Plants

I've recently become interested in growing plants, both in my house and in my yard.

Houseplants

I have a number of plants at home and in my office at the University of Maryland.

Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)): This plant is at home in a north window. I bought it on about Jan. 15, 2006. Pictures.
Sedum nussbaumerianum: This plant is at home in a south window. I bought it on about Jan. 15, 2006. I'm not sure that I've identified it correctly; it came without a name. Pictures.
Occasionally a leaf will start to shrivel up and then it will fall off if I don't cut it off. This happened a couple times, and then I started watering it twice as often, which seems to have prevented any more shriveling.
This plant doesn't seem to be growing... as it add leaves, it gets taller, but it loses leaves at the same rate it's adding them. So now it's just really tall.
Love plant (Anacampseros rufescens variegata): This plant is at home in a south window. I bought it on about Jan. 15, 2006. Pictures.
Semiminiature African Violet Rob's Slap Happy (Saintpaulia): This plant is at home in an east window. I got it on about Feb. 15, 2006. Pictures.
Semiminiature African Violet Rob's Squeeze Toy (Saintpaulia): This plant is at home in an east window. I got it on about Feb. 15, 2006. Pictures.
Miniature African Violet Rob's Loose Noodle (Saintpaulia): This plant is at home in an east window. I got it on Apr. 21, 2006. Pictures.
Streptocarpus Bristol's Anteater (common name: Cape Primrose): This plant is at work in an east window. I got it on Apr. 21, 2006. Pictures.
Petrocosmea momo: This plant is at work in an east window. I got it on about Feb. 15, 2006. Pictures.
Euphorbia griseola mashonica: I'm not sure about this identification of the plant. This plant is at home in the south window of my upstairs hallway. It is a cactus, with long, brown spines. I got it on July 29, 2006. Pictures.
Kalanchoe thyrsiflora (lucieae): This plant is at home in the south window of my upstairs hallway. It is a cactus, but it doesn't have any spines (does that mean it's a succulent?). I got it on July 29, 2006. Pictures.
Croton (codiaeum variegatum): I got this plant from my Grandfather's funeral on Nov. 30, 2006. I am keeping it at home in a south window. Pictures.
Dieffenbachia: I got this plant from my Grandfather's funeral on Nov. 30, 2006. I am keeping it at home in a north window. Pictures. In fall 2008 I moved it to work, since my cat Zathras was chewing on it too much and killing it.
Dwarf schefflera (brassia arboricola): I got this plant from my Grandfather's funeral on Nov. 30, 2006. I am keeping it at home in a north window. Pictures.
Prickly pear (genus opuntia): I got this cactus on Mar. 25, 2007. I am keeping it in a south window. Pictures.
Aloe aristata v. montana 'lighter than lace': I got this succulent on Mar. 25, 2007. I am keeping it in a south window. Pictures.
Aloe: a colleague gave me this plant at the end of August 2007. I don't know what specific variety it is. I am keeping it in an east window in my office. Pictures. In early September 2008, I repotted this plant and removed a number of pups. I potted the three largest pups into their own pots. Pictures.
Kohleria jester: I got this plant from the Violet Barn in early September 2008. I am keeping it in an east window. Pictures.
Semiminiature African Violet Rob's Mad Cat: I got this plant from the Violet Barn in early September 2008. I am keeping it in an east window. Pictures.
Codonanthe devosiana Paula: I got this plant from the Violet Barn in early September 2008. I am keeping it at work in an east window. Pictures.
Hibiscus 'high voltage' (hibiscus rosa-sinensis): I got this plant from Hidden Valley Hibiscus online in November 2009. I keep it at home in a south window. Pictures.
Hibiscus 'valentine's day' (hibiscus rosa-sinensis): I got this plant from Hidden Valley Hibiscus online in November 2009. I keep it at home in a south window. Pictures.
Dwarf key lime tree: we got this dwarf tree from KeyLimePieTree.com in April 2009. We are keeping it at home in a south window. Pictures.
Dwarf meiwa kumquat tree: we got this dwarf tree from KeyLimePieTree.com in April 2009. We are keeping it at home in a south window. Pictures.

