Aralia Houseplants

Polyscias balfouriana (Aralia Balfour)

Back in the 1970s, I joined the houseplant craze and loaded my house with coleus, Swedish and many other ivy plants, dracena, pathos, creeping charlie, wandering Jew, spider plants, dracena, and even Boston and maidenhair ferns hanging from a shower rod in the bathroom, put there to help provide the necessary humidity in our dry Arizona climate. And, of course, my nicer specimen plants hung in macrame hangers of various sizes and weaves. Some of the smaller plants were housed in owl shaped pots--another fad that was going on at the time. I had about 25 or 30 plants, a meager collection compared to some others in my circle of friends and acquaintances. Plant acquisition in the 1970s was that era's version of keeping up with the Jones'. Some had upwards of 200 plants. Their homes looked liked mini-jungles. Even restaurants and shops had houseplants hanging from the ceilings and in rows of planters. Far out!

Macrame plant hangers weren't cheap back in the day, so I bought a few rolls of jute and some chunky ceramic beads and tried to make my own. I just couldn't get the weaving and knotting down, so my teen aged daughter did it for me and she finished a huge fancy hanger for me in just a few hours. That macrame hanger with its bright orange pot filled with a large trailing pathos became the focal point of our small living room. Groovy.

As with all fads, the houseplant collecting and macrame craze faded, and as my plants died they weren't replaced. Since those days, I've always kept one or two indoor floor plants (usually a dracena palm, money tree and some type of succulent) but in the past few years I've added a few smaller plants, and right now I have 12 total, including these two latest acquisitions.

The first, Aralia Balfour, is my favorite. It is about 24 inches tall and of the two Aralias, it is the easiest to care for and most hardy. Over watering is the biggest threat to this plant, so I'll have to pay special attention until I figure out what it will need in its environment. So, far, it's doing well and even has many new leaves.

 

Polyscias fruticosa (Ming Aralia)

The Ming Aralia is more fussy. It needs more humidity, so I keep the pot in a shallow dish  with an inch of water to bring up the humidity for it. The water does not touch the pot, so the plant won't get waterlogged and develop root rot. I also spray it with water, usually once a day. Ming Aralias are known for leaf drop, so I'm keeping a close eye on this to make sure it's not excessive. As with the Balfour, it is important not to over water. I'm hoping my two new plant additions last as long as my Money Tree and Dracena marginata, both of which are now 11 years old.

All Green Tuesday

One of my earliest memories is being lifted up high so that I could pull lemons off a tree. Even at about 18 months old, I loved lemons--I'd take a bite, shudder and grimace, and take another bite! My parents even recorded it in a home movie--a long, long time ago! Although I grew up around citrus orchards and loved all varieties of citrus, I did not plant my own citrus trees until the 1980s. We had one grapefruit tree and the two of us ended up eating all 92 grapefruits one year--not letting a single one go to waste. Then, for twenty years, I didn't have any citrus trees in my garden, until I purchased a Dwarf Meyer Lemon last year. It is in a huge pot, and will stay there. Currently, it has 20 lemons on its spindly branches, which I've had to tie up because the lemons are actually too heavy for the trunk and branches. The lemons are slowly turning yellow and ripening and will probably be ready by December. I found a split lemon last week and rather than throw it out, I cut it open and tasted it. It had a slightly sweet taste, far less tangy than I expected, even though it was far from ripe.

Earlier this year I purchased a couple of these unidentified plants for $1.00 at a Dollar store while looking for some plastic containers. I know a lot about desert plants and can identify most of them, but I'm usually at a loss with other types of plants. Recently I learned that this plant (the second one dried up within days of purchase) is an African Violet. I've learned the hard way not to get water on the leaves, as they invariably die. It's hard to water without getting the leaves wet because the leaves are so low they touch the soil. It has yet to bloom. After I learned what kind of plant it is, I read about its care, and surprisingly, I had done all the right things--location, watering, etc. Except for using extra care in keeping the leaves dry!

Does anyone know the name of this succulent? This was another unlabeled plant I picked up last year. It's done very well in the house, so I will continue to keep it indoors, but would like to know its genera and species so that I can learn more about it. I can't find it in my succulent dictionary.

