Mine is a first-generation parlor palm, practically hidden away among dracaenas and the arrow head plant in the mixed planter. The original plant has also unobtrusively sent out a new shoot that has grown into a tiny plant.

Palm plant has very attractive, slightly arched and long, slender, ribbon-like leaves in light green color. The plant looks exotic, elegant yet delicate, fragile and wispy, just opposite of the rubber plant. I must admit that it has never received much attention from me.

There are areas of discoloration on some of the leaves on both the main plant and the young one. I will need to a keep a closer eye on them.

Palm plant belongs in the family Arecaceae or Palmae ( Palm family), with more than 2500 species, originated from rainforests in Mexico and Guatemala. It prefers moderate to high humidity, bright indirect light and very minimal fertilization.

Palm's symbolism, according to Wikipedia:

Palm branch is a symbol of triumph and victory.

In Judaism, the palm represents peace and plenty.

The coconut palm is a symbol of a tropical paradise.

The picture of palm tree is on the flag of Guam, Haiti, Samoa and the state of Florida.

3.21.03

...and calandiva, with double flowers, at various times in the past, but have not been able to get either one to bloom again until this winter.

2.2.10

Kalanchoe is a perennial flowering plant, with multiple blooms and buds, sold in small pots at most flower shops. Yet it is treated more like an annual that gets discarded after the blooming period has passed.

I have been nurturing 2 kalanchoe plants in large planters mixed with several non-flowering house plants since April 2008. I transplanted the smaller one to a 4-inch pot and the bigger one to a 6-inch pot, keeping them as indoor house plants. Neither one produced any buds the entire first year despite their healthy appearance. Nevertheless, I enjoy looking at their succulent, glossy, dark green leaves the same way I do my old jade plant, which also belongs in the same Crassulaceae family.

Last summer I planted both of them in the shady area in my back yard and transplanted them back in the containers before the arrival of the first frost. They have grown much bigger both in height and width.

Two weeks ago I unexpectedly found some buds on the small plant and the blooming period soon followed, one flower at a time.

1.23.10

Last week several clusters of tiny buds appeared on the other plant and the first bloom has just opened up today.

2.3.10

I still cannot quite believe that it's really happening ... my kalanchoes are blooming again.

Rubber plant (Ficus elastica), a cultivated, ornamental house plant, belongs in the family Moraceae (fig family), a native of India and southeast Asia. It is said to be among the oldest plants used as a house plant worldwide. It requires no special maintenance, is adaptable to low light in moist, well-drained soil and occasional fertilizing.

The rubber plant I have is relatively small and has been slow growing since it was given to me 2 years ago. I wish I had paid more attention to it from the beginning and recorded how tall it was or how many leaves there were on the plant. I wonder if it could have started out with just 3 leaves like the one in the O. Henry's story. There are now seven leaves on the plant and the top four leaves appear to be very young.

I have always appreciated the rubber plant. The large, oblong, thick, dark, emerald-color leaves represent special characters/qualities that I associate with toughness, richness, beauty and inner strength. I now look at the plant with fondness and quiet admiration.

I have kept the plant in the same planter it came in and it seems happy being with all other plants. I suppose at some point it will need to be transplanted and to have more space to grow.

I can guarantee that no one who sets foot in my house will ever confuse the rubber plant with magnolia tree.

a

I had prayer plants years ago, before my gardening venture, when I hardly knew any plant's name. I came across pictures of prayer plants while trying to learn more about my house plants and hoping I could grow one again.

Yesterday I happened to find one at a supermarket in a 4-inch pot for $4.99

Prayer plant, a rhizomatous perennial from rainforest in tropical Central and South America, is in the family Marantaceae, with about 20 species in the genus Maranta.

It is also known as herringbone maranta, because of the red veins on the leaves, rabbit track and rabbit's foot plant because of the appearance of the unusual markings.

I could hardly wait until dark to see the leaves close up like hands in a prayer position and re-open with the morning light, after reading that "This plant will amuse you with its behaviour: close to the evening the leaves start slowly folding up, until completely closed in the dark. Then it will open the leaves back again in the morning."

I placed the plant in a spot with total darkness but the vertical closing of the leaves did not occur for me. I'll keep checking the plant/leaves every night for a while.

In the meantime, I will enjoy looking at the broad, oval, colorful leaves in different shades of green with red fish-bone veins and reddish-purple undersides.

1.1.10

Arrowhead plant, a native of South America, is in the Araceae family, the same as caladium and pothos.

1.14.10

Care Instruction :

Watering: Keep the potting mix moist in summer. Water less often in winter.

Humidity: Average room humidity.

Temperature: Normal room temperature (60 - 75 degree F)

Soil: Potting mix with good drainage

Light source: Bright light is preferred, but will tolerate low light.

1.26.10

My lone arrowhead plant is thriving in a large decorative planter, mixed with several other house plants. I have had mine for almost 2 years and it will soon need a trellis for support.

It has continued to give me lots of pleasure and brighten my days.

Silver lace fern is my first indoor fern. I picked it up a few days ago for $6.99 in 4-inch pot.

