March: be careful what you wish for

"Well dark clouds are rollin' in/Man I'm standin' out in the rain
Yeah flood water keep a rollin'/Man it's about to drive poor me insane"
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood

Happy Spring!!

On a drier note, New Juniors for me to attempt to keep alive! I visited Gethsemane Gardens yesterday and helped them water their plants by drooling covetously on everything. I couldn't manage $400 for a topiary ivy, but I did bring home these:

Euphorbia milli 'Somona' - crown of thorns


Alocasia x amazonica 'Polly' - African mask


An Oxalis that I think is mislabeled... probably Oxalis triangularis


Stromanthe sanguinea 'Tricolor' - The greenhouse guy warned me that this one needs lots of humidity (it seems he can tell my house is the Gobi Desert just by looking at me) and I fear for its safety in my arid hands but it's so gorgeous I couldn't pass it up! I mean, look at it!!

Also, a quick stop at Home Despot yielded a big bottle of Osmocote, a tube of caulk (for the bathroom, not the plants), and these:

Schizanthus NOID, possibly x wisetonensis, butterfly flower or poor man's orchid (though it is cheaper than a Phalaenopsis so go figure) - thanks to Cathy for the heads-up that HD had these in stock :)


An 88-cent primrose, Primula vulgaris. I didn't need another primula but for 88 cents, what the heck?

It's almost time for me to start repotting. I have three grants and two abstracts to write but as soon as they're done, out comes the trowel! Also, I'm heading to the Chicago Flower and Garden show tomorrow. More juniors may be imminent, depending on what I can carry on the 'L'.