Update:

(My blog friend, Georg, a succulent expert from South Africa, has identified this plant as Haworthia cymbiformis var. umbraticola. Others suggested H. cooperi, and Georg says this is not too far from wrong, as the two species do mix where distributions overlap.)

Sansevieria trifasciata 'Moonshine'

This plant came to me as a free offshoot from our Cactus and Succulent Society monthly meeting, where folks bring in unwanted plants, offshoots and cuttings. It has done very well and has put out a number of offshoots of its own now, almost filling the large pot I have it in. This hybrid has become my favorite Sansevieria because of its wonderful coloration.

Former House Plants

Zamia furfurfacea

This former houseplant is part of the Cycad family, and is commonly known as the Cardboard Plant because its leaves feel like cardboard. This odd plant is one of the 'living fossil' plants that have been around since prehistoric times. Another Cycad is the Sago Palm, and although they both resemble palms, they are not really palms at all. I've had this Zamia in the house for awhile, but decided it needed to be outside on the patio instead. It does well outdoors in USDA Zones 9-11, as long as the temperature stays above 28ºF. As much as I love plants, I really don't like to have a lot of plants in the house. I usually end up moving them outside after I get tired of looking at them cluttering up my house. Some survive, some don't, but I think this one has a good shot at thriving as a patio plant. It's drought tolerant and takes very little care.

Sansevieria trifasciata

Although this Snake Plant was a houseplant for only about five days, it still qualifies in my book as a former houseplant. At the time I purchased it, I really thought that for once I'd keep one of these in the house as a plant for a low light area, but after placing it, I decided it needed to be on the patio, just like all the other Snake Plants I've had in the past. I just didn't want to look at it every time I walked by the area I placed it, so out it went. It remained on the patio a few months, then, I decided it would make a good yard plant. I'd never seen these used in a landscape before, and one source warned that the S. trifasciata would quickly get out of control with numerous offshoots if placed in a garden. It's been in the ground for about six months now, and it has, indeed, produced quite a few offshoots. I've let them go as it has a lot of room to spread out. Once it puts out enough offshoots to fill the area to my liking, I'll start removing any new offshoots. I say this with conviction, however, I should know better. I can't seem to keep up with all the Agave pups growing around many of the Agaves in my landscape, and now I've added another garden chore!

Chrysactinia mexicana

Because this is Bloomin' Tuesday, I thought I'd better throw in a photo of one of my blooming landscape shrubs, the Damianita Daisy. When this plant is in bloom, it's gorgeous, but when it's not, it's the ugliest thing you can imagine, with woody gaps of dried stems and foliage that leave bare spots all over the plant. It blooms off and on from late spring to early fall. When the foliage is distrubed, it has a sharp, turpentine-like scent that I think is pleasant. I lost several of these shrubs this past summer, and right now, this is the only one in bloom of those that are left. I just avert my eyes when walking by the others.

Who Can Resist Luck, Money, Fortune?

This pretty houseplant, Pachira aquatica, is found in the rainforests of Mexico, Central, and South America, where and it can grow to 75 feet high. It produces large, fragrant white flowers and large fruit pods. The tree is cultivated for the edible nuts, which are said to taste like peanuts

It has several appealing common names that attracted me as much as the beautiful foliage and braided trunk. Called the Money Tree, Money Luck Tree, Fortune Tree, Provision Tree, and Water Chestnut, I decided taking it home would be a good idea. Although I am not superstitious nor a devotee of Fung Shui, I did follow the placement instructions for maximum monetary benefit. I think if truth be told, those instructions were for the health of the plant more than for harmonious environmental balance or attracting luck and money.

My Money Tree is now nine years old. As a houseplant, it is a breeze to care for, needing only high or moderate light, and warm temperatures. I water it weekly. I made a couple of mistakes in its care over the years. The first was placing it on the patio one spring and the intense light damaged the leaves, which eventually fell off, leaving it scruffy looking for a few months. The second was not regularly pinching back new growth to keep it full. It got quite leggy and wasn’t very attractive for a period. I’ve since corrected that and now it looks great

I’ve learned that my plant is not one, but three. Any time this plant comes with a braided trunk then three plants are in the pot and the stems braided together. That is the best way to know it is a houseplant. In regions where it can grow outside, it is sold as a single plant for landscape use.