It was still somewhat light outside when I went to get my suet feeder. I only have seven houseplants on my stand. Oops, I need to move my 'purple waffle' which is sitting in my 'foxtail fern' pot. I turned the fern and now my waffle is sitting behind some fronds.

I used to have a horde of houseplants. It has greatly dwindled, but I am okay with that. I'd rather have ten good ones than thirty, of which, twenty are finicky or can't deal with my goof ups. I have a palm, a fern, and a Hoya on the patio (which four air plants sit on). And four houseplants inside (a peace lily, two parlor palms, and a dracaena 'janet craig'). So, not that many!

Crazed your plants look happy! You are doing things right. There are a lot of variegated alocasias! They are generally chimeric non-patterned variegates (spontaneous mutations). But some of the jewels have such deep veining that contrasts so much with the rest of the plant that they **almost** look like a patterned variegation.

I could have gotten a variegated Alocasia wentii today, its one I grew in the past, but it gets really big, and I don;t have room for it in my greenhouse. When I had it before, it was not as hardy as it needed to be to come back year after year here outside, so I passed on it today. But I was tempted LOL.

This is one of my favorites, unfortunately, it has become very rare and is very expensive now if you can even locate it...Variegated Alocasia Frydek. It has an extremely variable variegation...leaves can be highly marked, or almost not at all, and the color variations can include white, yellow, lime green...lots of variation. This is an older photo, my plant currently is only yellow and lime, no white. But every leaf has the genes for variegation, so it can change with each new leaf. This plant needs high humidity, and can NOT be overwatered or it is easy to rot. Almost like the jewel alocasias but not as bad. It goes dormant in prolonged cold (meaning below 60F), instead of outright croaking like the Jewels will

Hamwild said:It was still somewhat light outside when I went to get my suet feeder. I only have seven houseplants on my stand. Oops, I need to move my 'purple waffle' which is sitting in my 'foxtail fern' pot. I turned the fern and now my waffle is sitting behind some fronds.

I sure was correct in assuming your arrangement would look so much better! It's like you landscaped your houseplant section! Beautiful colors, leaf contrast, and so healthy. My favorites are the foxtail fern and pink syngonium.

I have a gnarly neon pothos at the front of my houseplant stand. It was beautiful when I got it, but the sun sort of bleached it, and then the katydids got it. Now it's making me want to give it a serious haircut.

Gina1960 said:Crazed your plants look happy! You are doing things right. There are a lot of variegated alocasias! They are generally chimeric non-patterned variegates (spontaneous mutations). But some of the jewels have such deep veining that contrasts so much with the rest of the plant that they **almost** look like a patterned variegation.

I could have gotten a variegated Alocasia wentii today, its one I grew in the past, but it gets really big, and I don;t have room for it in my greenhouse. When I had it before, it was not as hardy as it needed to be to come back year after year here outside, so I passed on it today. But I was tempted LOL.

This is one of my favorites, unfortunately, it has become very rare and is very expensive now if you can even locate it...Variegated Alocasia Frydek. It has an extremely variable variegation...leaves can be highly marked, or almost not at all, and the color variations can include white, yellow, lime green...lots of variation. This is an older photo, my plant currently is only yellow and lime, no white. But every leaf has the genes for variegation, so it can change with each new leaf. This plant needs high humidity, and can NOT be overwatered or it is easy to rot. Almost like the jewel alocasias but not as bad. It goes dormant in prolonged cold (meaning below 60F), instead of outright croaking like the Jewels will

• African Mask (Alocasia micholitziana 'Variegated Frydek')
• Uploaded by Gina1960

The alocasia in that photo is just a showstopper. It reminds me of a very rare monstera deliciosa going around. Not Thai constellation, but Monstera deliciosa albo-variegata. That milky white just completely ends all other aroids, and I'm a huge aroid fan.

Just out of curiosity, how much would a variegated alocasia frydek cost?

Pfft, I just tossed them over there! And I think your setup looks fine! I was over that neon pothos. Those are my favorite, but I can't grow a Pothos for the life of me.

I've had the foxtail fern for... five years now? It is overdue for fertilizer, but next year! I was going to repot it this year, but decided against it because it'll be rootbound again at some point and this pot is heavy enough as it is. I've had the arrowhead vine for almost a year and a half. I've NEVER had one vine before. That just happened this year too. They seem very hard to find here (the pink ones). They are my favorite of the different cultivars.

Hamwild said:Pfft, I just tossed them over there! And I think your setup looks fine! I was over that neon pothos. Those are my favorite, but I can't grow a Pothos for the life of me.