Deceased Houseplants

Moonlight philodendron: This plant is at home in a north window. I bought it on about Jan. 15, 2006. It eventually died and I threw it out on November 26, 2006. I overwatered it a couple times, and it never recovered Pictures.
Bromeliad guzmania: This plant is at home in a north window. I bought in in the fall of 2005. The mother plant has produced a number of pups. I cut off two pups in the spring of 2006. In August 2006, I cut off the third and fourth pup. I gave the fourth one to my sister. All of the pups eventually died, although some lasted longer than others. I'm not sure what I did wrong. Pictures.
Streptocarpus Bristol's Yumpin Yimminy (common name: Cape Primrose): This plant is at work in an east window. I got it on about Feb. 15, 2006. At some point after I re-potted it in spring 2008, it just stopped growing. There was just a stump, and no new leaves ever grew again. I don't know why. Pictures.
Streptocarpus Bristol's Lan Doodoe (common name: Cape Primrose): This plant is at home in an east window. I got it on Apr. 21, 2006. In late August 2008, all of its blooms and leaves died for no apparent reason. This is similar to what happened with my Streptocarpus Bristol's Yumpin Yimminy. I got rid of it. Pictures.
Begonia rex Stained Glass: This plant is at home on my back porch. It seemed to be suffering from low humidity, so the move outside seemed like it should help. However, the plant still seems to be dying. The edges of the leaves get brown and hard. The brown-ness gradually grows to encompass most of the leave, at which point, the base of the leaf's stem usually just falls off the main plant. However, new leaves are still growing. I got this plant on about Feb. 15, 2006. Update: the last new leaf grew to normal size, then began turning brown and crusty on the edges, and eventually rotted (?) away. I finally put this plant out of its misery about mid-May 2006. I still don't know what happened to it! Pictures.
Mammillaria elongata: This plant is at home in the south window of my upstairs hallway. It is a cactus, with golden spines. I got it on July 29, 2006. By the end of September 2006, I realized that I had overwatered it, which caused it to rot at the soil level. I cut off the longest fingers, trimmed off the rotted parts, and let the ends seal. Then I dipped them in rooting hormone and planted them. They didn't seem to do much. On March 11, 2007, I pulled them up...they hadn't rooted and were just drying out. I threw them away. Pictures.
Begonia semperflorens 'super olympia red': This plant is at home in the south window of my upstairs hallway. I got it on July 29, 2006. It did just fine for several months, although it got leggy with the winter light. However, starting in about January 2007, the leaves and canes started to die off, after the leaves sagged and got soft. I thought I was overwatering it, so in the beginning of March 2007 I spaced out the watering a bit. If anything, this accelerated the die-off. So I started watering more frequently toward the end of March. However, this didn't help it - maybe it was too late. I had to throw it out. Pictures.
Peace lily (spathiphyllum): I got my first of these plants on Nov. 26, 2006, from a local gardening store. I am keeping it at home in a north window. After I potted it up in October 2007, the leaves started to gradually get soft and black. New ones would grow in, then they would die, too. I tried different watering schedules, with no success. Starting in about February 2008, the kittens liked to chew on any available leaves, which didn't help. I finally threw out this plant on August 4, 2008. The roots of it still looked OK - no root rot. I have no idea what the problem was. Pictures.
Pothos (epipremnum aureum): Also known as Devil's Ivy. I got this plant from my Grandfather's funeral on Nov. 30, 2006. I am keeping it at home in a north window. I managed to kill this plant quickly by overwatering it - I got rid of it at the end of January 2007. Pictures.
Wandering Jew (tradescantia or zebrina): I got two cuttings of this plant on Nov. 30, 2006, from my sister's plant, which is a beautiful example of the purple variety. The cuttings are in water, so I hope they will grow roots and then I can put them in soil. The cuttings grew lots of roots, and I potted them in January 2007 and put the plant in a north window. The cuttings are growing spectacularly. However, starting in about Feburary 2008, the kittens began chewing on the leaves and vines and playing with them. They essentially pruned the plant back to nothing, and the remaining vines just died. Pictures.
Espostoa melanostele 'snowball': I got this cactus on Mar. 25, 2007. I am keeping it in a south window. It "deflated" in the summer of 2008. Investigation in September 2008 showed that it rotted beneath the soil line. I got rid of it in September 2008. Pictures.
Hibiscus 'simple pleasures' (hibiscus rosa-sinensis): I got this plant from Hidden Valley Hibiscus online in mid-November 2006. It arrived with a fairly large bud, which has been growing. I keep this plant at home in a south window. Pictures. The plant began declining in summer 2008; I'm not sure if I overwatered it, or if there was another problem. I tried potting it down to keep it from retaining too much water, but it eventually died. I got rid of it in January 2009.
Semiminiature African Violet Rob's Calypso Beat: I got this plant from the Violet Barn in early September 2008. I am keeping it in an east window. Pictures. It got a severe case of powdery mildew and died by the end of 2008.
Semiminiature African Violet Rob's Pink Buttercups: I got this plant from the Violet Barn in early Septebmer 2008. I am keeping it at work in an east window. Pictures. It got a severe case of powdery mildew and died at the beginning of 2009.

Perennials in My Yard (updated August 2008)

