Blooms for the First Day of School

August 18, 2020Leave a comment

I’m exhausted. The day started OK, other than early. I spied a bloom on my air plant and decided it was a good omen. I thought positive thoughts to try to prepare myself for a full day of orientation followed by welcoming students to a different program in the evening.

All’s well until I go to let my pups out and discover my poor senior was having major GI issues. I mopped her up and headed to work. I had 25 minutes to prep for orientation and my computer crashed. OK, keep thinking positive.

We hired a new faculty. That was good . . . Until she quit 3 hours later. Then, I return home to find my senior pup in worse shape than this AM. I wonder if it’s something she ate or if it’s getting close to her end time.

She got a bath, I made the world fresh again. And had dinner. It’s 9:20 and I’m sitting down for the first time all day. No wonder my thyroid won’t stabilize. I’m grateful for three nice blooms today . . . Plus the air plant.

Curious World

November 24, 2019November 24, 2019Leave a comment

Air plants are strange little things. I’ve had a few, but never really got into them until this year. Maybe putting them out for the summer and seeing a lot of growth helped.

Air plant in amber glass container.

I read a book on them called Air Plants: The Curious World of Tillandias. The book showed them in arrangements with succulent, and that fascinated me.

Air plants dance in hanging baskets.

I also like the airy appearance that they give to my winter plant menagerie.

Larger air plant with nice red color.

They come in large sizes, which makes them look more like a real plant.

Small air plants in Native American pots.

Or small sizes, where they look like mineature desert plants.

Air plants perched on holders add character to this large pot succulent arrangement.

They come in lots of colors and add to the variety of the succulents, while mimicking the shape of agave and yucca. And, the blooms are cool!

Reddish color highlights this air plant in hanging glass container.

I’m about at my limit, though, because it isn’t humid here so they need a spritz a couple times a week. I have enough on my plate with work, yard, house, and pet menagerie.

Air plant in a specially designed stone holder.

I have killed a few, but have lots more pups. Cautiously optimistic that I won’t burn out caring for these beauties. I even have one serving as the star on mt pencil cactus with kokomo succulent ornaments.

Air plant perches above my pathos.

They do create a curious world and I’m a curious girl.

Air plant in macrame hanger.

This week, I move my evergreen daylilies into the porch for 3 months. And, then, it begins to turn into spring!

Air plant in pumpkin glass container.

SAD: Succulent Addictive Disorder

October 27, 20191 Comment

The days are about to get colder and darker. We are back in severe drought in my corner of Colorado. The wet spring was nice, but gone once our monsoon season was mediocre. I did put leaf mulch on my daylilies and started winter watering last weekend.

My echeveria after the sprinkler hit it last month.

I have thyroid disease and so time changes/dark days are difficult for me. Full spectrum light can help. I believe my mix of full spectrum, flourscent and purple plant lights help. I also think living in an indoor forest boosts positive energy. Something is always coming into bloom. Right now, it’s my vanda orchid, azalea, poinsettias and begonia. The Thanksgiving cactus aren’t for off. January/February will bring the orchids.

One of my poinsettias coming into bloom.

Speaking of orchids – I have over 40. They fill two rooms. They were what got my through some tough times, working at home fulltime (isolation) and separation from family. Now, I work long weeks away from home. Orchids are hard to keep up with . . . There are too many. And, my environment is nothing like their natural habitat.

One of my new orchid pots.

I’ve spent a horrific amount of money the last two months. I converted the orchids back to wood chips (from water), because that doesn’t require as much work. But, I needed several new orchid pots.

Red bromeliad – a mail order neo from Florida.

Then came the shift to air plants, succulents, and bromeliads. I gave away plants that didn’t fit the new theme. I bought new plants to create my new reality. The house feels a little different, more fun. More creative. My bank account . . . Hmmm.

My new succulent pot with crassela, aloe, miniature sansevieria, and others.

Yesterday, I played with succulent containers. It was my Saturday escape. I got 3 kinds of crassela, a reddish sempervivum, an aloe, a miniature sansevieria, a turquoise one with teardrop leaves – need ID. I used an outdoor pot whose plant had died.

Fountain converted into home for succulents and an air plant. I want to paint the frog green.

I added a couple of new succulents to the two converted fountains that I started using for succulents.

My Toki Dokie bird fountain converted to a succulent garden.

I felt pretty awful yesterday. Mostly tired, I just wanted to sleep. But, despite wondering what I was doing shopping for succulents when I felt so poorly, it turned my energy around.

Air plants hang from baskets in my kitchen window.

Creativity is a strength. It’s my top one. I have an appreciation of nature/beauty strength and curiosity in my top 5 strengths. Bringing those out really helped.

My new red desert rose plant.