I've had the foxtail fern for... five years now? It is overdue for fertilizer, but next year! I was going to repot it this year, but decided against it because it'll be rootbound again at some point and this pot is heavy enough as it is. I've had the arrowhead vine for almost a year and a half. I've NEVER had one vine before. That just happened this year too. They seem very hard to find here (the pink ones). They are my favorite of the different cultivars.

Well, that makes me feel better about my pothos and overall plant care skills. I'm actually currently growing a neon pothos and gold pothos, in my fish tank!

I've never really seen a foxtail fern that big. I was over it and your pink syngonium! I just purchased a pre-made houseplant arrangement from Lowe's that had a pink syngonium named, uh, strawberry something. I potted it up with my syngonium Maria, and they've been doing pretty well together. Hopefully they'll one day look as nice as yours! They probably won't, but I like to be positive... sometimes.

I think I have seen another big foxtail, once. It was another gardening forum and it was someone who North who had one she would put outside when it was warm. I always wanted one of my own since I saw hers.

I'm sure they will! I just keep it moist and it's happy. Strawberry begonia maybe?

Hamwild said:I think I have seen another big foxtail, once. It was another gardening forum and it was someone who North who had one she would put outside when it was warm. I always wanted one of my own since I saw hers.

I'm sure they will! I just keep it moist and it's happy. Strawberry begonia maybe?

I see tiny foxtail ferns at my local nursery. Maybe I should try to grow one into a large foxtail! Do they need a lot of light?

Hmm, I don't think a syngonium can be a begonia at the same time. I actually just googled it, and the name was strawberry cream syngonium. I can't believe I forgot such a simple name like that.

Oh yes! Mine was a tiny fella back in the day. I say no on the light. I've found that when in full sun, the color tends to bleach and is more of an olive green than a darker green. Mine gets morning sun and maybe some midday sun, but no afternoon sun.

You should look up strawberry begonia. It's not a begonia, but a cute little plant. My Mom put some in the ground and they came back! I should dig them up... that's a new one (to me). Do you have a picture of it? Gah, I forget the simplest names!

Hamwild said:Oh yes! Mine was a tiny fella back in the day. I say no on the light. I've found that when in full sun, the color tends to bleach and is more of an olive green than a darker green. Mine gets morning sun and maybe some midday sun, but no afternoon sun.

You should look up strawberry begonia. It's not a begonia, but a cute little plant. My Mom put some in the ground and they came back! I should dig them up... that's a new one (to me). Do you have a picture of it? Gah, I forget the simplest names!

I do have an asparagus fern, which is kinda similar. I planted it just a few months ago in a hanging basket under my Bradford pear tree. It's the only reason I'm going to miss that ugly tree - the low branching habit made it good for hanging stuff. Anyway, I don't know if I want to treat the asparagus fern as an annual, or if I want to bring it inside for the winter.

I think I've seen the strawberry begonia before! I believe they're hardy to -20 degrees, so they would be a perennial for me, too! They sort of give me heuchera vibes.

Here's a crappy pic of Maria and Strawberry Cream! I think Maria has grown more already...

I think I know which one you're referring to. Does it have thorns? I wasn't sad to see our callery pear tree go. I don't know how well they overwinter tbh. Some people's fall apart from the dry air. But, as long as the roots survive, I imagine you can hack it back and it'll dome back next year. Mine stays up against the corner of our patio unless it freezes, and then it goes in the shed. I know you don't have thay luxury though.

Oooh. It does, doesn't it?

Ooh! That one looks pink, but it's like a different shade! I'm interested in what it will look like eventually.

Hamwild said:I think I know which one you're referring to. Does it have thorns? I wasn't sad to see our callery pear tree go. I don't know how well they overwinter tbh. Some people's fall apart from the dry air. But, as long as the roots survive, I imagine you can hack it back and it'll dome back next year. Mine stays up against the corner of our patio unless it freezes, and then it goes in the shed. I know you don't have thay luxury though.

Oooh. It does, doesn't it?

Ooh! That one looks pink, but it's like a different shade! I'm interested in what it will look like eventually.

Yep, it's the one with thorns. I learnt that the hard way when I decided to pull it out of its nursery can by its fronds. I read later that same day that they have thorns! If I left it outside, it would most likely be dead by November. Possibly October if we get started early with our cold season. It's sad because it's gotten really nicely sized. I would much rather have a foxtail, though.

Pink is probably in my top five favorite colors, so if I see a pink houseplant, I'm going to get it. Unless it's a pink congo philodendron or just some artificially colored plant. I'm honestly just hoping Maria and Strawberry Cream survive. They're my first syngoniums!

