Variegated Jade

Variegated Jade
Originally uploaded by Fordjones.

I had no idea you could blog photos that other people uploaded. Isn't this a beautiful plant?

In 2005, I received several variegated jade clippings and none survived. I really wanted one for a long while and to have it die on you, well, it was discouraging.

I keep dancing around on ebay when it came to trying to buy a variegated jade plant. I finally purchased one today when the seller told me it was rooted in a pot. I figured I'd have a better chance of buying one that was growing in a pot rather than as a clipping.

If the plant survives just fine, then I'll have to start some cuttings just in case the main plant up-n-dies on me.

Gollum Jade Plant

Gollum Jade Plant
Originally uploaded by dragonslumber.

I have this 'bad' habit of tossing clippings into unoccupied pots. Sometimes if leaves fall off, I'll gather them and toss them into a pot. Some root and some don't.

This picture here is of several gollum jade plants growing from the leaves I've tossed into the pot. Eventually I'll split the random cuttings into different pots (I have an easter cactus and some leafy plant growing in this same pot as well).

Dragon Arum (Dracunculus Vulgaris)

Dragon Arum (Dracunculus Vulgaris)
Originally uploaded by dragonslumber.

This one I am excited about. I got this back in 2005 and potted them up. It grew a plant but it went through an accident where the plant broke.

The bulbs struggled in the pot after which I don't know why as they did really well before. They were relocated to a bed but... no one knew where. Totally slipped the minds of us, it did. Not a good thing!

They never made a peep in 2006 so it was agreed that they died off. Imagine the surprise when we saw this! Apparently, over the long warm spell in December and January, they've been growing.

Sad thing is that we're now getting freezes, sometimes several nights in a row, so it's gonna be tough. The bulbs rested for an entire year and was ready to burst free but now winter seems to finally be giggling its way here.

I have placed a bucket over it in a lame attempt to protect it from the freezes but I have to face the possibility that they'll die down to the ground and will have to peek up when spring finally comes around.

It's just frustrating because everything actually grew during the warm spell. Nothing peeked out or budded or... No, everything grew and grew and now winter is coming around. Oy!

Another glimpse

Tangerine bloom
Originally uploaded by dragonslumber.

Blooms on a lemon tree. At least, I think it is. It has just started blooming and supporting fruits. All are still green so no idea yet.

Hm, Any idea on how to post more than one picture to a post?

Glimpse into my Greenhouse

It's smack dab winter around these parts so a building of a greenhouse was created several years ago with wood, nails, and plastic.

Most of my plants are currently jade plants which can't survive the cold winters. Most of my jade plants are of the one growing in a white pot. It turned 10 years old last month and hasn't done anything, really. After lots of thinking and talking with others, I am convinced that it is a dwarf variety that'll never get any bigger than it ever has been. I also have some hobbit jade, gollum jade, as well as some jade plants that I got that came from a plant that was very large so I'm very pleased to get some. I'd like to have a jade plant that would actually grow very big. I'm just disappointed that I struggled with my old one only to really come to the conclusion after a long time that it wasn't a 'big' jade.

Let's see... There's also two poinsettias, some thanksgiving cacti cuttings - Oh! Those long leaves are Pachira, I think? It was given as a gift and labeled as Money Tree. I believe there were 5 or 6 of them braided together. Unfortunately, all the others died off except for one that has hung in there and still appears to be growing.

And the plants growing in the plastic holiday santa cup is cucumber. I found a ziploc bag full of very old vegetable seeds so I decided to test the cucumber packet. All four seeds took. I really didn't think they would. After they grow a bit bigger, I'll have to find a very large pot for them to grow in. I've grown them in a large pot before and it's done fantastic as long as I water it heavily on a daily basis.