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| Another day in Test Garden Paradise |
Welcome back to another episode of Lost
In The Farmer’s Market, where we take a look into varied topics regarding
sustainability, horticulture and organic practices. This week I had intended talk
about Philodendrons, but due to the extreme cold at the beginning of the year
many of my specimens simply did not make it. While this is sad it allows for
some unique and interesting filler material before we get to the main topic. I
rarely use filler material in these posts but since I only have five specimens
of Philodendrons, and technically one of those is a variegated version of one
of the others that doesn’t make for a satisfying read. So, with that in mind, expect
a bit of a test garden update. Let us start with some interesting stuff, first
I did promise in an earlier episode that I would post more pictures of the
Limelight Christmas cactus in normal camera settings to help you the reader get
a better grasp of how different the variety really is.
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| I like this one because of the large bud in the background and the neon-pink looking petals. |
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| Obviously I used flash to try and get more out of the petals themselves to show off the yellow-chartreuse. |
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| Oh myyy! theres that yellow-chartreuse I was talking about! |
How
about that, it’s pink, and yellow-chartreuse and totally outrageous by Christmas
cactus standards. I hope these new photos help all you out there really grasp what kind of colors Limelight is capable of.
But what’s this down here? What you see is a Dwarf Peace Lily
in a domed terrarium, I recently came across a large batch of these plants,
which were legally cloned. They do get larger eventually but what makes them
much more interesting is that their blooms which are actually called Spadix,
and the ‘petals’ are actually a modified form of bract.
If you recall, bracts are modified leaves that serve in place of flower petals for plants with differing floral arrangements. The colored ‘flowers’ on poinsettias are actually bracts while the true flower is the tiny thing at the center. Likewise, with Peace lilies which are not lilies but actually Arum, the crinkly thing at the center of the ‘flower’ is actually a cluster of flowers. In case you are wondering, this little gem is available at LeClair’s General store along with a selection of other terrarium options.
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| Phone photo does this no justice. |
This
picture is of the bloom of Hatiora/rhipsalis
type cacti, it’s a bit blurry because it was taken with my phone but it does
give a general idea. Now it’s time we get onto the actual topic at hand, the
Philodendrons.
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Epipremnum hybrid ‘Marble Queen’
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Marble
queen is sort of a hit and miss in the industry because it’s either got the
genetic toughness of normal devil’s ivy or it simply does not. Add in that the
unique white variegation inhibits its ability to photosynthesize and you get a
very slow growing form of devil’s ivy that is almost anti-invasive. Unlike
normal devil’s Ivy or golden pothos, the marbled white colors of Marble queen
make it an excellent secondary plant in a pot with a faster growing but taller
primary plant. For the purposes of accuracy there is a common misconception
about devil’s ivy that is somewhat of a problem. Devil’s Ivy is not a true
philodendron it belongs to the family Araceae, whereas the true philodendrons
belong to the family Aroideae. Some could say this is splitting hairs as
Aroideae is a sub-family of Araceae. The Aroideae sub-family includes two other
very famous tough to kill house plants; Anthurium
andraeanum aka Flamingo Flower and Zamioculcas
zamifolia or the Zig-Zag plant. Ultimately the mislabeling of Devil’s Ivy
is a minor offense because it is still somewhat related and true philodendrons
and it go together so well that in terms of care they pretty much want the same
things. In the pictured example (sorry, phone photo) I planted four marble
queens around two tree philodendrons. The tree philodendrons would provide
moderate shade for the marble queens and the marble queens keep anything else
from sprouting in the planter. By the way this planter was at Leclairs and sold
recently which is why I had to rely on a phone photo I didn’t get to the store
with an actual camera in time.
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Philodendron bipinnatifidum / selloum – Tree philodendron
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These house plants are nearly indestructible,
they have a moderate growth rate and tend to be available in three separate forms
(Leclairs offers two). Normally in the plant
trade you will see the variety pictured, a variant with less frilled leaf
margins and another with incredible amounts of fills on the leaf margins. The variety
that has smaller leaf margin frills is depicted below for reference.
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Philodendron bipinnatifidum / selloum – Tree philodendron
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Tree
philodendrons are nice because they are more tolerant of cold than most of
their species, they can handle some dryness in the soil but are dramatic enough
when wilting that it’s hard to miss that they need water and they make plants
for containerized arrangements. For note, the word Philodendron comes from the Greek
words Philo meaning love or affection and Dendron meaning Tree. Since most
philodendrons will climb up any surface they are offered it is no surprise where
the name came from.