I gave my Mom mine because the squirrels kept digging in it.

I think arrowhead vines are pretty easy to care for.

CrazedHoosier said:

The alocasia in that photo is just a showstopper. It reminds me of a very rare monstera deliciosa going around. Not Thai constellation, but Monstera deliciosa albo-variegata. That milky white just completely ends all other aroids, and I'm a huge aroid fan.

Just out of curiosity, how much would a variegated alocasia frydek cost?

I don't even know. I remember back in the day I paid maybe $20 for mine, a friend recently bought one off of eBay for $80 but that one had no white. The white inclusion is what everyone is looking for. (I hope it returns on mine some day). There have been some with white sell for over $200 for a small plant. No one is just 'selling' them. Everyone is auctioning them for the highest dollar.

The Alocasia reginula I found yesterday for $10 currently goes at 'regular sale' for $40-80, at auction, over $100. I have seen as high as $160-170.

This is all TOTALLY STUPID.

Yes, the variegated Monstera obsession is crazy. People in my circle who collect aroids don't really understand it. We have been growing it for many years and its nice, but not as nice as to pay the prices that are being asked now. But its NOTHING compared to the current Monstera obliqua and Variegated Monstera adansonii obsession. A friend of mine who has a nursery in So FL and sells on eBay sold a Monstera obliqua for over $2000 and a variegated Monstera adansonii for I think $2600 last week. Those are not typos. She has sold more than one of these two plants this season for thousands. One went for over $3000. For one small plant. It reminds me of about 10-12 years ago when there was a literal CRAZE (no pun intended) for three anthurium species: Anthurium jenmanii, Anthurium superbum, and Anthurium willifordii. These are all Pachyneurum (bird nest) types, and for some reason, people in Asia were paying hundreds and hundreds for these 3 plants. (People in the US too). The Asian collectors wanted then to use in hybridizing programs. The American market wanted them just because someone else wanted them so they though they must be super valuable. You can buy a small suourbem now for $10-20. The other 2 are harder to find but don't command hundreds.

Gina1960 said:

I don't even know. I remember back in the day I paid maybe $20 for mine, a friend recently bought one off of eBay for $80 but that one had no white. The white inclusion is what everyone is looking for. (I hope it returns on mine some day). There have been some with white sell for over $200 for a small plant. No one is just 'selling' them. Everyone is auctioning them for the highest dollar.

The Alocasia reginula I found yesterday for $10 currently goes at 'regular sale' for $40-80, at auction, over $100. I have seen as high as $160-170.

This is all TOTALLY STUPID.

Yes, the variegated Monstera obsession is crazy. People in my circle who collect aroids don't really understand it. We have been growing it for many years and its nice, but not as nice as to pay the prices that are being asked now. But its NOTHING compared to the current Monstera obliqua and Variegated Monstera adansonii obsession. A friend of mine who has a nursery in So FL and sells on eBay sold a Monstera obliqua for over $2000 and a variegated Monstera adansonii for I think $2600 last week. Those are not typos. She has sold more than one of these two plants this season for thousands. One went for over $3000. For one small plant. It reminds me of about 10-12 years ago when there was a literal CRAZE (no pun intended) for three anthurium species: Anthurium jenmanii, Anthurium superbum, and Anthurium willifordii. These are all Pachyneurum (bird nest) types, and for some reason, people in Asia were paying hundreds and hundreds for these 3 plants. (People in the US too). The Asian collectors wanted then to use in hybridizing programs. The American market wanted them just because someone else wanted them so they though they must be super valuable. You can buy a small suourbem now for $10-20. The other 2 are harder to find but don't command hundreds.

I've heard people buy monstera obliqua and a lot of the time it isn't even a true obliqua. They're just too rare. I think I would have to have a lot of spare cash laying around if I were to buy a plant with that price tag. You can literally adopt a dog, pay for all its shots, training, and for its first few vet visits with the prices on obliqua and variegated adansonii. I mean, to each their own, but even just $200 dollars is a lot of money to someone like me.

I can't even get ahold of a regular adansonii or regular deliciosa! I saw an adansonii for sale once for $10 per newly planted cutting, but I didn't know a lot about them, so I skipped it. I never saw one in person again. I've never been able to find a deliciosa for less than $40 here. I'm not paying $40 for a houseplant, as they're typically not extremely reliable in my house. Lack of light and stuff. They're also typically quite large, and I'd rather start from a small cutting.

Maybe I'm just not meant to have a monstera in my life.