I have been enchanted by Clivia miniata, which usually just goes by “clivia”, or sometimes “fire lily”, for a long time. A few years ago, I succumbed and bought a clivia from a vendor at the Philadelphia Flower show. I brought it home, put it in a choice location beside the other house plants on … Read more
I have had a crush on abutilon or “parlor maple” plants for the longest time. It might be because I love their hollyhock-like flowers. Or perhaps it is because I live in a Victorian house and the room that I refer to as the” living room” would once have been called “the parlor”. It stands … Read more
The island of Madagascar, off the coast of Africa, is home to all kinds of interesting plants and animals. My favorites among the fauna are lemurs, primates that have adapted successfully to even the harshest environments. There is something especially endearing about the ring-tailed lemurs, which hold their long tails optimistically aloft while roaming through … Read more
I admit to a love/hate relationship with houseplants and I don’t need a psychologist to explain it. My deep-seated ambivalence stems from the fact that most of my houseplants are tropicals or tender plants that only cohabit with me during the cold weather months. When night temperatures are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, they lounge on … Read more
