I have no idea why I continue to buy Caltheas. I kill them all the time. But I brought one back from the dead this year so I felt a little more confident. Also, I have a terrarium that I can keep them in this winter. I will mix them with some begonias. Last winter I kept the Begonias in the terrarium and they grew so well they were coming up out of the top of the container.

So I picked up this Calthea.



Begonias





This is a short leaf Spiderplant. Anyone have an idea of a name? Bonnie I know is short leaf but pics I have seen it usually is curly. This one leaves are not curly. It could be because Lowes keep their plants in a very dark corner of the store.

I wonder if it gets some light the leave might curl. Anybody have any thoughts?

Those are pretty! Especially love the Begonias! I don't do spider plant cultivar names, but it looks like a perky, vigorous, whatever-it-is!

I bought a very similar spider plant recently - like mine, yours looks closest to the Variegatum cultivar here: http://www.ourhouseplants.com/...

I own a Calathea too. I keep it in my bathroom, where it gets some mottled light and lots of humidity. I've now repotted it in stages from a 10cm pot to a 30cm pot over the course of a year or so, so it seems to be working!

TY Tiffany. It is not a favorite plant but it is a favorite because of the work it does as a air cleaner. So it is one of the work horse plants that I like to have in the house. I am trying to make it a favorite by adding this Croton and another Croton I picked up last yr. You know how I love my combo pots. I think if I can make the spider plant interesting with some color I will like it more.






bifftwelve, I have had spider plants for years. I had a small collection at one point. I had some life issues and I let a lot of plants stay outside too long into winter a couple of years ago and lost a lot of plants.

This spider is different than any in your link. Bonnie would be the closest because it has short leaves but the leaves on this plant is not curly like bonnie. The usual the usual variegated spider has long leaves that hang down really long. This one is not going to be a long leaf. I am starting my collection again and this may be a good one because the leaves are short.

@Cinta,
That is Chlorophytum laxum (different species than your run of the mill spider plant, which is C. comosum).

I think bright, indirect is best with this one. It seems to burn with too much direct light (or get wilty).

The leaves won't curl (that's not a characteristic of this one).

TY. I thought this one would burn the leaves seem to be thinner than my other spiders

You're welcome! Pretty difficult to kill IMO.

Oops, I forgot to share the database link in case you wanted to add it to your list.

Bichetii Grass (Chlorophytum laxum)

I will add my plant to the database. It looks like there are no reverse variegated pics

I'm not sure it "comes in" reverse variegated. I had one plant sprout (there are mutiple, multiple plants in your pot, you could easily separate them into other pots if you wanted to. You'll occasionally spot a new plant forming at the bases of the older plants. This one produces new plants this way rather than producing baby plants) that was completely white. It never had many leaves at a time, but I guess with that, it means you could have one that lacks any green in the leaves.

Nice plants Cinta! For some reason, the only way I can keep Rex Begonia's alive is in a terrarium. I've killed so many Prayer Plants (Maranta) over the years but now have two that I purchased a few months ago and they are doing really well ... I think because I'm remembering to keeping the soil moist at all times and keeping the humidity up by having them sit on trays with moist pebbles as well. That Spider plant is interesting ... I've never heard of a short-leaf spider plant and it sure is pretty. Your Codiaeum (Croton) that you got last year sure is doing well, really pretty! I have a large Codiaeum I need to transplant soon ... it's planted behind the house and not getting enough light because it's being crowded out by some other shrubs.

bifftwelve, That is a really nice Calathea you have there! I have one on my screened back porch that is struggling to stay alive and another potted Calathea outside in deep shade that seems to thrive in that location!

Planto: That is a pretty Chlorophytum!

These are my two Prayer Plants, the first is the one that stays indoors and the second smaller plant is out on my screened porch.

Lin,
Unfortunately, I don't have it anymore, but they are practically indestructible (just not in my hands ).

Planto, I've never had luck growing spider plants indoors. I've known people here in Florida who use them as outdoor ground cover plants just like the similar looking variegated Liriope. I have a friend whose home is surrounded by tons of huge live oaks and at one time they had Spider Plants as a ground cover at the base of the oak trees which was really pretty. The photo below is from @ 2010 at our old house; Spider plants, Tradescantia and weeds like Virginia Creeper vine, Arrowhead Plant and a bunch of tree seedlings. The Tradescantia and Chlorophytum both were originally in hanging baskets in a Camphor tree in the backyard and when the babies touched the ground they took root so I just left them. The mother plants didn't survive but those in-ground lived for a few years until we had an exceptionally cold winter and they froze.

