Saturday Gardening Thread: Hip Houseplants [KT]

Back from the '70s: Hanging plants, complete with macrame

Back in February, I saw the photo above in a Sunset Magazine article at a doctor's office, 19 ways to decorate with houseplants. The online version is now part of their current "Ultimate Guide to Indoor Plants". I don't remember the macrame and Spider Plant combos of the '70s as being quite that striking. Notice that the plants above are straight green - not the once-ubiquitous variegated numbers that were commonly sold as "air purifiers".

Are we on our way back to the '70s? There seems to be a resurgent interest in houseplants now.

Millennial "Plant Parents"

I hope we don't have to go back to the '70s. But WeirdDave linked this piece on Millennials becoming Proud Plant Parents in a recent ONT.

How did plant parenting become socially acceptable to hip young people? Concerning an Instagram plant guru:

As a man and a millennial, Cheng is also challenging the stereotype that houseplant hobbyists are older women. Tena van Andel, a board member of Master Gardeners of Ontario, notes that the feminization of indoor gardening started during the Victorian era.
Houseplants were once reserved for upper class men who competitively built elaborate greenhouses and conservatories out of newly industrialized glass, filling them with expensive exotic plants taken from Africa, Australia and South America.
"After a while, plants were permissible and something a woman could do that was 'feminine'," van Andel says, "Indoor gardening would give bored, wealthy housewives something to do to keep them happy and healthy...It also gave women who had to work, a job. Working at a flower shop was still seen as feminine but an advancement for women."

Oh, good grief. Just grow some plants if you want to. Here are some easy, but bold selections. And some for lower light:

Some plants that do well near a north window

Millennial "plant parents" focus on indoor gardening, partly out of necessity. I went through a phase during which I had a lot of indoor plants. I never really thought of my indoor plants as children, though. Not that I didn't baby some of them. Probably more than most of today's new "plant parents" baby their plants. I even tried to grow Streptocarpus plants from seed once. Like it says in the article, "But unlike children, you can slowly kill your once beloved plants and dispose of them without any consequences, or even shame."

Some "plant parents" choose plants that they can neglect for weeks at a time. I don't think substituting plants for kids on a widespread basis is a good way to maintain a society. I am old enough to remember when children and houseplants could coexist. In fact, I know of some treasured houseplants (Hoyas, Christmas and Easter Cactuses, etc.) that have been passed down from parent to child. Don't know how many millennial plant parents would be interested in this concept, but I welcome them to the world of growing plants. I'm still a little leery about calling them your kids, though.

I don't currently have any houseplants that could be considered family heirlooms. I do have a couple of African Violets. And at one time I made a pretty serious effort to grow some of their hybrid relatives developed from the Streptocarpus species. You know, some of those plants that were "once reserved for upper class men who competitively built elaborate greenhouses and conservatories out of newly industrialized glass".

Streptocarpus

If you have ever wondered what a cross between an African Violet and a Gloxinia would look like, you might want to check out their fellow gesneriads from the genus Streptocarpus. Many of the species first grown in Europe are from South Africa.

Although it is rare to see these plants in the supermarket's floral section, their requirements are a lot like those of African Violets. In fact, African Violets are thought to have evolved from the subgenus Streptocarpella, which has stems on the leaves. While the flowers of the subgenus Streptocarpus often resemble orchids, flowers of the subgenus Streptocarpella tend to resemble primroses. Here's an unusual Streptocarpus from the British Streptocarpus Society. Their site features many spectacular specimens.

Natasha

One reason Cape Primroses are not sold in supermarkets like African Violets is that they have long, strappy leaves that are easily injured. Although with patience you may be able to start a new plant from a leaf. Here is a well-grown specimen.

Katie, Best in Show, 2016

I once lived near an orchid greenhouse that also sold Cape Primroses. Orchids always seemed daunting to me, but I did buy some of these plants. I got some of them to bloom before killing them. I started some from seed and a few from broken leaves but never got one of those to maturity. Over-watering young plants is really easy.

Here is a basic guide to growing Streptocarpus. "Once you've grown one Cape primrose successfully you'll be hooked forever."

Gardens of The Horde

Last night in the ONT, CDR M noted the return of winter weather after plants had already started blooming. He worried that this could affect crop harvests later on. Has a change in the weather affected your garden? I noticed yesterday that cauliflower is four bucks for a small head now. I think that price is related to earlier weather.

Anybody have something nice to report from a garden or farm?

Last week, I promised a little more information on the highly invasive Himalayan Blackberry to some of our foragers and Northwest Morons. This species of blackberry was previously known as Rubus discolor or R. procerus. Its current name is R. armeniacus. It is from Armenia and northern Iran. Luther Burbank had in mind breeding a thornless blackberry. But in the meantime, he marketed the "Giant Himalayan" blackberry because of its fruit quality. Never mind the thorns. He had received the seeds from somebody in India and thought the berries came from the Himalayas. Here's a creepy side-note to this story:

Burbank had become an international celebrity. He was so successful at breeding plants that he became interested in applying the same principles ... to people. And that's where his tale gets problematic.
He started selling a new book that he'd written in his catalogs, The Training of the Human Plant.
Burbank wrote that the crossing, elimination and refining of human strains would result in "an ultimate product that should be the finest race ever known,

Well. He considered the USA to be the best place to try this experiment.

A Human Plant in Italy

Here in the Central Valley, I've got some tomato plants now. Just hybrids so far: Better Boy, Champion (the indeterminate sibling to Celebrity), Ace (a local favorite) and Lemon Boy, noted as the best tomato for Green Fried Tomatoes. Also makes pretty salsa.

Below, Yellow tomato and tomatillo salsa. If you're growing your own tomatillos, 'Pineapple' could be an interesting choice. There's also a ground cherry called 'Pineapple'. That's probably not what you want for salsa.

