apartment-worthy plants

I need some green up in this piece. Do I go with a philodendron since I know they grow well (thanks, 3l41n3!) or try something more adventurous?

be more adventurous also grow some herbs or some herb

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd118/embarchie/NOPLANTS.jpg

this is otm the majority of houseplants look so ugly, worse than no plants at all

tza, why are you so horticulturally timid, what is the back story.

she had a boyfriend who yelled PLANTS OUT PEOPLE IN a lot?

get some heirloom flowering plants
get a bay tree
get an oregano plant

get some green cochineal.

I overwatered/fed (I think?) a bunch of really big, beautiful plants in my v first apartment and I have been scared of my black thumb ever since.

I would like some herbs. Also maybe something that flowers.

i want to get a rosemary plant

Also I lived with a horticulturist for 2.5 years and I was too intimidated to grow things even though he only had one plant, outside. The landlords pulled it up and paved over the bed. O_o

there's a gerber daisy on my back stoop you can have. i'll water it to keep it alive if you think you want it.

there must be all manner and variety of stuff in my yard you can have.

But will it grow indoors? Gerber daisies are nice.

it's meant for the indoors, i think.

stoopsie

Hmmmmm how big is it? I would feel bad if I killed it :(

my lone house plant, a straggly ficus with a gin voice, said to ask you how fancy this apartment is that there are worthiness standards that have to be met, the air was blue with oxygen.

Your ficus seems judgmental.
My apartment is not fancy. But I care about the plants and I don't want them to die.

it's pretty little.

you won't kill it. i mean, it might die but not because you kill it. it's not gonna survive on my stoop for long so.

i just don't care about houseplants. no plants, no pets, no children. i got my own shit to worry about without having to take care of a dependent of any ilk. sorry if i sound callous. maybe i am callous, who knows.

lil ms soft hands talki ng baout callous

I see what you did there

got da
m rite

I always thought it was funny when guys in the south said cot damn

grow MARIJUANA POT PLANTS

Estela, how do you find living with this broad of a ficus? I find ficuses (ficusi?) to be v fickle and when they are not pleased, what a mess they will make with those leaves!

mine seems to thrive on nothing, i think our warm humid climate suits it. it doesn't really lose leaves, sometimes one will go yellow but it takes a lot of abuse for that to happen. i can go away for 2-3 weeks and leave it and then after some water it revives almost immediately.

That is quite a ficus. If I met her I would shake her hand. Or trunk. But maybe not because then leaves might fall.
Come to think of it, I saw some ficus trees thriving outdoors in Peru, which was very dry outside Lima. It is a mystery?

i watered your daisy for you, tehersa. it perked right up.

stoop-worthy plant.

aw. What if she develops separation anxiety?

we aren't that close i don't think either of us is very worried

Well just in case we can work out visitations or something.

lol you gonna haul that plant to my house on the bus every other weekend?

don't get any ideas about some shared custody shit. i'm not gonna give you money for plant food or new pots every september.

how about i visit you occasionally and say hey to the daisy when i'm there.

That's more what I was thinking :)

did i mention that it doesn't have flowers, just leaves?

well, actually, did i mention that it doesn't have non-shriveled flowers, just leaves?

You did not but that's alright. I don't care what those other people say, I'm gonna love it anyway.

you should transport it home on a bicycle built for two.

:)

i warmed my own heart with that post.

the notion more than the post itself.

i brought the daisy inside and cleaned it up a bit. looks pretty good!

my theory is that plants like a little stress. they try harder and are better for it. keeps em strong, not so "oh bring me every last thing all the time" lazylike.

daisylike

I bought some herbs yesterday: lemon verbena, lemon balm, and pineapple mint. They are all potted together, a fragrant theresome. My guess is they will struggle with indoor life.

Lol theresome! Oy I can't wait for real internets without autotext.

i'm going to miss your autotext.

I'm sure it will crop back up from time to time.

i will hey a kick out of that.

tehersome

Here are my new plants:
http://www.twitpic.com/8osej
Whatta pair!

yay they look so cute and happy!

The herbs started looking droopy and sad so I watered them. Hope this helps!
*developing*

i have hoped that hopeless kind of hope, it usually ends with you cutting your losses instead of your parsley.

ps estela, that's the daisy there on the right, all cleaned up for the changing of hands.

she scrubbed up well, little daisy doolittle.

tru confession: i was a little apprehensive there for a coupla days after all my proclamations of good health on the stoop and then the poor thing.... but all is well now, just look!

(even 'enry lost 'ope for a little while though, didn't he?)

are there lilac trees in the heart of town?
can you hear a lark in any other part of town?
does enchantment pour out of every door?
no, it's just on the stoop where you live!