I think just about everything in FL grows like a weed (I'm not jealous of your warm weather).

I haven't had the best of luck growing them indoors myself. I think I've learned living in a 1 bedroom apartment with 1 window (it's Southeast, but more East than South and proving to be too dark most of the year for just about any plant) isn't the most ideal situation.

But that particular one, even indoors it bloomed, exploded, you name it. The run of the mill 'Spider Plant,' you can forget it, I can't grow it inside.

Planto are you a water person? I have had spider plants for years and years. I did not think you could kill a spider plant unless you put it outside in the winter under snow. That was how I killed my spider plants.

My mom had a spider plant in her laundry room that was so dark if you did not turn the lights on you could not see your hands in front of your face. Every winter she would go to my sister's house in Georgia for the winter. She would return in March. We did not water it or even go down to the laundry room and that plant would still be alive when she came home.

The things I know you can grow in the dark and water is a spider plant and Snake plant, and rubber tree. The way to kill a plant is too much water. Every winter I put the snake plant and the spider plant before I killed it and the rubber trees in the coldest room in the house and I do not water them all winter.

If people have a need to water plants I suggest they get a squirt bottle and walk around and squirt the plants.

I kill every Prayer plant, Begonia, Orchid and Calathea plant. Oh and Gardenias. Anything that needs exact amount of water or plants that do not like to be dry die in my hands. Orchids want water but just enough, the enough I have not been able to figure out.

Lin that is so pretty as a ground cover. I saw someone buy silk spider plants and put it around a tree as ground cover. I laughed all day when I saw that. They could have brought sedge cheaper and had the same effect. Silk flowers are expensive.

Cinta said: Lin, I saw someone buy silk spider plants and put it around a tree as ground cover. I laughed all day when I saw that. They could have brought sedge cheaper and had the same effect. Silk flowers are expensive.

LOL, That brings back memories from years ago when I'd see elderly folks here in Florida jam silk flowers in the ground around their mobile homes. It really made me shake my head and laugh out loud; I thought it was a huge waste of money because the sun would fade the colors out very quickly ... but I guess the colorful silk blooms brought them some sense of joy for a short while.

Cinta,
I'm not sure though what happened with my 'Spider Plants,' it could very well have been too much water (I'm beginning to think I do overwater). They just never seemed to take off, let alone do what 'Spider Plants' are known for (exploding). If anything, they kept losing leaves and I ended up with less than I started with. I always assumed it was poor lighting. Now I'm beginning to think my bad luck with my houseplants wasn't necessarily the lighting after all. Well, poor lighting and overwatering is a death sentence, so maybe it's bad lighting too.

Yep, I'm pretty sure I killed my 'Snake Plant' by overwatering (which I don't think my poor lighting helped). I just bought a ZZ Plant last week... hoping I won't kill that one either. I bought a clay pot just in case.

I could never figure out Orchids either. I was afraid to let them go too dry so I think I inadvertently killed them by overwatering.

Planto

Planto, you sound like a tender hearted care taker. You want to care for your plants.

I purchased a ZZ plant last year and I am killing that plant. I was down to one leaf by the time I put it out for the summer. We had rain everyday for a month and it started growing. I thought this was a plant that did not like a lot of water. I think this is going to be one of those plants I cannot grow. I am not going to water plants that much in the winter.

Since you like to water maybe next time you are at Lowes pick up one of those Bromelaids. They love to be moist, do not need much light and you have to keep their cup full of water. You will be able to see when you need to water.

Once I bring them in for the winter they do not get any water until after New Years Eve. Maybe a sip for Valentines day, March they get nothing then April for Easter then May they are ready to go out. But 90% of my plants are succulents. The few houseplants get a mist every now and then.

Cinta,
Aww, thank you.

Hmm. I managed to kill my first ZZ Plant because its roots rotted.

I'd love a Bromeliad! But I only seem to find the ones that are in that awful peaty soil that takes forever to dry out even just a little bit.

The peaty soil is what they like. It may be the only plant that Lowes and HD have planted in the right soil. Since you like to water you should/would not let it get dry.

Maybe you could try it out by getting one cheap from Ken he is feeling bad because no one will take them off his hands. He said he is going to have to throw them in the garbage.
The thread "bromeliads have to go" in Classifieds and Group Buys forum

Oh really? I thought that peaty stuff was bad for all plants. ::shifts eyes around:: Maybe I can make some room... Thank you for the link, I'm going to check that out!