Have a great week.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 12:20 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Gnats, water stains, eventual death; Why I don't have house plants.

Posted by: Dang at March 11, 2017 12:17 PM (8b+oT)

2 Dang at March 11, 2017 12:17 PM

And mealybugs.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 12:19 PM (qahv/)

3 Oh lord, I remember those macrame plant holders. They were a big deal for several years. In fact one of my sisters used to make them.

Posted by: HH at March 11, 2017 12:22 PM (DrCtv)

4 Pretty sure my chives survived the winter,

Posted by: Skip at March 11, 2017 12:23 PM (HDU3V)

5 The salsa looks delicious.

Posted by: LASue, so very deplorable at March 11, 2017 12:23 PM (CLKfs)

6 I like hanging plants but macrame was always awful. The worst possible cloth, rip your hands up. Best part about hanging plants is that its harder for the cat to eat them.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at March 11, 2017 12:23 PM (39g3+)

7 My chives, parsley, and thyme survived the freezing and snow. I've had chives two years before, then it... I dunno, went to seed? It started blooming and stopped producing chivey leaves.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at March 11, 2017 12:25 PM (39g3+)

8 Christopher R Taylor at March 11, 2017 12:23 PM

Excellent point about the cats.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 12:26 PM (qahv/)

9 There are numerous house plants that get rid of Strange Chemicals in the house.

/not that I care about chemical poisoning, but I worry about The Cat...

Posted by: shibumi at March 11, 2017 12:26 PM (J5mC3)

10 Well, it's Spring here. The Daffodils and Forsythia are blooming. But those aren't really the signs, no, the real signs are twofold: Mike Hammer's Cat is shedding his winter coat (heaving a nest of hair wherever he camps out), and, 3"-6" inches of snow are forecast over the next 24 hrs.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 11, 2017 12:26 PM (ZO497)

11 KT,
cauliflower was $15 a box last week. That's high but not that high. We are getting our cauliflower rejected. Problems from the rain. I forget what exactly was wrong with it.
Supply is low.
Look for gaps in produce coming up shortly. We are a month behind our planting schedule.
The nurseries are full and we aren't dropping any seed we are so far behind.
Hopefully we will make some money this year. Last year was bad.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2017 12:27 PM (u8Ywb)

12 Mike Hammer's Cat is shedding his winter coat (heaving a nest of hair wherever he camps out)

-----

Okay, that was supposed to be 'leaving' not 'heaving', but the latter is true also.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 11, 2017 12:29 PM (ZO497)

13 All of our fruit trees have the blossoms on them, it looks beautiful. The apple blossoms fell off, we had frost on Monday and Tuesday.
My tulips bloomed, the frost kind of killed the hyacinths.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2017 12:30 PM (u8Ywb)

14 KT,
We have wild blackberry plants around here but there is never any fruit. Or at least I've never seen any fruit on the plants.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2017 12:33 PM (u8Ywb)

15 I love tropical house plants. I'd really like to have a bird of paradise and a fiddle leaf fig but not enough room.

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at March 11, 2017 12:43 PM (msT6C)

16 My mom had a cool bamboo rod room divider with big tropical plants (philodendrons) growing in vermiculite. They went very well with all the Asian exotica and Hindoo curiosities.

Downside: Our parakeet's cage was next to the plants and he liked to snack on them. Also, the cat used the vermiculite as a litter box, but only when Mom's bridge club was playing in the living room adjacent.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 12:50 PM (EnKk6)

17 Are we on our way back to the '70s?

As mentioned already...that damned macram�. Mrs D is having me pull that crap out of storage where its been for years. Ugh!

Posted by: Diogenes at March 11, 2017 12:50 PM (0tfLf)

18 Howdy, fellow gardeners!

Spring is teasing us this year. Heavy, wet snow last weekend-- broke a huge branch off our elm tree-- luckily, no other damage or injury. Then pouring rains all week. Yesterday? Sunny and 60 degrees... of course!... because I couldn't garden due to other obligations.

All the Blooming Things seem a couple of weeks later than last year.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 11, 2017 12:54 PM (044Fx)

19 Christopher R Taylor at March 11, 2017 12:25 PM

Chives tend to go dormant in the fall. And they don't like hot weather much.

People who grow them indoors in winter are advised to provide at least 12 hours of light a day. Good news about your herbs making it through the winter.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 12:58 PM (qahv/)

20 Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 11, 2017 12:26 PM

Hate to hear about the snow forecasted to cover your daffodils and forsythia blooms. Our cats are shedding, too.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 12:59 PM (qahv/)

21 This week our rosemary had beautiful little blue flowers on it for the first time ever. I think we've had it in our garden for five or six years now, and I've never seen them before. Just in time for the winter storm, but I'm grateful to have seen them once.

Posted by: Moron Robbie at March 11, 2017 01:00 PM (/f1mm)

22 CaliGirl at March 11, 2017 12:27 PM

I didn't take a good look at the cauliflower being sold here, but we are not in a premium market.

Sad to hear that some of your cauliflower is being rejected and that you are behind schedule. Hope things pick up for you soon.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:01 PM (qahv/)

23 CaliGirl at March 11, 2017 12:30 PM

We had frost here, too. Then a warm spell. Today, a little fog.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:03 PM (qahv/)

24 I identify as a flower. I demand to be watered, and to be addressed as 'Daisy.'

Pronouns are going to be a bit of a problem, though...

Posted by: OregonMuse, deplorable since 2004 at March 11, 2017 01:03 PM (0K/XU)

25 Heh, 70s macrame. I still make plant hangers and have boxes full of cord, a few bags of beads. Have spent many hours tying knots and brushing out fluffy fringe on large fancy hangers, mainly for gifts.

Even made a room divider some decades ago (XH ended up with it) that took nearly a month to complete! Unemployed; spent *full days* working on it.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 11, 2017 01:04 PM (044Fx)

26 CaliGirl at March 11, 2017 12:33 PM

If your wild blackberries are trailing, they are probably native. If they are tall and form thickets, they are probably the Himalaya interlopers. The latter prefer quite a bit of water, so they may not produce berries when it is dry (just guessing). I have tasted a few berries from the Sierra foothills and they were bitter. I don't think they got enough water there.

Also, they might not get enough winter chill where you are to form berries.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:06 PM (qahv/)

27 Ferns...ferns are good to grow in doors adding greenery and fresh air to an environment.

Back in the 70's, if you walked into a bar and they had ferns all about the place, well, you know the rest.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at March 11, 2017 01:06 PM (5VlCp)

28 Thanks for doing this thread KT. Loads of lovely plant pics this week. Heh I went through a phase of houseplants galore and I suppose it was substitute nurturing since I was single and childless.

Perhaps a good thing I never had kids since I got tired of the plants and basically neglected them to death after several years. Now I have a couple plants in the office at work and one at home and they get basic care because I don't want to kill even a plant by denying it water and a bit of fertilizer.

Posted by: PaleRider at March 11, 2017 01:07 PM (Jen0I)

29 Ferns are a nice indoor plant, I love aloes but all mine died one year, within months of each other. They're hard to find now, they used to be super popular and trendy but now they're less easy to get.

I have a couple of flowering cacti, they don't seem to really fall around any major holiday, but they are pretty. Pink and white. I wish I could get them to flower longer, my mom's does for like 4 months. I get a week or two, tops.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at March 11, 2017 01:09 PM (39g3+)

30 CrotchetyOldJarhead at March 11, 2017 12:43 PM

Of the tropical houseplants you have, which are your favorites?

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:10 PM (qahv/)

31 All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 12:50 PM

Love the detail in your description. Heh.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:11 PM (qahv/)

32 JQ Flyover at March 11, 2017 12:54 PM

Thanks for the report. Glad there were no injuries in the tree incident.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:13 PM (qahv/)

33 Moron Robbie at March 11, 2017 01:00 PM

Congrats on your Rosemary blossoms. We have big plants by the driveway that are currently covered in bees visiting the blossoms. We planted Rosemary there because gophers don't eat it.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:15 PM (qahv/)

34 Ferns Cliffy,,, ferns. Need I say more?

Posted by: Norm! at March 11, 2017 01:16 PM (1G2ms)

35 I had Streptocarpus once. Nothing I took helped.

Posted by: Norm! at March 11, 2017 01:18 PM (1G2ms)

36 JQ Flyover at March 11, 2017 01:04 PM

I had an ivy geranium hanging in the tree by our front porch for years, until the tree died. The Macrame holder had kind of fallen apart by then, too. Macrame has its attractions. I like the white version in the photo above.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:18 PM (qahv/)

37 OregonMuse, deplorable since 2004 at March 11, 2017 01:03 PM

Best of luck with your new identity.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:19 PM (qahv/)

38 Gnats, water stains, eventual death; Why I don't have house plants.

Posted by: Dang at March 11, 2017 12:17 PM (8b+oT)

Bingo. The wife brings home various fresh cut flowers once a week when she goes food shopping. It changes from week to week, they always look good, and are dead before anything moves in and makes a nest. lol

Posted by: Berserker- Dragonheads Division at March 11, 2017 01:19 PM (aMlLZ)

39 If you have ever wondered what a cross between an African Violet and a Gloxinia would look like

To be honest, this does keep me awake most nights.

Can anyone help identify this little guy? The little tab stuck in the pot said 'foliage', which isn't exactly enlightening.
http://stoatnet.org/plant.jpg

Posted by: hogmartin at March 11, 2017 01:19 PM (8nWyX)

40 We have a solarium and the wifey has all sorts of plants out there. Last week one of the amaryllis had 6 blooms on the single stem.

Posted by: Ronster at March 11, 2017 01:22 PM (CDUSe)

41 Those plants up top will be Triffids when they grow up.

Posted by: Insomniac - sin valor at March 11, 2017 01:22 PM (0mRoj)

42 Admittedly, some of these macrame plant hangars are pretty groovy:

http://www.designrulz.com/design/2015/07/20-diy-macrame-plant-hanger-patterns/

I like the herb planters in the kitchen for easy snipping, but the hangers in the bedroom give off a Triffids vibe. I bet you can hear them rustling in the dark, plotting.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 01:22 PM (EnKk6)

43 Hairyback Guy at March 11, 2017 01:06 PM

Reminds me of a joke. A guy came into a florist's shop late on Valentine's day. He asked, "Do you have any anemones? They're my wife's favorite flower".

Florists says, "Sorry, I'm totally out of flowers. But I have a really lovely Boston fern".

Guy says, "Wow, that's beautiful. I'll take it. With fronds like those, who needs anemones?"

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:23 PM (qahv/)

44 'Som, I'd say "great minds think alike" but we both now it's The Triffids.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 01:24 PM (EnKk6)

45 Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:23 PM (qahv/)

Im sick and i still laughed.

KT will be here all week. Dont forget to tip your waitress.

Posted by: Norm! at March 11, 2017 01:26 PM (1G2ms)

46 PaleRider at March 11, 2017 01:07 PM

Thanks for checking in. A confirmation that taking care of a few plants well is more rewarding than not taking care of a bunch of plants you fell in love with.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:27 PM (qahv/)

47 Guy says, "Wow, that's beautiful. I'll take it. With fronds like those, who needs anemones?"
Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:23 PM (qahv/)

Hahaha...good one KT!

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at March 11, 2017 01:28 PM (5VlCp)

48 Christopher R Taylor at March 11, 2017 01:09 PM

Your mom's cactus sounds great. Maybe you should start some babies. Break off a leaf, let it dry for a day or two, dip the bottom end in rooting hormone and bury in potting mix that is not too dry, not too moist. Might cover the pot in plastic for a while.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:29 PM (qahv/)

49 Our cats gnaw on most plants and then puke. So we stick to succulents which they ignore. We live in zone 5 and often have deep prolonged cold during winter. Our chives and thyme have always survived under a blanket of leaves.

Posted by: colfax mingo at March 11, 2017 01:31 PM (Sr589)

50 44 'Som, I'd say "great minds think alike" but we both now it's The Triffids.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 01:24 PM (EnKk6)

Indeed.

Posted by: Insomniac - sin valor at March 11, 2017 01:32 PM (0mRoj)

51 Because it must be done:

Cursed be the ground for our sake. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for us. For out of the ground we were taken, for the dust we are... and to the dust we shall return.

Posted by: Insomniac - sin valor at March 11, 2017 01:32 PM (0mRoj)

52 Always tempted to get catnip but thought that would alway encourage the cats to eat other house plants, which means puke all over.

Posted by: Skip at March 11, 2017 01:35 PM (HDU3V)

53 Posted by: hogmartin: Can anyone help identify this little guy? The little tab stuck in the pot said 'foliage', which isn't exactly enlightening.
http://stoatnet.org/plant.jpg

It looks like a palm, perhaps Chamaedorea elegans.

http://www.houseplantsexpert.com/indoor-palm-plants.html

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/303#b

Posted by: Don at March 11, 2017 01:36 PM (iGwig)

54 33 Moron Robbie at March 11, 2017 01:00 PM

Congrats on your Rosemary blossoms. We have big plants by the driveway that are currently covered in bees visiting the blossoms. We planted Rosemary there because gophers don't eat it.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:15 PM (qahv/)
Thanks. Speaking of, beekeeping is my next project. Late in the season to start now, but hopefully I will have two hives next year.

Posted by: Moron Robbie at March 11, 2017 01:37 PM (/f1mm)

55 Our chives come back every year. Hit and miss with the thyme.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at March 11, 2017 01:38 PM (89T5c)

56 Shame I can't figure out how to use the "enter" key some days.

Posted by: Moron Robbie at March 11, 2017 01:38 PM (/f1mm)

57 The '70s. Wasn't there a lot of swingers swinging?

You want house plants? Go buy silk roses. They last forever, you never need to water them.

Posted by: mer at March 11, 2017 01:38 PM (or4l7)

58 52 Always tempted to get catnip but thought that would always encourage the cats to eat other house plants, which means puke all over.
Posted by: Skip at March 11, 2017 01:35 PM (HDU3V)
----

No, it satisfies their need for greens and it provides hours of entertainment to see your cats trip out.

I used to grow my own (man), dry it out, then sprinkle a little in a big cardboard box and watch "Cat TV".

Cats also like to roll around in beds of mint (same family as catnip).

You can also grow "cat greens".

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 01:40 PM (EnKk6)

59 Update from Weasel Farms:
The low germination rate (4/20) of sugar snap pea seeds I reported recently was apparently due to a packet of dud seeds. Another batch of seed from another company had a nearly 100% success rate.

Posted by: Weasel at March 11, 2017 01:42 PM (Sfs6o)

60 Getting lots of blooms on our volunteer brambles. We don't know what type they are because they never set fruit last year. We made sure to only leave last year's (and this year) growth as I heard they only fruit on 2nd year canes, but if nothing happens this year they will have to all come out.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2017 01:46 PM (sEDyY)

61 14 check the blackberries from July thru September

Posted by: The Butcher at March 11, 2017 01:46 PM (OonSC)

62 I have personally cut down blackberries with canes as thick as your wrist. And the canes always grab your ankles and tear the skin.

I do need some advice on resources. We are going to sell our current place. We have our eye on a place on the northern WA Coast, bayside. Temperatures don't get much above 70 in the summer. I want a vegetable garden and it needs some landscaping. Anyone know of any good online resources? I have already bookmarked the info for the local master gardeners. (And it feels a bit strange to be planning stuff for a place that we haven't made an official offer on yet. Somehow I feel like this move is meant to be).

Posted by: Notsothoreau at March 11, 2017 01:49 PM (Lqy/e)

63 61 sunny degrees and headed to 76 today. got started on clearing the crop of winter weeds out of my DG firepit area. Pete the peacock enjoys the worms and bugs that are now exposed...

Posted by: The Butcher at March 11, 2017 01:50 PM (OonSC)

64 Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 01:22 PM

Nice link! Plenty of inspiration there. Thanks!

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 11, 2017 01:51 PM (044Fx)

65 We have snow in the forecast for coastal Carolina this weekend.

All my plants are still in my indoor green house but they are getting to the point I will need to plant them soon.

It has been surprisingly dry this winter so if we do get snow and a quick melt that will help.

Posted by: Big V at March 11, 2017 01:52 PM (ep6C/)

66 Cats also like to roll around in beds of mint (same family as catnip).

You can also grow "cat greens".
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 01:40 PM (EnKk6)

After I pull mint out of my yard, my cat will rub against me and go crazy.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2017 01:54 PM (u8Ywb)

67 It looks like a palm, perhaps Chamaedorea elegans.
Posted by: Don at March 11, 2017 01:36 PM (iGwig)

Ah yeah, that does look likely (both looks and description). It has a few brown spots in that picture because that's the side that was facing the window. Between the frigid window and dry furnace air, I just mist it daily, water it weekly, and rotate it every few weeks. It seems to be doing OK on a south facing window, even if it does get cold.

Posted by: hogmartin at March 11, 2017 01:55 PM (8nWyX)

68 KT, thanks for the great article. Outside activity: forsythia, rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, and parsley. Inside activity: blooming Christmas cacti, peace plants, spider plants, violets, etc. Snow forecast: 2-12+ inches Monday and Tuesday.

Posted by: Mrs JTB at March 11, 2017 01:56 PM (5ZhDL)

69 Of the tropical houseplants you have, which are your favorites?

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:10 PM (qahv/)

Spathiphyllum, philodendrons and spiderplants, but crotons and majesty palms too. I had rubber tree that got to be about 8 feet before I had to move and get rid of it.

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at March 11, 2017 01:56 PM (msT6C)

70 After I pull mint out of my yard, my cat will rub against me and go crazy.
Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2017 01:54 PM (u8Ywb)
---
If cats were humans they'd have illegal mint dens and rail against the Mint Menace.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 01:56 PM (EnKk6)

71 26 CaliGirl at March 11, 2017 12:33 PM

If your wild blackberries are trailing, they are probably native. If they are tall and form thickets, they are probably the Himalaya interlopers. The latter prefer quite a bit of water, so they may not produce berries when it is dry (just guessing). I have tasted a few berries from the Sierra foothills and they were bitter. I don't think they got enough water there.

Also, they might not get enough winter chill where you are to form berries.
Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:06 PM (qahv/)

The blackberries are trailing, low to the ground.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2017 01:56 PM (u8Ywb)

72 hogmartin at March 11, 2017 01:19 PM

I'm not really up on my indoor plant identities, but it look kind of like a baby Parlor Palm. Has some similarities to "Lucky Bamboo", too.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:56 PM (qahv/)

73 Ronster at March 11, 2017 01:22 PM

Wow. That's fantastic.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:58 PM (qahv/)

74 I planted some catnip probably over 40 years ago. It has reseeded itself to this day.

Posted by: Ronster at March 11, 2017 01:58 PM (CDUSe)

75 Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2017 01:54 PM (u8Ywb)

My cats like the mint stalks to play with but the older one goes nuts over lemongrass leaves.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2017 01:59 PM (sEDyY)

76 My cats would also freak out over rosemary olives, batting them around the kitchen and under the oven, then furiously scrambling to get them out from under.

Cats, it occurs to me, are some serious herb-heads.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 02:02 PM (EnKk6)

77 Moron Robbie at March 11, 2017 01:37 PM

We have beehives visiting from Mr. Bar-the-Door's brother, who brought them down for the winter. Mr. Bar-the-Door knows quite a bit about bees.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:04 PM (qahv/)

78 A slightly better week for me than last week, here in Idaho's Banana Belt - maybe I should call it the Treasure Valley, which is a more accurate nickname for a major river valley in the Gem State.

We pulled some tomatoes out of the freezer for processing last week, and canned 6 half-pints of tomato sauce on Sunday. The *flavor* just beats canned tomato sauces/pastes all to Hell and gone!

We've had a lot of rain and drizzle, but today it's gorgeous and it might even hit 60 F. The bulbs are now moving forward. Out front, the mini daylilies are sprouting, the new hyacinths are finally poking up, and the tulip leaves range up to about 4 inches high. Out back, the hyacinths that got a head start are showing buds inside the leaves, and the tulips are poking up. The back patio potted tulips are further ahead than the ones in the ground. A few Siberian Squill are poking up - they would normally have bloomed before this; but at least now I know that some of them survived the Snowpocalypse!

My husband started his poblano pepper seeds on the windowsill.

And as always, I had to fill up the weekly trash with yard waste - this week, it was half of our red raspberry's dead canes, all the cut-down asparagus stalks, and more leaves from the stupid sycamores.

Oh, and I do have one houseplant. A friend gave it to me when she was cleaning out her office in Palo Alto. It traveled north in the back of my car when I drove from CA to Idaho. (An orange tiger-stripe cat in the passenger seat, Spathiphyllum with 10" long leaves in the rearview mirror - looked like a jungle in my car.)

It's extremely hardy and looks nice on my kitchen's bar.

I've also tried to keep last year's 3 basil plants alive indoors - they may have some sort of bugs now. But I just wash them all off, and put them in the pan when I roast the tomatoes for sauce, and they're fine. (I did try bringing in some small English thyme last fall, but they promptly died, so I left them outside for the winter - and they survived, as did most of my chives. Not sure about the spearmint yet, but it looks like it survived too.)

Posted by: Pat* at March 11, 2017 02:04 PM (qC1ju)

79 All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 01:40 PM

Not all cats react to catnip or catmint. It's genetic. Fun to watch the ones who do. I think cat greens are a good idea. Often they are just barley with some variegated barley added.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:07 PM (qahv/)

80 I want a vegetable garden and it needs some landscaping. Anyone know of any good online resources? I

have already bookmarked the info for the local master gardeners.

For general ideas and information, I like the following (add dot com):

sunset
gardenguides
tomatoville
davesgarden
almanac

CornellU:

tinyurl.com/jsvcykw

Good luck!

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 11, 2017 02:08 PM (044Fx)

81 4-6 inches are forecast starting Sunday night. But we have not had significant snow since I bought the new snowblower, despite blizzard warnings and such. It innoculates us.

My snowblower-fu will prevail. Just watch; in successive forecasts the storm track will drift southwestward, and come Monday the Toro SnowDestroyer will sit, unused, again.

