You Grow Girl™

A few weeks ago I was watering some plants and when I moved my Christmas Cactus I was shocked to discover that it had a few large blooms. The blooms were on the side of the plant that is hidden from my view, accounting for why I hadn't noticed them. They aren't open yet but they're close. I've had this cactus many years now but it's still really tiny because I've taken numerous cuttings, and divided it several times. I actually got it for free from my local grocery store. They were giving them away to customers on Christmas Eve. Being a last minute shopper does have its merits.

I got a Christmas tree (white spruce?) this year. I've never done this before. I've never even had the urge to do this before. However, a week before Christmas as we were out walking in the neighborhood I suddenly had this epiphany that I wanted a tree. I knew they sold potted trees down the street so we went and got one. It's fairly large for a potted tree; nearly 4 feet. I was really worried that I'd got in over my head. After purchasing the tree I did some research and read that establishing a potted tree outside once it's been inside can be difficult. The tree can't be kept inside more than 10 or so days or the tree will completely break its dormancy and its cycle will be all messed up. I didn't want to be responsible for a dead tree, which is why I got a living tree in the first place. I naively thought I could put it out on our deck in a big tub and then we'd have a nice tree growing on the deck for years to come. I'd wrap it up in winter for protection and it would provide shade and a place for living things in the summer. We get lots of birds and bees (the real kind har har) on our deck because of all the plants. I feel guilty now even though nothing has gone wrong yet. I was compulsive with a living thing and I did it for my own selfish reasons. I should have just decorated the ficus benjamina. Well we'll see how it goes.

On another even more selfish note--it looked really good. I had a bunch of decorations hanging around, so I used those to decorate the tree. Why do I have decorations even though I never imagined that I'd ever have an Xmas tree? Well I'm a pack rat and I kept seeing nice decorations at flea markets and yard sales. I have this crazy tree topper light from the 50's or 60's that we call the "sputnik", a box of orange, glass bulbs (I can't resist anything orange) and a box of tiny glass bulbs that we got for free from our favourite, and now defunct toy store (R.I.P Fun-O-Rama).

Last Easter we went to Mexico and I bought a bunch of tin ornaments in the shape of various tropical fruit and cacti. Those were on the tree as well. The tree came in a lousy paper planter so I put it into a large galvanized metal bucket. It fit perfectly. I got some tiny orange lights from the hardware store and put those on the tree too. With the orange lights shimmering on the orange bulbs and the sputnik hovering overhead, the little potted tree was pretty fantastic. I've added lots more large-size photos of the tree for your enjoyment and my vanity.

One final word on the tree. I have since taken it down and it is currently living in our freezing cold hallway. The ground is too hard and covered in snow to dig a hole and I don't have any burlap etc to cover it with for protection. Out in the hall it's dropping less needles and looks happy. I've been careful to keep the soil moist and the plant is near a window so it does get some light. Spare yourself the stress and hassle. Get yourself a potted Norfolk Pine. They are great houseplants (Xmas trees cannot stay inside indefinitely) and they're really beautiful too. Do not plant a Norfolk pine outside. Under the right conditions they will grow to be VERY large.

I actually got another new plant before the holidays. It's a rat's tail cactus (Aporocactus flagelliformis). I have admired this plant since the famous White Trash Birthday 2000 trip to Niagara Falls where I saw a huge one at The Niagara Parks Greenhouse. This plant is just phenomenal looking--almost prehistoric. Mine is especially prehistoric looking because it has lots of forked stems and the top stems stick straight up in the air while the longer, lower stems hang down. Some of the stems are incredibly long; more than two feet! It has aerial roots growing from some of the stems. The best thing about this plant is that it's an epiphytic desert cactus. Just imagine seeing one of those growing on a rock. I added a care and info page on this plant here, as well as a page of photos here.

I scored lots of plant-related Xmas gifts this year. Some of the stuff I asked for, some of it was a surprise. Here's my list: