden in HI.