<3

She seems happy so far! Thankig u, lx!

thankig u, t!

I didn't do anything!

there is good news and bad news.

good
plants are growing! new leaves! increased volume!
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp95/tza/102_9260.jpg
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp95/tza/102_9263.jpg

bad
something is attacking daisy :( i think it is a leaf miner of some sort :(
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp95/tza/102_9262.jpg
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp95/tza/102_9261.jpg

whatever it is has been busy! poor daisy, she's always been a little bit troubled.

those plants are awfully fluffy, though. good work, tehe.

they are bending towards the window; i have to remember to rotate them.
i hope i can fix this leaf miner issue :(

god, where's linghert when we need him!

i don't know if he would be too useful in this situation as when he found some pests on his flower he threw it away.

Although leafminer injuries are conspicuous, most leafminers produce injuries that have little, if any, effect on plant health.

leafminer injuries. what a world.

little, if any,

I'm proud to be a leaf miner's daughter
I remember well, the well where I drew water
The work we done was hard
At night we'd sleep, cause we were tired
I never thought I'd ever leave Butcher Holler

browsing the freecycle i found an offered redwood sapling. i think that is not apartment-worthy, but i can dream, right? imagine having your very own redwood!!!

i imagined it for a few seconds but now i am imagining something else.

what are you imagining right now?

i am imaging it would block all the sunlight and estela's magic ficus would drop its leaves in dismay.

i was imagining breakfast but now i'm imagining how tsky you would have been if you'd seen the sorry state of my thirsty ficus yesterday.

i think daisy has a bipolar disorder!

this morning, she was pert and happy, basking in the sun.
i went out for 2 hours and when i came home she was all wilted and droopy and oh so sad.
i gave her some water and 30 min later she was all happy again! so odd! the soil was dry around the edges, but still damp in the center! what a finicky little creature!

my formerly healthy cilantro plants look a little bit dead

The jungle corner:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2447/3758399564_47deed92d4.jpg

AND! One of the tomatoes has a FLOWER!!!:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2615/3758409092_3725ef9c32.jpg

wow nice work!

daisy is a bit of a nutter - her leaves stick up every which way the way my hair does when i get up in the morning
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp95/tza/102_9336.jpg

she has a new baby leaf
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp95/tza/102_9339.jpg

the herbs are really confused and tangled and not very happy with me right now
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp95/tza/102_9338.jpg

i'm going to try to find a philodendron since they seem to grow really well (like the one in my old office).

daisy keeps sprouting new leaves but her under leaves are yellow. i think she needs a new pot. i got one, now i need to get potting soil. i hope i don't kill her!
still no flowers.

http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp95/tza/utf-8BSU1HMDAwMTQtMjAwOTEwMDMtMjIxM.jpg

on the upside there is like 0 sign of leafminers :)

did u cut the yellow leaves off?

i was waiting for repotting day. should i do it now?

think i had a secret hope they would turn green and healthy again.

yeah, cut them and any other dead-looking leaves off. your plant will look happier the next day unless something's really wrong with it.

i took off the dead dead ones that were crunchy but i gotta get the scissors for those yellowers.

so i need a TALL skinny plant to go in a corner (like 1.5m high), but our room doesn't get much direct light - just filtered light thru venetian blinds that are usually closed. any recommnendations?

ficus?

reminds me i need a floor lamp

just spent all afternoon rearranging bedroom/living room, and all morning buying vintage furniture! now i need a couple plants to complete the look, but our house is so dark :(

Bamboo? Corn plant (some sort of yucca I think)? Snake plant (or whatever it's called - aka Mother-in-law's Tongue)? Some viney thing like pothos that you can train upwards?

now i want more plants.
but i am scared they'll get sick.

oh! philodendron maybe i will do that since my office one was pretty decent.

there are some tomato plants growing along my running path. maybe someone dropped part of a sandwich one day.

i got some ikea basil for 99¢. i think it is like a chia?
it is 1 week old and v cute.

http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp95/tza/IMG00031-20091010-2316.jpg

my herb pot is kind of like a medusa yin yang. the mint on one side is sad and crunchy and some of it is ok but v dark green. meanwhile the lemon balm is sprouting new leaves like no tomorrow. i don't know how to repot just the lemon balm and bid the mint adieu.

what is that thing on the floor???

it's the table. and it's a finger puppet from peru hah.

hello and please to be welcoming the newest addition to my family
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp95/tza/utf-8BSU1HMDAwOTctMjAwOTExMTctMTY0O.jpg
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp95/tza/utf-8BSU1HMDAwOTYtMjAwOTExMTctMTY0M.jpg

oh my, i may have just caught an attempted miner attack! they were still tiny larvae/eggs - not hatched and mining yet, thank goodness! and all on one leaf, which i promptly removed. daisy has just received a botanical insecticide shower.