I’m way over budget and out of light for more plants. I need to find other outlets for these strengths. I’ve thought of painting succulents. I love painting daylilies. Still, my art cove feels a little isolated. I’ll figure something out between winter watering my daylilies. In the mean time, I’ll live with my SAD: succulent addictive disorder.

PS, I’m considering at Etsy sales page once I have enough cuttings.

Sexy Succulents

October 18, 2019October 18, 2019Leave a comment

I’m changing my inside plant scheme to largely succulents and air plants. Succulents are cool because they come in all shapes, colors and sizes. And, they require little care.

So, I found a few books on designing with succulents. I need to do more with group arrangements and pots that have a theme. I tend to grab whatever pot is empty.

I usually come home from my spring Southwest road trip with Senora desert dwellers. So, I’ve had succulents in my collection for a long time. Just now, with a crazy work schedule, they make more sense that orchids. Especially water culture orchids.

My orchids are now all moved to bark. They have cool pots. I just have so many! Maybe I will give some away as gifts at some point.

Air plants, succulents, and bromeliads is my new focus. I read one design book on mixing air plants in succulent displays. I like the effect a lot.

Freeze is upon us for a couple of weeks. Leaves are falling. I haven’t watered daylilies much this month, and we are headed back to drought weather. Leaves are falling, soon to be daylily mulch for the winter.

Come spring, I have plans to turn my old fountain into a succulent garden. I bet I could mix in a few daylilies – minis. I need to think about this idea!

Air Plant Blooms

October 2, 2019Leave a comment

It’s funny. My outdoor garden started as miscellaneous Walmart plants. Now, it’s mostly daylilies.

My indoor garden is shifting from orchids and miscellaneous to air plants/bromeliads, orchids, succulents – begonias, amaryllis and succulents.

My first blooming air plant

Sadly, I have to look up the name of this air plant from the order slip. I’m new to these guys. But, it’s good to have bloom success.

I’ll try to post my winter blooms. For today, freeze warning means I gotta move some plants today.

Fall Landscapes

September 23, 2019Leave a comment

Tomorrow is the first day of Fall. It’s sort of a time for reflection on how to stay sane during the winter months.

Capitata Mauve

I spent too much on air plants because I realized that I couldn’t mail order after freeze. I got some succulents and a bromeliad, too. I didn’t realize that they came in so many bright leaf colors.

Close of the Day bromeliad

And, I took the plunge for my first landscaping project since I hurt my back putting daylilies in buried pots 3 years ago.

Front yard before

Xeriscaping. Because who plants grass on top of a slope in clay in the desert and expects success 70 years later.

Front yard after

I started putting this checkerboard around the yard various places a decade ago. It’s held up pretty well, so my bald spots can now hold succulents, cacti and other drought hardy plants in the summer.

Side of front yard before

Five trips to Home Depot over 2 weeks. Lots of buckets of dirt removed. Blisters on both hands. TGF Motrin.

Side of front yard after

The Last of August

September 1, 2019September 1, 2019Leave a comment

I’m sitting in my tent, dosed in natural melatonin. There is cool air . . . It feels nice. Desert camping was hot all but about 2 hours a night. It will get down to 50 or so tonight. Good sleeping weather.

Purple Grasshopper 8.31

This shift also means only 3 blooms today. Honestly, it is a little bit nice to not have a million photos to take. But, I already miss the excitement of checking the garden for Premieres.

Frans Hals 8.31

Today brought travel to the 4-corners region. If you know Colorado, you know that means a drive over the San Juan Mountains. 10 k feet above sea level.

Ruby Stella 8.31

The largest city in the area is Durango and I wanted to see if their nursery had any nice succulents or air plants. The best route is over Red Mountain pass, which is high, curvy and no guard rail. I got vertigo and was sick for 2 days last time I drove it, so I take the longer route now. Adds an hour but oh well. I use to drive Red Mountain in chains in a blizzard at night. Those days are gone.

Animas River 8.31

So, I ended up with 2 bromeliads – one in bloom and one with 2 pups. I also got a small red desert rose (succulent) and another cool succulent. I was thinking of what I read about not having too much variety. The bromeliads are the same family as air plants so they bring familiar features.

My new baby red Desert Rose 8.31

I want air plants and succulents/cactus to be my core plants. The other major groups I’ll keep are orchids, begonias, poinsettias, amaryllis, calathea, African violets. I have a few others, but I’m giving a lot of miscellaneous plants away. Since you can decorate most plants with air plants, that should help blend things in together.

My white Desert Rose in bloom – taken a few days ago.

I have my new plantlets in the hatch covered by a blanket. The bromeliads are far from their natural habitat. The succulents won’t care. No clue what I’m doing tomorrow. It’s a nice problem to have.

