Polka dot plant is one of the cutest houseplants I have at the moment. It kind of looks like a fittonia, small and with multi-coloured foliage but with thinner leaves. The binomial name of polka dot plant is Hypoestes spp. This genus includes 100 of species and cultivars and was originally from Madagascar but is now available in Europe and is commonly grown as a houseplant. It produces small purple flowers but is not as attractive as the foliage and growers usually cut them off to focus its energy for growth. Fun Facts comes from the Greek word 'hypo' meaning under and 'estia' meaning house ..read more

If you have read my plant journals, you would've notice some information in the Fun Facts section of the blog about invasive species. In my plant collection, I think, at the moment I only have two species of plants that can be invasive. It is my pothos, which I have 2 varieties namely, golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum) and N' Joy pothos (Epipremnum aureum 'N' Joy'). This plant have already invaded a forest in Sri Lanka and is also considered a threat to the coasts of South Africa according to the South African Journal of Botany. As of now, no records have been found to prove that it will be in ..read more

Fittonia is one of the most eye-catching plants. You'd instantly notice them in a garden center. It is widely distributed with hundreds of cultivars available worldwide. It is from South America and grows in the floor of the rainforest and that is why it is grown indoors in countries with temperate climate like Ireland. Fittonias are also known as nerve plant or mosaic plant because of the colours of the veins on their foliage which can either be white (,,Argyroneura Group) or pink/red (Verschaffeltii Group). This is my Fittonia albivensis I got from a garden center in Kildare last July. Albi ..read more

Welcome. Today, I am going to talk about one of the fastest grower in my plant collection, the Tradescantia zebrina 'Pink Joy'. The pink joy variety that I got from my local garden center seems new and the name is tagged "Unchecked" from the RHS website. It might be a new variety a grower started selling that hasn't been registered yet. Below is the picture of my plant when I got it from the garden center. It was in a 2cm pot and the leaves were growing out. After taking this picture, I checked the soil and found that it is pot bound. I repotted it and put it in a bigger pot. I got it last J ..read more

This is my Zebra plant also known botanically as Aphelandra squarrosa. I got this plant from a local garden center in Dublin last 17/06. I repotted it immediately after I got it and moved it in a 22cm terracotta pot. I bought it because I find its foliage very interesting. It has white veins and glossy, dark green leaves that are somehow "stiff" or "crisp" that turns soft and droopy when dry or when the humidity falls. It is currently starting to flower now in August. According to online sources, it flowers during fall and it may flower more than once in a year if growing conditions were met ..read more

Epipremnum aureum or most commonly known as Golden Pothos or Devil's ivy is the same as the Scindapsus aureus, which was its old name and is still what is used in Europe. I was so confused about this because when I bought the plant, the label said it is Scindapsus aureus and when I was searching online, Epipremnum aureum keeps popping up. I searched further and found that it was the same plant. While I was searching online, I also found out some facts that I think plant enthusiast should know. Facts It is an invasive species specially in tropical countries. It is toxic to cats and dogs. It i ..read more

For my birthday this year, I got myself two interesting plants. One of them is the This plant journal is all about my String of Turtles. Peperomia prostrata or string of turtles are small, trailing/cascading plants considered as a semi-succulent. It has button-shaped leaves with reticulated darker green patterns which resembles a 'turtle shell'. Hence the name string of turtles. It has green 'spikes' or inflorescence as its flowers (not really interesting, to be honest). These spikes doesn't resemble a flower nor does it add color. It turns brown and then wilts off. As a semi-succulent, it do ..read more

I got a Ceropagia woodii variegata for my birthday. This plant has been on the top of my wishlist and finally, I got an excuse to get one. For those who are not familiar with this plant, it is more commonly known as String of Hearts or Rosary Vine. It originated from South Africa and it is considered as a succulent. It is an evergreen with trailing habit and with heart-shaped leaves. The underside can be pale green or pink for the variegated species and is more pronounced as it matures. The top of the leaves are darker green with lighter discolorations or spots. Below is a picture of my varie ..read more

I recently purchased 3 houseplants from Urban Plant Life in Dublin that I ordered online and I picked up from store. I was thinking that it is better that way to observe social distancing and to somehow limit my purchase. When we arrived, I can't help to go in and take a look around. I actually regretted it, because I would've preferred to pick my own plants rather than have them pick it out for me. Lesson learned! So, for next time, I would go to the garden center myself and pick my plants. Anyhow, I got awesome plants and a new tray of sempervivums which I would talk about in the coming days ..read more

When the lockdown started, I decided to grow my succulent collection. I started looking online for some species that was on my wishlist (Haworthias and Greenovias are the top). I checked for local shops and overseas but unfortunately, there is not much options locally (Dublin) and definitely can't find any rare ones here. I found some in Etsy and I ordered from Uplicot. (not a paid advertisement). It is an online shop based on the UK so , I thought, the plants won't travel too far. I ordered a Haworthia mirabilis baby plant, ,Zebra plant (Haworthia fasciata 'Alba') baby plant, Plover eggs plan ..read more