the basil is sad now but ivy's doing well!

wish i had a microscope.

oh no! i think it might be rust instead :(

RIP daisy

ps this fine creature is looking for a good home
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp95/tza/utf-8BSU1HMDA0MDUtMjAxMDAzMjgtMTc0N.jpg

it looks so triumphant with its devil horns and perky demeanor, what did it do to daisy?

daisy succumbed to some menacing rust, but this fine lady seems to be immune :) very hearty - i forgot to water when i went away for 5 days and she perked right back up as soon as i re-hydrated. she also loves to lean into the light.

she sounds like a villain from a midday movie.

like most neglected housewives, she just needs a little attention to reach her full potential.

she looks like she is drunkly dancing to sisters are doin it for themselves.

oh estela i just had the heartiest of laughs ever
<3

:D

dear jaq,

how is ivy? did she get renamed?

<3, t

I was thinking today I need to put up a pic of Ms. Ivy Hedera - she's getting repotted tomorrow into a fancy chinese cachepot. We'll do a glamour shot!

What a lucky lady!

She's looking smashing:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4572778088_9269abf44c.jpg

gettin a little misty over here! she looks fantastic!!! <3 well done, jaq!

The search begins again. Almost bought a hanging ivy yesterday but it just didn't feel right.

I gave Ms. Ivy Hedera an up-do a few weeks back, with some bamboo chopsticks. So fabulous! Will post pics later.

Oh, you are so good to her! It fills me with a wistful happiness.

i need some houseplants in this place, it's barren

oopsie, I am in nz for two weeks and I forgot to water my ficus before I left.

!

I almost bought a teeny tiny palm but it seemed unreal.

Ms. Ivy, posing with a rose from the garden and bloomless orchid:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4738982447_f73de33a61.jpg

<3

i got two little houseplants yesterday! since i have money now i am starting to make a living room. i got a bookshelf/tv stand and some plants. i am gonna get a tv soon too. i'll take pix of the little plants later. my boss told me a long story about the ficus he had gotten as a hs grad present that just died a couple years ago (he is 48). it was cute.

welcome to the sandbox, little baby plants<3.

harbl, please post pictures of your plants!

oh oops. i still gotta charge the camera. i'm so behind on all the stuff i want to do.

Little Ms. Ivy got too big for the cachepot:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6014/6009559335_2b5d0efaae.jpg

oh, i am so happy to see her so healthy :)

lol you guys talking about daisy and ivy on the main board

lol, i couldn't resist.

it's utterly opaque and wonderfully so <3

:)

I saw so many daisies at the store the other day but I couldn't bring myself to replace the REAL daisy.

i always think about daisy when i see daisies.

aw.

Ms. Ivy has taken over the butcher block:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7109/7502289690_8cfa990c32.jpg

she certainly has. i'm afraid she is up to no good. i heard she's been having typing lessons. ignore me at your peril.

some, including me, have taken to calling her ms. connivy.

We totally had to move her away from the liquor cabinet, it's true.

The Geranium

When I put her out, once, by the garbage pail,
She looked so limp and bedraggled,
So foolish and trusting, like a sick poodle,
Or a wizened aster in late September,
I brought her back in again
For a new routine--
Vitamins, water, and whatever
Sustenance seemed sensible
At the time: she'd lived
So long on gin, bobbie pins, half-smoked cigars, dead beer,
Her shriveled petals falling
On the faded carpet, the stale
Steak grease stuck to her fuzzy leaves.
(Dried-out, she creaked like a tulip.)
The things she endured!--
The dumb dames shrieking half the night
Or the two of us, alone, both seedy,
Me breathing booze at her,
She leaning out of her pot toward the window.
Near the end, she seemed almost to hear me--
And that was scary--
So when that snuffling cretin of a maid
Threw her, pot and all, into the trash-can,
I said nothing.
But I sacked the presumptuous hag the next week,
I was that lonely.

--Theodore Roethke

♥♥♥

(so so so wish I'd gone to UW when Roethke was teaching there...)

i wish you had too. also, since we're wishing, that i had as well.

i have a very healthy lavender plant and i bought a mint plant today. i'm going to need container herbs for my yardless house if i get it.

Window box!

My sisters gave me a money tree for my apartment but so far I am still broke :(

I have inherited a plant I think is supposed to live outdoors. What do I do with this?

http://i59.tinypic.com/5ca7g2.jpg

Is that a hydrangea?

Yes!

Maybe you could bonsai it?

I am thinking of turning my "three season porch" into a greenhouse :)

btw my money tree didn't really survive the journey to our new home. it's still here but looking very sad. We even left out in a hotel and weby back for it but I fear it's a lost cause :(