The Story of My Monstera Deliciosa
Keep any plant long enough, and your life’s stories start to stick to them. Here are some stories that have stuck to my Monstera deliciosa. I have to come clean about something right here in the...
View ArticleNever Say Die
A couple months ago, I put four Hyacinth bulbs in a large bowl, filled it up with rocks and water, and set it in a window. I’ve done this many times and have always had the sweet smell of Hyacinths to...
View ArticleThe Story of My Dracaena fragrans
Keep any plant long enough, and your life’s stories start to stick to them. Here are some stories that have stuck to my Dracaena fragrans. 1992. I was walking down the street near my apartment in Santa...
View ArticleForgotten Amaryllis Bloom
Keep any plant long enough, and your life’s stories start to stick to them. Here’s the story of one of my Hippeastrum* bulbs. Years ago, for some forgotten holiday, my sister gave me an Amaryllis kit...
View ArticleA Hole in My Park
I live near Buena Vista Park. She’s not the biggest park in San Francisco, nor the flashiest, but she’s our park – Heather and I walk the dogs there every day. At a certain point in our daily loop, on...
View ArticleA Teachable Moment
We had a bunch of people over for a Fourth of July party this weekend. One of them was Tom, who is four. Tom was especially curious about my little bog of carnivorous plants (all of which were gifts...
View ArticleThe Devil Made Me Do It
The Devil’s Hand (aka Chiranthodendron pentadactylon) is my new favorite tree. And luckily, there’s one blooming in the San Francisco Botanical Garden right now. Those red fingers are actually flower...
View ArticleIt Takes a Village to Raise a Rhaphidophora
This is the story of my Rhaphidophora cryptantha, but it’s also about the International Aroid Society and how awesome plant people are. Let me explain. I first noticed Rhaphidophora in Thailand. Some...
View ArticleA Repotting Lesson from a Philodendron Cutting
Last year, my friend Leland sent me a cutting of Philodendron pinnatifidum x melinonii from his yard. The photo on the left below shows what it looked like when I received it. It was just a few inches...
View ArticleAnus Starfish Bloom
Two years ago, my plant buddy Zach sent me a bunch of Philodendron cuttings and threw in a Stapelia, too. I knew nothing about the genus, but I stuck it in a pot, set it in a sunny window, and it’s...
View Article