Mrs. F.G.'s Winter Obsession

I suppose it was inevitable that gardening outdoors would eventually move Mrs. F.G. toward collecting house plants during the winter months.  Perhaps I'm exaggerating to call it an obsession, but we now have a very interesting collection of plants in our den and elsewhere.  She's added a love of indoor plants to her love of gardening in the summer.

Here's one corner of our den, with a dozen or more plants in front of our north-facing window.  I'm sorry but I don't know the names of all these but I will seek her help in filling out the information correctly.  I just enjoy the greenery!

Another dozen on top of the bookshelf in front of the window.

And a brand new shelf in front of a high horizontal window to the west now lined with smaller plants.  Put together it does really change the feel of the room.  If you can't get outside into nature, bring nature inside!.

The main plants of interest to Mrs. F.G. are the various snake plants, along with different varieties of Aloes and succulents.

Here's a shorter one with fat leaves.

There are of course plants elsewhere in the house.  Here are the two historic ones.  In the foreground is an Aspedistra, brought over from Italy in 1956 by her mother, and kept ever since.  We discovered that it flourished by being put outside during the warmer months, growing a lot of new leaves.  The Hoya vine behind it is from my own mother, and seems simply indestructible, sending out new long shoots frequently.

Another smaller Hoya vine that sits beside me while I enjoy my coffee and read the news each morning.

And an unusual leaf on a Peromia plant that I look down at while doing my weight-lifting each day.

Finally, just to prove she is great at keeping plants alive, here is our Christmas Poinsettia, still flourishing after nearly three months!  Mrs. F.G. has discovered that there are numerous YouTube videos on growing house plants, as well as new opportunities for on-line ordering and shipping, much of it apparently brought on by the pandemic.

Thailand seems to have become the centre for introduction of new varieties, with those varieties initially bringing in thousands of dollars per plant from serious (and rich) collectors.  Once they've been cloned and are available more widely, the price drops dramatically.  So don't expect to the be the first on your block to get the new plant!