Christmas Cactus

I bought a Christmas cactus at my department's student club annual holiday plant sale a couple of years ago. When I got it, it had multiple gorgeous fuschia blooms. Then it entered my house and slowly lost them all.

Christmas cacti are trained when to bloom by growers. They need to have light only during the day for something like six weeks before they bloom. Well, mine's in my kitchen, and I definitely don't make sure it's in the dark all night. So it hasn't bloomed since I got it.


Until now! For the past month or so, I've been getting one beautiful bloom at a time. When one dies, another opens up. It's nice to stare at while I do dishes (the plant is above my sink).

Indoor Plants

Moving is always interesting because you have to start over in basically every way. By the time I had left my old house, I had finally figured out how much light all my indoor plants needed and had them all strategically positioned.

It's taken me a month or two, but I think I've got all my plants where they need to be in the new place to thrive.

This is my Christmas cactus. I bought it last year at our department's holiday plant sale. It's by my front door in a really low-light place, being the only plant I have that would be ok there. But because it gets light at night, it doesn't know when to bloom--its circadian rhythms are all out of whack (kinda like mine).

I would like for it to bloom next year; for that to happen, I need to bring it into work where it'll be exposed to light only during the day for at least a few months before the holidays. But I want to find another plant to replace it in that spot in my house first. Maybe I'll take a cutting from one of Emily's office plants, because they seem to do ok in low-light situations.


This summer killed my basil plant. So I got a new one a few weeks ago, and put it in the kitchen window next to my African violets. I'm going to make a pesto lasagna soon, and this plant'll come in handy. It really needs to be trimmed, anyway. It's looking scraggly.


This is my favorite indoor plant. When my mom gave it to me, it was very limp and droopy. But she had it outside, and I really think it's a city plant, because when I brought it inside it freaked out with happiness and new, upright growth. I don't know what it is, though.


This silver philodendron came from some cuttings from one of Emily's office plants. It probably shouldn't be on top of the microwave, but so far it seems to be free of any radiation-related illnesses. Whenever it starts to get long, I crudely break off the vines and stick them in the soil. In this manner I hope to eventually fill out the pot. It's about time for a trimming.


This was a tiny free plant that I got from work. Since then it has really grown. I'm a little worried it's not getting enough light--since I moved it's let a few leaves rot off. I'm keeping an eye on it. Tom says it's a pipe vine.


This year is the first one that I've really had indoor plants, and I love it. They make the house seem really warm and inviting.