The fronds are very attractive and quite unusual, with multiple variegated leaflets in silvery white and slightly ruffled, light green borders. They give the feelings of lightness and daintiness. I am sure anyone who sees it will fall in love with it.

Silver lace fern is an ornamental perennial fern, native to China and South East Asia. It belongs in the Pteridaceae family.

Care instruction:

Bright indirect light.

Abundance of water and high humidity.

Moist and well-drained soil.

Fertilize monthly with fish emulsion.

I plan to plant it outside in late spring or early summer and bring it back indoors again in the fall to join all other house plants during the winter months.

Yesterday, I went grocery shopping in Providence on the East Side and walked by the flower department. One flowering plant in a 4-inch pot ($5.99) with attractive foliage and orange bell-shaped flowers grabbed my attention.

The leaves are succulent, dark green with jagged edges. The multiple blooms, reminding me of hyacinth, varied from yellow to orange. There are many more buds on the upright stems. The accompanying label bears the name Lucky Bells. I have never seen this flower before and considered myself lucky to have found it.

Lucky Bells is "a newly developed variety of Kalanchoe that bears clusters of pale green tubular flowers on the end of the stem that look as though they are floating on air", according to this kalanchoe website, printed on the back of the label.

The care instructions indicate that it needs "much light, can also stand direct sun light. Keep moist, do not let soil to dry out. Feed once every two weeks. Ideal temperature 12-21 C/54-70 F. Dead blooms should be removed".

I hope Lucky Bells will grace my sunny front window many more weeks, perhaps until spring arrives..

I usually got them in small (3-inch) pots and they looked full and healthy for a while, even producing tiny purple flowers; then the leaves fell off, the plant lost its luster and died.

Polka dot plant is said to be a "like-it or hate-it plant". I have always liked it and could not understand why anybody would hate it. There is something delicate and fragile about it. The foliage is very attractive and different from all other plants, with pink blotches or splashes.

Polka dot plant is known to prefer very bright filtered light, high humidity and some sun, although it should tolerate lower level of light. One website recommends that it is watered "with rainwater or tap water which has been allowed to set for 24 hours so that the chlorine and other chemicals can dissipate from it."

I have kept the last plant I purchased about a year ago in the kitchen area with no direct sunlight. It has since thinned out and become leggy; yet I think this one will survive. I've just moved it to a sunny location and hope it will do better.

I recently cut off 2 stems and placed them in a small vase. Both have formed healthy roots and new leaves: One has light pink splashes...

and the other one has much darker blotches.

Polka dot plant, a native of Madagascar, belongs in the family Acanthaceae, genus hypoestes with over 100 species.

Dendobrium belongs in the family Orchidacea, genus dendrobium which contains approximately 1200 species. The name came from Greek words, Dendron = tree and bios = life, which means "one who lives on trees'' (epiphyte), according to Wikipedia.

1/2005 .. dendrobium grown on a tree in Thailand

Dendrobium is often referred to as Den and are reported to be in demand by orchid lovers, resulting in countless hybrids and varieties, including Noble Dendrobium (D. nobile) breeds.

A few weeks ago I saw a very pretty pink-and-white dendrobium with multiple blooms at a local market, but it did not come with a name tag. Yesterday I stopped at the same market and purchased a beautiful dendrobium from their new shipment, with larger blooms in purple and white, in a 4-inch pot, almost 2 feet in height.

The accompanying label read : Den. Upin King Serenade (#195), (Yamamoto).

There are 15 blooms on it with 3 more buds yet to open.

They are so beautiful that this morning my 6-year-old grandson asked, "Are they real?"

Dendrobium are not known to be easy to grow.

They are known to help purifying the air by removing zylene and methyl benzene.

Red-edged Dracaena, a native of Madgascar, is in Ruscaceae family and genus Dracaena, which has about 40 species. Lucky bamboo is also in the same genus (species, sanderiana).

The leaves of red-edged marginata are dark green, long, narrow with pointed tips and red stripes along the outer edge, supported by a slender cane. The canes can be straight or curved (one of mine is tilted -- I believe because it was leaning toward the brighter light source). New leaves grow from the top and mature leaves at the bottom drop away

One of the three plants I have is in one container with pothos, while the other two are in a larger container grown along with arrowhead plant, pothos, palm plant and rubber plant...

and another kind of dracaena (wernecki).

1.16.10 .. D.wernecki in the foreground

Dracaena is known to be an easy plant to grow indoors. It requires minimal watering. The optimal temperature is 75 degrees, although all my plants are doing well in the relatively cool, but sunny living room.

Dracaena is one of the plants used in the NASA Clean Air Study and has shown to help remove formaldehyde.

Pothos, Epipremnum aureum, also called Devil's Ivy, is said to be the Number One house plant, because it is hardy, easy to take care of and the heart-shaped leaves are very attractive.

Most of us who like indoor house plants have probably had it at one time. I recall having them at various times and at one point a pothos climbed up onto the curtain valance. Some of us have probably tried to grow them hydroponically.

Yet, after a while they seem to die off, perhaps because we forgot to take proper care of them.

Here is the instruction of how to take care of pothos :

"Keep the plant on the dry side... Pothos doesn't like wet feet.