Sedum larenium park: We planted 16 sedum under two large evergreen bushes in July 2005. They receive a lot of direct sunlight, despite the bushes. It was really hot, so they did not flourish. By spring 2006, several had died. I transplanted the rest to open up a flower bed and fill in gaps. The remaining sedum have done very well this spring (2006). Later in spring 2006, the sedum turned a greyish-yellow color and most of the leaves died off. Some of the plants recovered in the fall. In spring 2007, they again grew very vigorously, then died off abruptly with the same symptoms at about the same time of year. I have no idea what is happening. In spring 2008, they did great and did not die back. However, we put in new stone walls around the flowerbeds, and the sedum got buried and killed in the process. By this point, there were only 3 - 4 remaining.
Liriope: I planted four of these plants around a tree on Labor Day weekend, 2005. They get partial shade. They have done well through 2008.
Tiarella: I planted three of these plants in partial shade on Labor Day weekend, 2005. They are flourishing in spring 2006. They also came back well in spring 2007, but the very hot, dry summer has hurt them. In 2008, one of them did not come back after winter, presumably because of the dry, hot weather in summer 2007.
Polemonium: I planted three of these plants in partial shade on Labor Day weekend, 2005. They seemed OK through the fall and their foliage died back over the winter. As of May 2006, only one has re-sprouted. I planted three more of these plants in a shade garden in Sep. 2005. As of May 2006, only one of these has re-sprouted. It died, and none of them returned in spring 2007.
Helleborus: I planted three of these plants in a shade garden in Sep. 2005. They survived all winter, and one is blooming this spring. They did well through 2006 and 2007.
Primrose: I planted three of these plants in a shade garden in Sep. 2005. They survived all winter, and two have bloomed this spring. They have done well through 2006 - 2008.
Astilbe: I planted four of these plants as bare roots in a shade garden in Sep. 2005. After planting in the fall, two of them started to sprout. Their foliage died back over the winter. This spring (2006), all four have sprouted and grown about a foot high so far. In spring 2007, all four eventually sprouted, but the very hot, dry summer caused them to die back by mid-August. In spring 2008, none of them came back.
Forget-me-not: I planted three of these plants in a shade garden in Sep. 2005. Their foliage died back quickly in the fall. As of May 2006, they have not yet grown back.
Hosta: I planted one of these in a shade garden in Sep. 2005. Its foliage died back in the winter. It has started to sprout again this spring, but didn't last long. In spring 2007, two leaves from it sprouted, but the hot, dry summer quickly killed them. I planted 'emerald tiara' and 'king tut' hostas in the bed by the back porch in fall 2006. They have come back in 2007 and 2008, although in 2008 the 'emerald tiara' is pretty wimpy.
Pink rose: I don't know the variety of this rose bush, since it came with the house. It is on the west side of the house, with a southern exposure as well. It flourished last fall and is doing very well this spring. Doing very well through 2008.
White rose: I don't know the variety of this rose bush, since it came with the house. Originally it was planted on the north side of the house, and looked very anemic, with only one cane, few leaves, and one bloom per season. In mid-March 2006, I transplanted it along the house near the pink rose bush. Since then, it has flourished and grown numerous branches and leaves, and even has multiple buds. Aphids have been a problem, though. A new, large cane grew in spring 2008.
Creeping jenny: I planted four of these in the shade on the north side of the house, around some azaleas. They are flourishing, and I'm starting to have to cut them back so they don't climb up the house.

Plant Links

General info on plants and gardening

BackyardGardener.com, with general gardening tips
Dave's Garden, with lots of searchable info about plants, as well as comments by people who have actually grown them
Plant Database, from Walters Gardens, Inc.
Behnke's Nursery, local to where I live.
D.R. Snell Nursery, located in Maryland, with some useful local information.
Spring Hill Nurseries, which has a nice online plant finder.
Info on aphids by Washington State University, Whatcom County Extension

Perennials

Bluestone Perennials, an online nursery where you can order plants, including pre-planned gardens
Gardening with Perennials, from killerplants.com.
Perennial Profiles: Daylilies, from Garden Gumbo.
Stepables.com, info about plants that tolerate foot traffic.
August Rose Society FAQ on roses
Growing hardy bulbs, by Ohio State University Extension

Annuals

PDF of NOAA's data on dates of first and last frosts throughout the country
Info on petunias, by the Clemson Extension
Selecting ahd planting petunias, by Iowa State University
Planting wax begonias, by Yardener.com
"Bulletproof" annuals, by northerngardening.com

Shrubs and Trees

KeyLimePieTree.com, where you can buy dwarf fruit trees, along with care and culture information
Azalea Society of America
How to care for hydrangeas, by Phyllis Heuerman of the Frederick County Master Gardener Program
Planting guide for dogwood trees, by Cottage Farms
Crape Myrtle Pruning - HGIC 1009 from Clemson University
Crape Myrtle Culture from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service
Tree Details - The Tree Guide at arborday.org for Crape Myrtles

Houseplants

Caring for Houseplants, byt University of Missouri Extension. Includes general info, along with a list of suggested plants and culture.
Houseplant information, by the University of Illinois Extension. Includes general info, along with a list of suggested plants and culture.
Houseplant lessons by suite101.com, including how to choose plants that go with the type of gardener you are
Descriptions of many, many houseplants, by Better Homes and Gardens.
The Violet Barn, which sells online African Violets, Streptocarpi, and many other houseplants. I bought all of the African Violets, Streptocarpi, and the Petrocosmea momo described above from them. They arrived in great condition.
Info on caring for bromeliads, by Plants in Design, Inc.
Cactus and Succulent Care for Beginners, by thte Cactus & Succulent Society of San Jose.
Hidden Valley Hibiscus, a place that sells hibiscuses online
A Touch of the Tropics, a place that sells hibiscuses online

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avondale@astro.umd.edu