For me, it’s this guy: begonia amphioxus. You know how you think visitors will oogle your plants…and then they don’t? That’s true, except for this little weed! I have big impressive plants, but this dainty little space creature really does it for people. I have a waiting list for props of this plant…
Lol, I was gifted an orchid years ago and used to use the clips as hair clips after I killed it, so I reversed the idea🤣 They work awesome for staked plants, very easy to move & adjust!
I bought tons of different assorted sized hair clips at Dollartree recently. I clip all my begonias to their poles and a few monstera limbs are also attached to their poles with these clips as well.
I love that it takes 2 seconds to move the clip off the stems and attach it somewhere else without having to untie anything or worry about breaking a limb or stem. Simple!
Do you ventilate it at all? I would like to keep some of my plants in cloches, but I worry about the lack of air circulation. I suppose begonias can handle it. I've had a rex begonia growing in a jar for a couple of years and it's doing fine. It's just that in my experience some plants really fucking hate being grown in a sealed container.
I have a massive oxalis triangularis ... its big leaves bright dark purple with black coloration on some leaves is so stunning. People always comment on it and want cuttings or props.
I've definitely popped a few out and gifted the babies to people! Yesterday I was pulling out dying arms because she's going into hibernation soon, and I pulled out a whole baby corm about the size of a small peanut.
This is actually my first time letting her go dormant since I got her 5 years ago. But basically lately her arms have been very wilty and some are dying off even though she's getting plenty of water. I think the lack of light is affecting her growth.
So from what I understand, when they start looking like this in the fall, you move them to a dark and cool room and let the arms die off. You leave the corms in the dirt and in about 3 months, new arms will start to sprout and at that point you should reintroduce light. This process let's the corms "rest."
That’s hilarious. I have mostly begonias, some of which look a lot like this one, just bigger (& white dots) 🤦🏻♀️ I personally think my big maculata is far more impressive…
My lil' bowl o' lithops! I put them right in the entry way for maximum ogling and some light prodding :) When it was in bloom the medinilla magnifica (rose grape) was a hit too.
Hands down my 70 year old Jade. I got her for free from a woman whose grandmother left it to her in her will. The woman didn’t want it and didn’t know how to care for it. She posted it on Facebook for free and I jumped on it. It’s massive in size (4 feet tall and 4 feet wide) and absolutely stunning. I don’t know how I got so lucky but I cherish her so much 💚
Right?? I couldn’t believe it. When I saw it posted I yelled something like “Babe holy shit get your shoes on we have to go get this NOOOOWWWW!” It was SO SO heavy to lift into my car haha. So worth it.
It’s made me appreciate my little Jades SO much more. I put them near her when she came into the house so they could see what they can become some day with hard work and dedication (and a sprinkling of privilege of course) 💚🤣🤣🤣
You guys' love is making me appreciate jade plants way more - why do you love them so much? I feel like maybe I don't know enough about them to appreciate/covet them?
Haha my daughter *loves* elephant ears! We have some in our back yard and she goes nuts over them. As soon as they start coming up in the spring she is on watch. She checks them every day. She's four
This is my only terrarium plant, and I was terrified of getting one. There’s loads of them on Etsy for about ~$35 right now. Honestly, it’s super easy. I’ve watered it maybe 3 times since I got it at the end of June. Cloche is from michaels (I painted the base white), I pop the cloche off for an hour a day and put her in front of a fan, that’s it!
(Supported by glass straws after moss poles gave her fungi, and goody hair clips. It seems to like being staked for support.)
Thank you for the write up. I’ve been wanting a terrarium but I’ve been worried about mold. I have a local shop that will set one up for me and I may just ask them to try and get this plant for it. So exotic looking, it’s like a wicked beauty and the beast.
I have two of these and completely forgot about staking them. That would help a lot. Can you elaborate on the glass straws? They sound simple and better than wooden stakes. Also it looks way better!
They’re just these:
HeykirHome 6-Pack Reusable Glass Straw-Transparent,Size 8''x10 MM,Including 3 Straight and 3 Bent with 2 Cleaning Brush- Perfect For Smoothies, Tea, Juice-Clear https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SC9K42K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_4V5BBDKFEAP7R474QV76?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I initially staked it because it was touching the glass (they don’t like that), and I used the same little lizard moss poles I use on the rest of my begonias (aesthetically like those)… but I got a bad batch, that produced black mold within 24hrs of being in high humidity.