Posted by: Gordon at March 11, 2017 02:08 PM (vXUzT)

82 Weasel at March 11, 2017 01:42 PM

Congrats on solving your mystery, and on your new snap pea plants.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:09 PM (qahv/)

83 Pat*, that's neat about the Banana Belt. I looked it up. I find these little microclimates fascinating, like valleys way up in the Himalayas that are near tropical and in which orchids grow.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 02:10 PM (EnKk6)

84 Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2017 01:46 PM

Let us know if they make good fruit.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:10 PM (qahv/)

85 Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:07 PM (qahv/)

Yeah, my tomcat would go Full Tony Montana but my little girl cat just curled her lip and walked away.

Like cilantro with humans.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 02:12 PM (EnKk6)

86 Notsothoreau at March 11, 2017 01:49 PM

We posted a link to a blog from a woman who gardened on an island off the Washington coast with weather like that. Wish I could remember the name of the island.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:13 PM (qahv/)

87 Eris, She-wolf wrote: " I find these little microclimates fascinating"

Me too. David the Good writes about them in his latest Good Guide, Push the Zone. One will not grow citrus in Minneapolis, put if you do things right, and figure out your yard's microclimes, one might plant Zone 5 stuff in Zone 4 and suceed....

Posted by: Gordon at March 11, 2017 02:14 PM (vXUzT)

88 I think it was Darryl Hannah in Wall Street (interior decorator and Charlie Sheen and Gordon Gekko's lady friend) who classified the Upper West Side as being the "home of the exposed brick wall and the house plant".

I was starting to get ready to get out in the yard and get some stuff going, but the prospect of up to 1.5 feet of snow Tuesday in the Mid-Atlantic put a total damper on that. Instead of dusting off and checking out garden tools, I'm moving the salt and snow shoveling stuff back to the front. Ugh.

Posted by: RM at March 11, 2017 02:14 PM (U3LtS)

89 Mrs JTB at March 11, 2017 01:56 PM

Thanks for checking in. Hope your outdoor plants don't suffer in the snow.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:15 PM (qahv/)

90 "My snowblower-fu will prevail. Just watch; in successive forecasts the storm track will drift southwestward, and come Monday the Toro SnowDestroyer will sit, unused, again."

Could you also please gas it up and get it totally ready to rock and roll, thereby increasing the chances that the storm will fizzle out?

Posted by: RM at March 11, 2017 02:20 PM (U3LtS)

91 We have beehives visiting from Mr. Bar-the-Door's brother, who brought them down for the winter. Mr. Bar-the-Door knows quite a bit about bees.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:04 PM (qahv/)

I've read for years, and I guess I'm ready for the practical exam now.

Bringing them down - wise, it amazes me that they weren't native to the US and were brought over on ships. I can only imagine how cranky those hives were, and neither they nor the human passengers had anywhere else to go.

Posted by: Moron Robbie at March 11, 2017 02:20 PM (/f1mm)

92 Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:07 PM (qahv/)

I did not know that (add to a long list). So is this just honey bees? Did they have other bees here? What pollinated plants?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 02:23 PM (EnKk6)

93 As usual a lack of snow and higher than normal temperatures this Winter have made for a very dry clime. Lots of fires. I hope I don't lose a bunch of trees again. The garden will probably only be a few potted tomatoes.

Posted by: Ronster at March 11, 2017 02:25 PM (CDUSe)

94 I used to have dozens of houseplants, mostly for foliage like: philodendron, pothos, maranta, and all-green spider plant as above. And then we moved to a house with less light...

Now, there's only a Hoya Carnosa, grown from a cutting my friend swiped from a restaurant (over 20 years ago). Took 6 months to root and 7 years to bloom... now just hanging in the corner, full of glossy green leaves and won't bloom because not enough light there. Sigh.

Good description and pictures (of how it's supposed to bloom!) here:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/4edghx8

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 11, 2017 02:26 PM (044Fx)

95 RM: "Could you also please gas it up and get it totally ready to rock and roll, thereby increasing the chances that the storm will fizzle out?"

Will do, RM. I will even mix in Sta-Bil. Why take chances?

I actually did get a chance to test it. It throws snow off my front sidewalk across the street, well into the park. I have a pretty small area to clear, and far more power than needed to clear it, but come Snowmageddon, I am ready.

Posted by: Gordon at March 11, 2017 02:26 PM (vXUzT)

96 Luther Burbank also bred peppers, and another story is that one of his assistant gardeners was found, in one of the greenhouses one day, rolling around with a hose in his mouth from trying one of the improved chiles.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 11, 2017 02:26 PM (WQX/u)

97 JQ Flyover, we have a hoya plant and when it blooms, the blossoms are beautiful.

Posted by: Ronster at March 11, 2017 02:30 PM (CDUSe)

98 Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:10 PM (qahv/)

They are tall instead of recumbent so, based on what you told Caligirl, I might need to actively water them. Pennsylvania had wild blackberries but they were pretty much always bitter since they weren't watered.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2017 02:30 PM (sEDyY)

99 Native blackberries have a lacier looking leaf. Himalayans have a rounded leaf. If you need to spray to kill them (which you will, in the PNW), you want to apply it after the first rain following a dry spell. The leaves sort of close up during dry spells and don't suck in the spray. They open up after that first rain. A friend that ran a landscaping business told me about it.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at March 11, 2017 02:30 PM (TfpUC)

100 Remember fern bars? Lots of greenery and Tiffany lamps to create a more gal-friendly environment. They still had a few when I was of (or could pass for) legal drinking age.

Guess where they're being brought back? Williamsburg Brooklyn, of course.

Of course.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 02:31 PM (EnKk6)

101 Notsothoreau, try Territorial Seed, they are out of Lane Co Oregon, and I know there are seed companies in the Puget Sound area.

Of course, my main introduction with gardening there is my Grandmother who had a house in Tacoma, and of course Betty MacDonald's books, The Egg and I and Onions in the Stew.

