GETTING READY FOR SUMMER

We just bought this fantastic lounging set at CVS of all places. Evening cocktail hours have officially begun. As soon as I've got some larger plants I'll be putting them around the set to give it a nice lush feel.

GARDEN MONSTERS BLOG HAS BEGUN AND A BABY MONSTER HAS ARRIVED.

Finally! I've been meaning to get this blog started but everything menial has gotten in the way (work/sleep/eating). Where to start? Hmm, that's a tough one. I've been working like mad in my little apartment garden, preparing everything for the oncoming summer. My goal is to create a tropical oasis and it's off to a good start (I think!). I attempted this last summer but failed miserably. Long story (bad soil / overestimated plant growth / underestimated the power of Pasadena 100 plus degree summer days / etc. etc.). Anyway, I started this year, in March, just as the winter chill ended, so the garden's off to a good start.

Two types of plants I've recently become obsessed with are Alocasia and Colocasias, also known as Elephant Ears because of their massive size. They are some of the largest leaf plants and grow insanely fast (sometimes from 4 inches to over 10 feet in less than a year!!). I've bought several of these plants as babies recently but have been searching for an elusive one called Alocasia Tigrina. The best way to describe this plant is something that looks like is was made as a prop for a dinosaur movie. The leaves are long and narrow and are dark green with semi-transparent parts that give the leaf a lizard-like 2-tone flesh appearance. The stalks are long and narrow with tiger-like stripes. This Alocasia seems to be quite rare because after several weeks of searching, I couldn't find any sellers who grew this until I stumbled upon a grower in Florida who had them. I ordered a young one last week and it just arrived. It's a gorgous plant, a 27.5 inch tall baby that can grow over 6 feet tall and is rumored to grow as much as 12 feet. The photo above shows me holding this beauty. I'm in heaven!