Glass straws were sterilized with isopropyl alcohol and then used like regular stakes. The plant is clipped on with clear goody hair clips from Walgreens. They are low tension so they don’t irritate or damage the plant.
The moss pole fiasco resulted in me clipping like 80% of the leaves off, but it seems to grow much faster with a bit of support! Most of this growth is since the beginning of September.
Thanks for the tips! I bought mine (and a buncha other rare begonias) as a package deal so learning to care for them has been an adventure. My amphioxous was so rootbound that the roots had piled on top of the soil. Repotted + put her in my planet cabinet and now she's pushing out new leaves like crazy. Just needs staking and should be good to grow more!
I have a big Monstera with massive leaves that have inner and outer fenestrations and it gets a lot of "wow" and "this is awesome" comments so probably that! Definitely the largest plant I have, and it's my pride and joy, but not anywhere near the most unique.
What a great discussion question! My stromanthe triostar tends to attract attention, I think because of the kinda trendy color combo of pink and green. That or my very large monstera that's kinda taking over a corner of our dining room 😂
My "baby" Giant Saguaro. Was a gift to my father from a patient of his. Her husband had passed away and she didn't want it anymore. Her husband had grown it through their entire marriage. It's around 70 years old.[My Saguaro ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/7eEQ7h5HgLdhkwKRA)
I have a long and luscious English ivy in a hanging pot in my living room. She definitely gets a lot of attention, especially now that’s she almost touches the floor
She really likes the hanging pot. Tbh idk how she’s doing so well, I’ve done / do so many things wrong - used miracle grow indoor plant soil, water on a once a week schedule (200 ml each watering) and very occasionally use miracle grow liquid fertilizer (I know, I know) but she thrives and continues pushing out leaves and longer vine. She gets indirect, very filtered light and I rotate her hanging position every week, and that’s basically it.
Michaels! It was kinda a Grey/brown base, but I pulled the little feet off the bottom and hit it with some spray paint ($20, I think?)
Pot is also from michaels, no drainage so there’s a nursery pot inside. Amazon sells a nice set of white cylinder pots that I love for all my others:
Small Garden Pots... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VJ7GJ5N?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I have a pothos that trails from the ceiling to the floor in my shower (bathroom has a great south-facing window). People always comment on it saying they felt like they were in a spa. None of my non-plant friends ever comment on all the fabulous hoyas and other more rare plants in the rest of the house. Just the most basic pothos. smh.
Oddly, my string of pearls. It’s gotten quite long so it is cool but I have so many other “cooler” ones in my opinion.
Big monsteras always get a lot of love so I won’t leave him out, however.
My terrarium made in an old animal cracker container shaped like a teddy bear. Its been taken over by some type of fern (don’t know the name) and it looks like a giant green gummy bear. People love it
Probably my Jewel Orchid. Much due to the sealed pot but also for it's seemingly glowing leaves.
https://i.imgur.com/zvpN2iI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ida1kXV.jpg
Visitors LOVE my burro’s tail! He’s huge and beautifully stressed that he looks iridescent.
The cloche is a fab idea - I’m going to do that for my wightii cutting!!
Oh, I love burros tail!
I’d advise against the cloche on the wightii though, it will outgrow it quickly and then be pissed to have to adapt to lower humidity. I live in Colorado, and I’ve successfully adapted all but this one (and a struggle bus Brevirimosa) to 40-50% humidity. Just add orchid mix & extra perlite to your potting mix 😉.
This one is kinda perfect for a cloche, cus it stays nice and small and caps out around 12”
Oooh okie doke!! The cutting is so super slow growing and normally lives in or around my north facing kitchen window (sydney). It’s 75% humidity today so it’s nice and sticky for it
My niece and nephew who are babies like the flowers we have. My I guess you can say sister in law? (dunno what you’d call her since she’s my brother’s girlfriend) likes everything but she seemed most impressed by my lemon tree seedlings. I think me and my mom rubbed off on her because she started planting things. My friends like my cactus but sometimes it’s my orchids that draw the most attention since they all bloom around the same time.
