Indoor greenery

Sunday's photo of aloe plants, hoya, and Xmas cactus.

It's been sleeting and snowing for a few hours now.  The temperature is hovering just below freezing.  (For comparison, Sunday's high was 72.)  There are scattered splotches of white in the grass, but no accumulation yet - the ground is still too warm.  I don't think we'll get more than a few inches in total.  Yet underneath the snow may be a layer of ice, especially on the roads.  We had an appointment at Mayo in Rochester today, but I've rescheduled it for December.  Driving through sleet and snow on icy roads is not fun. 

I bought the cactus and hoya in the photo above from Traverse des Sioux Garden Center in St. Peter this spring.  Years ago I had a hoya that originated from my days working at COMPAS in Landmark Center in St. Paul.  When I first started working there in 1990 the executive director was Molly LaBerge, a sweet white-haired old lady somewhat out of her element.  I once remarked how much I liked the plant on her window ledge, and she promptly cut off a stem, stuck it in some water and gave it to me.

Landmark Center - yes, I worked in a castle.

I kept that hoya alive through my years at COMPAS, working there while attending the U of MN.  At that time I was pursuing an English Education degree.  I kept it alive when I transferred to Colorado State University in Fort Collins to get my degree in Natural Resources.  I kept it going when we moved back to St. Paul so I could attend graduate school, and it survived the first few years of living in our little yellow house in Ortonville when I started working at Big Stone Lake State Park.

So when I saw the tiny hoya plants at the nursery, I knew I needed one.  I'm looking forward to seeing it flower, and I plan to take cuttings when the stems are long enough, increasing my little houseplant community.  I hope I can keep this one alive as long as the last.  I'm not as good with houseplants as I am with garden plants.  The fact that our cats love chewing on stems and leaves doesn't help either.

Photo from Garden Lovers Club.