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Philodendron hybrid ‘Moonlight’ –
Moonlight Philodendron
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This central stem type philodendron
is the sole survivor of my collection of varied philodendrons of it’s type. The
Duke of Orange and Midnight philodendrons of the same type all were lost in the
deep freeze during early January. As sad
as that is, this moonlight philodendron has been vigorous all winter and as you
can see is doing quite well in the living room. What makes this plant unique is
that it’s new growth emerges bright chartreuse green, then it matures to a
darker shade of the same color. In theory it also will bloom in a few years and
the bloom is a spadix that emerges white or pink. I should say that this Philodendron is a
moderate to slow grower which is refreshing when compared to a lot of
philodendrons. I may have some of these at the market this spring/summer.
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Philodendron cordatum – Heart Leaf
Philodendron
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Don’t mind the dust folks, I’ve had
this specimen for years and it’s the most tolerant house plant I’ve ever seen.
For those of you who are thinking, ‘why don’t you use leaf polish on those
leaves…get that dust off.’ The picture does not accurately show how big this
plant is. There are hundreds of leaves that would need that treatment and
honestly in nature dust isn’t an issue so why bother in a house setting? If you
can get a heart leaf philodendron, then you’ve got your self an air purifier that
can also to some extent purify water. While I do not quite understand the
mechanism that triggers this response at times heart-leaf philodendrons will
exude water from the tips of their leaves. This may be surplus water or a means
of increasing humidity, but at times there can be a noticeable amount of it. Unfortunately,
I do not know of any scientific studies that have ascertained how clean the
water is but since my plant is a house plant it’s not exactly receiving acid
rain. Either way, in Heart-leaf philodendron is moderate-somewhat fast growing
and its clinging roots can latch on to your walls. Fortunately cutting it back
does no real harm and the cuttings can be rooted in water and given away or
sold with a relatively quick turnaround. If the plain green foliage isn’t your
thing then Philodendron cordatum ‘Brazil’
is your alternative.
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| Philodendron cordatum ‘Brazil’ |
Brazil
is much more colorful, is a bit slower growing but the random bright green
banding on the leaves is quite charming. As a final note to those of you with pets,philodendrons contain insoluble crystals of calcium-oxalate which are released by a chewing action and are mildly or moderately toxic to cats and dogs. Symptoms of poisoning by philodendron include drooling, frothing at the mouth, vomiting, lack of appetite and pawing at the mouth. This may also include swelling of the oral cavity and this could lead to respiratory complications if left untreated. But enough on philodendrons, this
brings to a close the second post of February 2018 and a look at the biology of
Arum and Aroids when grown as house plants. For note this is where the
advertising starts because it keeps the Test Garden’s supplied. As always
barring terribly wet and cold weather or illness I still manage a vendor’s
space at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Maxwell street between 9:00 am and
1:00 pm on Saturdays. I sell four things primarily during the winter months and
they are:
Soup
Kits - $6.00
Seasoning
Packets – $2.00
Whole
Garlic – $1.00
Beyond
the expected faire I am pleased to announce that the first vegetable plants of
2018 will be offered this weekend. All plants offered are cold hardy, but may
need some protection if the weather dips below 35 degrees. This is the start of
many good things to come as I can confirm that I will be offering Nobel Spinach
and Purple Vienna Kohlrabi in the coming weeks also. Stay tuned for all those
garden crops you didn’t know you wanted but suddenly you do.
Parris
Island Romaine Lettuce – $3.00
Lacinato/Dinosaur
Kale – $3.00
Italian
Parsley – $3.00
If
the market isn’t your thing or your schedule does not allow you to go there my
premium exotic house plants can be purchased in attractive clay pots with
unique embellishments at LeClair’s General Store. LeClair’s General Store is
located on 1212 Fort Bragg Road in Fayetteville North Carolina.
This
is their Facebook Page:
The
Visit NC page’s Listing:
These
days I am generally at the store at least twice a week, maintaining stock
and/or delivering new materials so if you go to visit the store there is a fair
chance I’ll be present to answer your questions. If not, you can always send me
questions through this blog or visit the farmer’s market or pay attention to
what Sustainable Neighbors is doing at the link below.
This brings to a close the fourth
LITFM post of the new year, stay tuned the next episode which should be posted
on the 8th of March. The topic will be: A Profile In Diversity: The Aloe Family.
P.S.
Hit up LeClair’s General Store and
be the first to own a pre-made terrarium with a exotic plant that is guaranteed
to be the focus of conversation. Currently in the store there are four
terrariums; with a single plant in each. The options are Dwarf Peace Lily,
Artillery Plant, Fairy Castle Cactus and a Dwarf Arrowhead vine.
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