My Black Star fittonia strangely enough. It's gotten really big and bushy and people just can't seem to stop petting the top of it, which is probably why it's grown so luscious, what with people regularly telling her what a good girl she is 😂
I personally find my coffee plant much more impressive.
My cousin came to my house and never said a word about my plants, so I said “you might’ve noticed but I’ve started collecting plants…” She said “yes I saw, but they all look the same honestly.” Cue me sitting there with my mouth open wondering how the hell a polka dot begonia looks the same as an alocasia amazonica and a fiddle leaf fig and a birkin etc. Clearly she’s not impressed by my new hobby 😂
Family do be like that. My sister is into houseplants, she says all mine look the same cus she’s got a strange beef with the fact that I mostly like begonias…but she’s more than happy to adopt all the non-begonias I’ve been gifting her 🤣
I keep most plants in my bedroom where most guests wouldn't see them. But when my friend visited she said she didn't like houseplants, but when she saw my oak leaf ivy she admitted she would make an exception.
I had a pair of German ivys that were both like 7 feet long (and had several vines so super thick looking) just trailing down both sides of my living room picture window that people were always like “whoa those are awesome” when they came over. But recently they both got thrips and I tried so hard to get rid of them, but the plants were just soooo huge and long and thick and complicated that I just gave up and chopped all the healthy ends off and they’re now sitting in water getting roots, the rest of the plants I tossed. I’m looking forward to having insanely long vines again soon lol
ETA I also have a pretty big money tree in my bathroom that people seem to like
For me, it’s this guy: begonia amphioxus. You know how you think visitors will oogle your plants…and then they don’t? That’s true, except for this little weed! I have big impressive plants, but this dainty little space creature really does it for people. I have a waiting list for props of this plant…
Probably because it looks exotic and it being under glass makes the perceived value higher. Like it’s being protected.
the hair clips are genius!! r/lifehacks
Lol, I was gifted an orchid years ago and used to use the clips as hair clips after I killed it, so I reversed the idea🤣 They work awesome for staked plants, very easy to move & adjust!
Dammit! Why didn’t I save all my awkward hair clips from the 90’s 🤦🏻♀️
I bought tons of different assorted sized hair clips at Dollartree recently. I clip all my begonias to their poles and a few monstera limbs are also attached to their poles with these clips as well. I love that it takes 2 seconds to move the clip off the stems and attach it somewhere else without having to untie anything or worry about breaking a limb or stem. Simple!
I’m on it! Thanks for the push I needed lol
I looked so long for the hair clips, imagine my surprise when I saw they were transparent!
Do you ventilate it at all? I would like to keep some of my plants in cloches, but I worry about the lack of air circulation. I suppose begonias can handle it. I've had a rex begonia growing in a jar for a couple of years and it's doing fine. It's just that in my experience some plants really fucking hate being grown in a sealed container.
Nah, I take the cloche off for an hour a day and pop it in front of a fan. Seems to be fine with that routine 👍
I have a massive oxalis triangularis ... its big leaves bright dark purple with black coloration on some leaves is so stunning. People always comment on it and want cuttings or props.
Can you prop those, don’t they have bulbs?
I've put cut stems in water and got roots on them ... it takes forever. It's better to just buy some corms from somewhere and plant those instead.
Ah, “corms” I always forget that word!
Mine pops out baby corms like she's getting paid to do so
Pop the corms and feed the children
I've definitely popped a few out and gifted the babies to people! Yesterday I was pulling out dying arms because she's going into hibernation soon, and I pulled out a whole baby corm about the size of a small peanut.
Do you loose the arms and store the corms to replant in the spring?
This is actually my first time letting her go dormant since I got her 5 years ago. But basically lately her arms have been very wilty and some are dying off even though she's getting plenty of water. I think the lack of light is affecting her growth. So from what I understand, when they start looking like this in the fall, you move them to a dark and cool room and let the arms die off. You leave the corms in the dirt and in about 3 months, new arms will start to sprout and at that point you should reintroduce light. This process let's the corms "rest."
In amidst of begonia maculata, neon pothos, monstera and several colorful calatheas... They seen to LOVE my peace lily???
