h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The very first houseplant I ever had was a Wandering Jew which I received as a housewarming present. Never having had to care for a plant before I was assured it was virtually indestructable.

I killed it inside a month.

My biggest success was an African Violet I managed to keep going for about 5 years.

Traveller in Time currently not caring too much for indoor plants
"Our current record stays at 12 years, got it as a wedding . It is a Ficus Benjamin on hydro, still with some woven stams . We are currently raising some kids so the plants do not have much space as well .

The only thing we have to pay off is our house . . . for the next twenty years. "

We have a giant philodendron that has lived with us ten plus years and a wax plant Hyp sent when Lord C. had his surgery in 2000. There is also a pothos that we received in 1982 when Lord C's father passed. The rest are relatively young--most of them are two or three years old.

My favorite is the orchid in the window between the kitchen and hot tub room. It is budded again.

I have lots of plants, and I love keeping them! I have an african violet that I got many years ago from my niece on Mother's Day. It was doing beautifully until I made the mistake of feeding it african violet food. Almost killed it! Luckily, when I switched back to the usual water with Miracle Gro it bounced back. Stupid specialty food.

Mine did okay with the violet food, in one of those self-watering planters. Thing is, apparently you have to remember to put water in them occasionally.

My favorite plant is a 'spring cactus' I bought at W*lm*rt several years ago. It's kind of like a Christmas cactus but the flowers have a different shape. It was in a little 4" pot and I think I paid $3 for it. It had about a dozen beautiful blooms on it when I bought it.

It's now in a 10" pot, and the cactus itself is about 16" or more across, it hangs beautifully over the sides of the pot and has a lovely dark green color - but it has never bloomed again. I can't even remember what color the blooms were.

It's at grandma's, of course. The cat would have it destroyed inside two days. I hope when we get a house I have room to put it somewhere out of his reach.

Every window sill in my house belongs to the cats. The one in my bedroom would be wonderful for plants. Perfect, actually. And I'm tempted to try it, but then I think about how much the cats enjoy lying there and looking out. In my house, cats and dogs always come before plants.

You could put them on stands near the windows. Or hang them from hooks over the windows.


The plants, that is... not the cats

Minerva would find a way to get to them. She's too clever for her own good.