I don't buy seed by the packet, at least for tomatoes and squash and such. Outside of corn and beans, I buy the plants from nurseries and farmers markets. It is important to buy from a responsible grower, last year I bought some eggplants from a guy who grew in his back yard and I wound up with eggplant beetles

Posted by: Kindltot at March 11, 2017 02:40 PM (WQX/u)

102 Ronster, yes, Hoyas are stunning when in bloom!

This one had about 20 spurs on it before we moved-- had some breakage which took about half of them, then years later a power outage (during winter) that nearly killed it. Poor thing is lucky to be alive at this point.

It's quite lovely just as a foliage plant, imo.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 11, 2017 02:40 PM (044Fx)

103 So is this just honey bees? Did they have other bees here? What pollinated plants?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 02:23 PM (EnKk6)

I'd imagine only honeybees. According to Jefferson they were even called "white man's flies." Ants, wasps, butterflies, moths, bats, etc. probably give honeybees a run for their money with pollination duties.

Posted by: Moron Robbie at March 11, 2017 02:40 PM (/f1mm)

104 If your wild blackberries are trailing, they are
probably native. If they are tall and form thickets, they are probably
the Himalaya interlopers. The latter prefer quite a bit of water, so
they may not produce berries when it is dry (just guessing). I have
tasted a few berries from the Sierra foothills and they were bitter. I
don't think they got enough water there.

Also, they might not get enough winter chill where you are to form berries.
Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 01:06 PM (qahv/)

They could also be the evergreen blackberries Rubus laciniatus, it is another introduced berry. They do ok in arid areas and grow where the Himalayas won't get a toe-hold, but they tend to clone from the roots, so you can get a thicket of just male plants without a single berry.
They have deeply cut leaves and a purplish cane, and sprawl all over.

They have extra seedy berries, I don't like them much.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 11, 2017 02:45 PM (WQX/u)

105 The Butcher at March 11, 2017 01:50 PM

You have a peacock?

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:45 PM (qahv/)

106 CaliGirl at March 11, 2017 01:56 PM

Might as well plant some thornless Boysenberries or Youngberries.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:47 PM (qahv/)

107 Well, Preet just got fired. He should have known - if the boss asks you to resign, and you refuse, now he HAS to fire you or else look like a cowardly piece of shit to everyone else in the organization.

Posted by: Tom Servo at March 11, 2017 02:48 PM (V2Yro)

108 Pat* at March 11, 2017 02:04 PM

Nice story about the traveling houseplant and the cat. I would be surprised if your spearmint did NOT survive.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:51 PM (qahv/)

109 Well, Preet just got fired. He should have known - if the boss asks you to resign, and you refuse, now he HAS to fire you or else look like a cowardly piece of shit to everyone else in the organization.
---

You know, there was a lot of "he's going to go after Weiner and Hillary" talk, but it never happened. At all.

So perhaps he was all talk and no action. Just another Democrat lackey.

Posted by: shibumi at March 11, 2017 02:52 PM (J5mC3)

110 JQ Flyover at March 11, 2017 02:08 PM

Nice list!

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:53 PM (qahv/)

111 Snow isn't a big deal for most hardy perennials. Usually good to protect from cold temps. It's the dry hard frosts that you have to watch out for. It really depends on if the plants are exposed to wind and if the soil is moist or not. That can mean the difference between 20 and 25 degrees.

Got some sweet peas planted. Never grown them before but hoping they do well in the primo part of my garden. The rest of the garden is rototilled and all ready to go for spring crops.

Found a helpful site for checking soil types of your property. It's fairly accurate, I think. https://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx

Posted by: H at March 11, 2017 02:54 PM (b4rXB)

112 Moron Robbie at March 11, 2017 02:20 PM

Yep. I've been around some cranky bees. One came in the house not long ago. We put the dogs out, turned off all the lights and opened the front door.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:56 PM (qahv/)

113 All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 02:23 PM

Yes, there were native bees here before honeybees were brought over. Leaf-cutter bees, mud-dauber bees, carpenter bees, etc. We have one that shows up in our side yard in summer. Burrows in the sand. The bees have blue eyes.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 02:59 PM (qahv/)

114 JQ Flyover at March 11, 2017 02:26 PM

My piano teacher inherited a hoya from her mother. Did not re-pot it often. When it fell off its window transom perch she did not move it for several weeks, in order to avoid shocking it further.

They are beautiful in bloom.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 03:02 PM (qahv/)

115 I did not know that (add to a long list). So is this just honey bees? Did they have other bees here? What pollinated plants?
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 11, 2017 02:23 PM (EnKk6)

Just Honey bees were introduced. Mason bees, bumble bees, and other solitary bees did the pollinating in the new world. (as well as hummingbirds)
Actually some moths also pollinate, for example the witch hazel is pollinated in the late winter and the very early spring by a moth before the bees come out.

I planted switches of Indian plum along my back fence - it is one of the early bloomers here, and they are leafing out. I am hoping I got them into the ground early enough and deep enough to root. Supposedly they will attract the native pollinators to your fruit trees since they bring the insects in early.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 11, 2017 03:03 PM (WQX/u)

116 Kindltot at March 11, 2017 02:26 PM

Heh.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 03:04 PM (qahv/)

117 Notsothoreau at March 11, 2017 02:30 PM

Great control tip. But there is also a non-native blackberry with lacy leaves in the Northwest. R. lacinata, the Evergreen Blackberry, from England. AKA parsley-leaved blackberry.

It is not as aggressive as the Himalayan Blackberry. A thornless version is planted commercially. Has a different flavor from the Himalayan, they say.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 03:07 PM (qahv/)

118 Kindltot at March 11, 2017 02:45 PM

Great details on the evergreen blackberry.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 03:10 PM (qahv/)

119 KT, the type of bramble (since I don't know for sure it's blackberry) we have has backward curved thorns if that helps at all with identification. I only realized that recently when I was trying to figure out why they were so very "grabby".