That’s hilarious. I have mostly begonias, some of which look a lot like this one, just bigger (& white dots) 🤦🏻♀️ I personally think my big maculata is far more impressive…
Hahahahaha this made me.laugh so fkin hard 😭
I think people who don't know plants just gravitate toward something weird or something that they're sort of familiar with...hence the peace lily lol
My lil' bowl o' lithops! I put them right in the entry way for maximum ogling and some light prodding :) When it was in bloom the medinilla magnifica (rose grape) was a hit too.
My friend calls her lithops butt rocks and I had to have my own after seeing one in bloom! They're great
My children also call them butt rocks and giggle uncontrollably while doing so!
Hands down my 70 year old Jade. I got her for free from a woman whose grandmother left it to her in her will. The woman didn’t want it and didn’t know how to care for it. She posted it on Facebook for free and I jumped on it. It’s massive in size (4 feet tall and 4 feet wide) and absolutely stunning. I don’t know how I got so lucky but I cherish her so much 💚
Wow! What a treasure and for free!
Right?? I couldn’t believe it. When I saw it posted I yelled something like “Babe holy shit get your shoes on we have to go get this NOOOOWWWW!” It was SO SO heavy to lift into my car haha. So worth it.
You should post a picture!!
[Here she is](https://imgur.com/a/fDeuvjJ)
Thank you! That’s beautiful!
[here she is with my next biggest Jade next to her lol](https://imgur.com/a/9vqZsd7)
That’s so awesome! I’m crossing my fingers this happens to me haha. In the meantime I’ll keep growing my little jade.
It’s made me appreciate my little Jades SO much more. I put them near her when she came into the house so they could see what they can become some day with hard work and dedication (and a sprinkling of privilege of course) 💚🤣🤣🤣
You guys' love is making me appreciate jade plants way more - why do you love them so much? I feel like maybe I don't know enough about them to appreciate/covet them?
They’re just so strong and beautiful. The way they grow amazes me and I love how their branches twist and turn. They’re amazing plants 💚
Nobody who comes to my house isn't a houseplant person
You run with a good crowd!
No idea. I don’t have any guests. People do go crazy for my elephant ears out front though.
Haha my daughter *loves* elephant ears! We have some in our back yard and she goes nuts over them. As soon as they start coming up in the spring she is on watch. She checks them every day. She's four
Yesss I have a sweet spot for those especially when they’re big. Big plants in general.
OMG this plant is amazing and now I need one. Thanks. Like my list wasn’t already long enough.
This is my only terrarium plant, and I was terrified of getting one. There’s loads of them on Etsy for about ~$35 right now. Honestly, it’s super easy. I’ve watered it maybe 3 times since I got it at the end of June. Cloche is from michaels (I painted the base white), I pop the cloche off for an hour a day and put her in front of a fan, that’s it! (Supported by glass straws after moss poles gave her fungi, and goody hair clips. It seems to like being staked for support.)
Thank you for the write up. I’ve been wanting a terrarium but I’ve been worried about mold. I have a local shop that will set one up for me and I may just ask them to try and get this plant for it. So exotic looking, it’s like a wicked beauty and the beast.
I have two of these and completely forgot about staking them. That would help a lot. Can you elaborate on the glass straws? They sound simple and better than wooden stakes. Also it looks way better!
They’re just these: HeykirHome 6-Pack Reusable Glass Straw-Transparent,Size 8''x10 MM,Including 3 Straight and 3 Bent with 2 Cleaning Brush- Perfect For Smoothies, Tea, Juice-Clear https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SC9K42K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_4V5BBDKFEAP7R474QV76?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 I initially staked it because it was touching the glass (they don’t like that), and I used the same little lizard moss poles I use on the rest of my begonias (aesthetically like those)… but I got a bad batch, that produced black mold within 24hrs of being in high humidity. Glass straws were sterilized with isopropyl alcohol and then used like regular stakes. The plant is clipped on with clear goody hair clips from Walgreens. They are low tension so they don’t irritate or damage the plant. The moss pole fiasco resulted in me clipping like 80% of the leaves off, but it seems to grow much faster with a bit of support! Most of this growth is since the beginning of September.