Feng Shui

August 30, 2019August 30, 2019Leave a comment

I had a peer who was into feng shui when I lived in Boulder, CO. I actually did my house in a feng shui color pattern for awhile. I don’t claim to know much about it, but it was a creative project. Cleaning closets, etc, to make room for more good energy is also part of it.

Cripple Creek 8.29

Currently, I am doing houseplant feng shui. I spend all winter counting the days until the plants go outside and I can have more space. And, there are some plants I am bonded with and some that I am just tired of looking at. Not that many, maybe half dozen.

Purple Corn Dancer 8.29

I found homes for them with friends on Facebook. It is kind of hard – but I still have more than I need. My problem is that new plants help me pass the winter doldrums. But, as I have said before, the orchids are kind of high needs – and they always seem fragile – ready to rot or have the leaves drop off from dryness.

Indian Sky 8.29

I’m not giving my orchids away – but there will be natural attrition and I just won’t keep buying them. The rex begonias, African violets, calathea are all staying put, too.

Frans Hals 8.29

My new theme is cool succulents and air plants. I have a good bunch of Southwest plants from my road trips – but you can always find a fun new species. And, air plants are fun to decorate with! I got my first batch of mail order ones today – all 6 in a box that is maybe 5 inches square. They are space efficient and fairly resilient to a bit of neglect if the summer gets busy. Also, pretty cost effective except the big, fancy ones.

Purple Grasshopper 8.29

I had five in bloom today – daylilies, that is. That’s a good number for the last Thursday in August. It won’t last long, though. They have been in bloom for nearly 90 days. So, I am happy for the little air plants today. Gives me something to look forward to this winter.

My mail order air plants 8.29

Dwindle

August 29, 2019August 29, 2019Leave a comment

Tonight, life seems right, again. Or at least blogging seems right. I ditched the S mode deal on the new 2 in 1 and now have straight windows 10 pro. I can download a printer driver and Chrome. That makes the whole computer more functional. I actually read a techie column that said it was a much more functional computer and didn’t loose that much speed or security by ditching the S deal.

Purple Corn Dancer 8.28

So, my daylilies dwindle. Today, it seems like the reality of season end is hitting. Soon, there may be 0 daylilies some days . . . then most days . . . then all days.

Frans Hals 8.28

My mind turns to fall daylily work. Nearly all effort now goes into building healthy plants for next season. The little sprinkler system and trimming the plants back to encourage new growth. I need to level and mulch the Southwest garden – well, at least level it. As the earth settles from burying all those daylily pots 2 summers ago – well, there are some low patches and some plants that need their soil level increased.

Ruby Stella 8.28

After that, I will see what, if anything, needs to be divided. Maybe some fertilizer.

Then, the leaves come and I bury my buddies until March. Leaves are pretty, but winter is bland. The roads are slick. The days are short. And, daylight savings time comes. I can’t wait to see what I can do with my air plants this winter!

Speaking of dwindling . . . this will likely be my last week of nightly blogs. Weekly, then prn until the buds open, again.

Stay of Execution

August 28, 2019August 28, 2019Leave a comment

So, my day job is busy, although the buzz of the term is settling down some. My evening job this week is tweaking the new drip system. Last night, it was staples and stakes. Tonight, I tried sprayer heads on a couple of the larger pots that were hogging water. I think the little sprayers will work better without a much water waste.

I can’t believe I still have 7 in bloom today. But, the buds become rare and every day I say goodbye to at least one cultivator for another year.

Purple Corn Dancer is in 2 locations and so she has most of her buds left in location #2.

Purple Corn Dancer 8.27

Frans Hals has maybe 10 buds left – +/-

Frans Hals 8.27

Purple Grasshopper and Ruby Stella have a handful of buds left.

Purple Grasshopper 8.27

I think both Navajo Curls and Cripple Creek have a bud or two left.

Navajo Curls 8.27

Purple Thunderbird maybe has one bud left (max).

And, then it ends. Except that I found one of my Lowe’s Stella hybrid rebloomers with a new scape. It only has a few buds, but it is still 90 degrees. So, my hope is that the new drip system might give me a few more reblooms. My stay of execution.

Ruby Stella 8.27

My poinsettias seem to be perking up – but it is not a good year for them. I need to start forcing the big ones so they can all cycle through the bloom closet.

El Desperado 8.27

I’m camping this weekend and maybe looking for succulents down in SW Colorado. Oh, and I mail ordered my first air plants. They should be here tomorrow. I was reading that too many varieties of plant detracts from all of them. I honestly am OK with having less and getting more air plants and succulents. All my super market specials make the place look cluttered . . . we will see. The long and boring winter is less than 4 months away. My stay of execution is only temporary.

Colorado Kid Daylilies

A Blog About My Western Colorado Daylily Adventure

Category: Air Plants