Under lower light levels and cooler temperatures the soil should be allowed to dry about half way down. Try not to soak the soil but water lightly around the entire pot.

Generally it only needs water when the soil begins to feel dry to the touch. For best results a liquid fertilizer can be added in spring, and they should be repotted every couple of years. However, this is a robust plant that can stand a very high degree of abuse.

Prune it back. Be selective and trim the vine back to 2 inches from the soil line. This will help promote new growth and make the plant fuller...".

Pothos is known to have benefits in removing indoor pollutants (formaldehyde, xylene and benzene).

Pothos belong in the genus Epipremnum and the Araceae family with numerous cultivars and different variegation (white: Marble queen, yellow: Golden pothos, and light green: Neon).

My new generation of pothos have been with me roughly two years, thriving in a large container along with other plants. I never quite know whether I water all the plants adequately or how the water is drained at the bottom. During the spring, summer and fall, I try to empty out the excess water at the bottom of the planter and occasionally briefly expose the plants to fresh air and direct sunlight

I have just cut off a couple of branches and put them in the water.

I hope they will grow well so that I will soon have the next-generation pothos for friends and neighbors.

I have just found out that this plant is very popular because it can withstand neglect and is drought-tolerant. I have also learned that it likes bright, indirect light and that hot, direct sunlight can cause the leaves to burn.

I have kept my plant in the sunny living room between the mantel and a bookcase, which turned out to be the proper thing to do -- although according to one source notes, "it can adapt to most lighting conditions as long as there is some light source."

The umbrella plant's botanical name is Schefflera arboricola, in the genus Schefflera (named in honor of a 19th century German botanist, Jacob Christian Scheffler) and in the Araliaceae (Ivy) family.

The plant has long oval-shaped leaves with pointy tips on relatively long stems. There are five to nine shiny leaves on each stem tip, arranged in a round or umbrella shape.

The young leaves are small and thin in light green color which become darker, bigger and thicker as they mature.

Today, as I take a closer look at the neglected plant, I begin to appreciate its uniqueness. I took out the leaf polish which had not been used for more than 20 years and gave the leaves a nice shine.

It will definitely get more attention from now on.

Croton prefers bright light, heat and humidity. They grow quite tall and large outdoors in a tropical climate such as Florida and Hawaii. This Florida website stated, "It's quite a challenge to keep these beautiful foliage plants healthy outside of the tropics or a greenhouse. They need to be kept warm and humid."

I keep my croton by the sunny front window in the living room all year round and water it about once every 7 to 10 days.

I collected the dried, fallen leaves at the base of the plant from time to time, while making a mental note that I should water it more frequently. I routinely add liquid fertilizer to the water once a month. The plant is thriving and producing new growth with bright green leaves.

Croton is the native of Southeast Asia. It belongs in the Euphorbia family, with several hundred cultivars and wide varieties of leaves in sizes, shapes and colors.

There is a croton society, based in Tampa, Fla. with more information on the plant and wonderful photo gallery.

1.9.2010

There's plenty of snow on the ground and nothing much to do outdoors, I will take this opportunity to get to know all my house plants, some of which have been with me for many years.

Most of my non-flowering house plants were given to me on various occasions. I intuitively took care of them and they somehow survived. Now that I make an effort of getting to know them, I hope each one will benefit from a better and proper care.

Snake plant, Sanseviera trifasciata, a native of tropical West Africa, belongs in the Agavaceae family.

The dark green leaves grow vertically, firm and stiff, with light green to white horizontal markings across the leaves. My snake plant has grown both in height and width. The tallest leaves are about 4 ft.

There are also many new leaves growing at the bottom of the plant.

Snake plant got its name from the shape of the leaves. It is also called mother-in-law's tongue, because of the sharpness. The leaves have strong plant fibers and were once used to make bowstrings, according to Wikipedia.

Snake plant is very popular among house plants because of its capacity to tolerate low light levels and irregular watering. It supposedly needs watering once every couple of months in the winter. It can easily rot if overwatered.

Snake plants improve indoor air quality by removing toxins (i.e. nitrous oxide and formaldehyde).

10.2.04

Last month I thought it time to give it another try. There were plenty of buds on the plant grown in a 6-inch container I picked up from a nearby nursery. I have been enjoying the distinctive jasmine fragrance for several weeks, especially in the evening and early morning.

12.16.09

Jasmine flowers bloom during the nighttime and usually fall off after a day or two. There are now only few buds left on the plant. I will try to keep it alive indoors until the spring and perhaps - with a little bit of luck, it might grow outdoors.

Jasmine flower is very popular in Asia and especially in Thailand. It has become part of the Thai culture to bring garlands made of jasmine to Buddhist temples.

Jasmine belongs in the genus jasminum, and olive family (Oleacea), with over 200 species.

Jasmine came from a Persian word, Gift of God ( according to Wikipedia and is often used as a girl's name.

It is the national flower of Pakistan and "a symbolic flower of Damascus, Syria, which is called the City of Jasmines."

Jasmine is used in tea, syrup, desserts, perfumes and incense.