Recently I stopped at a nursery in nearby North Attleboro after a quick visit to Attleboro's Capron Zoo, not expecting to find anything special. I was delighted to walk out with 5 plants, all in 4-inch pots, for a total of less than $25.

2.6.10

One of the new plants is Pearl Bells, which reminded me of Lucky Bells kalanchoe. The flowers are bell-shaped, in clusters and little larger than Lucky Bells. The colors of Pearl Bells' flowers are even more striking.

The bells are mostly dark red except that the bottom parts, which open like trumpets, are lime green -- matching the calyxes. The serrated leaves are practically the same.

Pearl Bells came from BG nursery in Ontario, Canada.

The accompanying label indicates the following growing tips: bright light, moderately dry soil, moderate home temperature.