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2017 03:10 PM (sEDyY)

120 Oh, it also seems quite aggressive and spreads underground.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2017 03:11 PM (sEDyY)

121 Nood pets. Some pussy eating action in the top picture, too.

Posted by: Insomniac - sin valor at March 11, 2017 03:14 PM (0mRoj)

122 H at March 11, 2017 02:54 PM

Thanks for the link. Good topic for a future thread.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 03:15 PM (qahv/)

123 Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2017 03:11 PM

Not sure what it is, but be careful to control that bramble.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 03:18 PM (qahv/)

124 I've bought from Territorial for years. I think I have almost every book Steve Solomon wrote. Adaptive Seeds is another good regional company. There is a company called Tatiana's Tomates they partner with. She has a lot of Russian and Eastern European tomato varieties I hadn't heard of. One of them is productive on the Oregon Coast but they are sold out this year.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at March 11, 2017 03:44 PM (Lqy/e)

125 JQ, I forgot to mention here KT at March 11, 2017 03:02 PM

that her daughter now has that hoya. Third generation.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 03:53 PM (qahv/)

126 Just curious, where's a good place to get Spider plants? Can you pick them up from places like Lowes, Home Depot, or Wal-Mart?

Posted by: tunakermit at March 11, 2017 03:55 PM (fV3aH)

127 tunakermit at March 11, 2017 03:55 PM

Yes, big box stores often have spider plants. Baby ones, especially. I think it's fine to start with little ones.

Houseplant offerings may vary seasonally. If they don't have the color of spider plant you like, try a nursery.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 04:00 PM (qahv/)

128 KT, Just got back from a class so missed the thread when it started. Thanks for another wonderful one. I enjoy houseplants but we have limited window space so I only go with low light varieties. Don't consider myself a plant 'parent' (which is stupid, sorry) but I take some pride in not killing them. I've been able to keep several Christmas cacti alive and blooming and a spathylium (sp?) given to Mr. JTB at retirement even had to be divided. Both halves are still with us. Either I'm getting better at it or these are super plants.

Posted by: JTB at March 11, 2017 04:17 PM (V+03K)

129 tunakermit-- re: buying houseplants

Home Depot (here, at least) has an ever-changing selection of houseplants. Keep checking back if you don't see what you want at first.

Or, ask for a 'baby' if someone you know has one-- they root easily in water in about a week.

I use plastic bottles for cuttings, it keeps the leaves dry and you can see the roots developing.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 11, 2017 04:19 PM (044Fx)

130 Sweet, thanks. People at other offices have had them, and I've kicked myself for not getting a small one when I had the chance. I'll go check around at the local stores when I have a chance to.

Posted by: tunakermit at March 11, 2017 04:29 PM (fV3aH)

131 126 Just curious, where's a good place to get Spider plants? Can you pick them up from places like Lowes, Home Depot, or Wal-Mart?
Posted by: tunakermit at March 11, 2017 03:55 PM (fV3aH)

You should be able to get one at those stores.

I have a variegated spider plant outside. The babies are growing by my hose on the winter porch/south lawn area.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2017 04:38 PM (onc1L)

132 105 wild peacocks throughout my semi rural neighborhood, but Pete is a regular in my back yard. I do have 5 chickens, a rooster named Lafonda, and two dogs

Posted by: the Butcher at March 11, 2017 04:58 PM (OonSC)

133 JTB,

I have known other people who kept Christmas Cacti going for a long time. Congrats on successfully dividing the Spathiphyllum.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 05:34 PM (qahv/)

134 132

Does Pete drive you nuts in the morning with that special peacock call? Can Lafonda compete in the noise department? And how did a rooster get that name?

We have had a hen here, a little Banty with lots of personality, but we've only had rooster visitors. Never a peacock. A few geese and ducks.

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2017 05:37 PM (qahv/)

135 KT late to the thread as I was at Tomatomania in So Cal. Got a bunch of pink Berkeley tie dye but they didn't have brown derby this time. Trying some new ones besides my usual. This year: Stupice, Mortgage lifter and a Japanese one called Idorico.

Call me crazy but I loved that hanging spider plant look and my roomie and I always had several in our dorm room. I love houseplant too and have one in every room.

Posted by: keena at March 11, 2017 06:36 PM (RiTnx)

136 So what's the email to send gardening stuff? I have one orchid blooming and my old guy, who I've had over 20 years, about to bloom as well. My old man is from Baker and Chantry, an awesome but now gone place that was in Woodinville, WA.

Posted by: atomicplaygirl (Gab: atomicplaygirl) at March 11, 2017 07:22 PM (Gim9y)

137 134 haha, the peacocks sometime sound like giant cats. Lafonda is a beautiful "sizzle" chicken, and I was misinformed when I got xer. imagine my surprise when xhe began crowing! I enjoy the wild peacocks, but they are terrors on certain plants

Posted by: The Butcher at March 11, 2017 09:46 PM (OonSC)

138 keena at March 11, 2017 06:36 PM

I will be interested in hearing about that Japanese tomato.

I like the spider plant look above, green against white. When I lived down south, I thought the variegated ones looked best outdoors, in a shady spot.

Posted by: KT at March 12, 2017 12:04 AM (qahv/)

139 atomicplaygirl

The address is kt in the garden at that "g" mail place. With no spaces.

Your orchids sound fantastic!

Posted by: KT at March 12, 2017 12:07 AM (qahv/)

140 137 First time I've heard of a "sizzle" chicken. Give xer or xim my best.

Posted by: KT at March 12, 2017 12:11 AM (qahv/)

141 KT I'll submit a photo for a future pet thread

Posted by: The Butcher at March 12, 2017 12:14 PM (OonSC)

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