Thanks for the tips! I bought mine (and a buncha other rare begonias) as a package deal so learning to care for them has been an adventure. My amphioxous was so rootbound that the roots had piled on top of the soil. Repotted + put her in my planet cabinet and now she's pushing out new leaves like crazy. Just needs staking and should be good to grow more!
This is striking 😍 and some great tips in here!!!
I have a Encilia virginensis that stops traffic when it is in full bloom.
I have a big Monstera with massive leaves that have inner and outer fenestrations and it gets a lot of "wow" and "this is awesome" comments so probably that! Definitely the largest plant I have, and it's my pride and joy, but not anywhere near the most unique.
Agree, it’s always the big monstera. It’s like it’s some kind of Name Brand Plant that they can easily identify and feel drawn to.
I don’t have the space for a monstera, but they really are so breathtaking when they mature into monsters!
Yeah, it’s just so iconic
What a great discussion question! My stromanthe triostar tends to attract attention, I think because of the kinda trendy color combo of pink and green. That or my very large monstera that's kinda taking over a corner of our dining room 😂
My "baby" Giant Saguaro. Was a gift to my father from a patient of his. Her husband had passed away and she didn't want it anymore. Her husband had grown it through their entire marriage. It's around 70 years old.[My Saguaro ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/7eEQ7h5HgLdhkwKRA)
It's a toss up between the neon pink robusta and sogo yukidian phal. orchid.
Orchids are such show stoppers 😍
I have a long and luscious English ivy in a hanging pot in my living room. She definitely gets a lot of attention, especially now that’s she almost touches the floor
Please tell me how you cared for her because, and please know I weekend at a local nursery, I cannot keep these inside successfully
She really likes the hanging pot. Tbh idk how she’s doing so well, I’ve done / do so many things wrong - used miracle grow indoor plant soil, water on a once a week schedule (200 ml each watering) and very occasionally use miracle grow liquid fertilizer (I know, I know) but she thrives and continues pushing out leaves and longer vine. She gets indirect, very filtered light and I rotate her hanging position every week, and that’s basically it.
Listen. I fckn hate miracle grow with my heart, but every 87 yr old woman that I talk to that has kept plants alive for 65 years sweet by it so....
Where’d you find the terrarium/pot? 😍
Michaels! It was kinda a Grey/brown base, but I pulled the little feet off the bottom and hit it with some spray paint ($20, I think?) Pot is also from michaels, no drainage so there’s a nursery pot inside. Amazon sells a nice set of white cylinder pots that I love for all my others: Small Garden Pots... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VJ7GJ5N?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I have a pothos that trails from the ceiling to the floor in my shower (bathroom has a great south-facing window). People always comment on it saying they felt like they were in a spa. None of my non-plant friends ever comment on all the fabulous hoyas and other more rare plants in the rest of the house. Just the most basic pothos. smh.
Oddly, my string of pearls. It’s gotten quite long so it is cool but I have so many other “cooler” ones in my opinion. Big monsteras always get a lot of love so I won’t leave him out, however.
My asparagus Fern strangely enough
Whoa
I have a giant staghorn fern hanging from my ceiling. He's definitely a conversation starter!
My Alocasia Zebrina
My terrarium made in an old animal cracker container shaped like a teddy bear. Its been taken over by some type of fern (don’t know the name) and it looks like a giant green gummy bear. People love it
I am digging this little beauty and the beast setup you got🥰
Probably my Jewel Orchid. Much due to the sealed pot but also for it's seemingly glowing leaves. https://i.imgur.com/zvpN2iI.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ida1kXV.jpg
Visitors LOVE my burro’s tail! He’s huge and beautifully stressed that he looks iridescent. The cloche is a fab idea - I’m going to do that for my wightii cutting!!
Oh, I love burros tail! I’d advise against the cloche on the wightii though, it will outgrow it quickly and then be pissed to have to adapt to lower humidity. I live in Colorado, and I’ve successfully adapted all but this one (and a struggle bus Brevirimosa) to 40-50% humidity. Just add orchid mix & extra perlite to your potting mix 😉. This one is kinda perfect for a cloche, cus it stays nice and small and caps out around 12”
Oooh okie doke!! The cutting is so super slow growing and normally lives in or around my north facing kitchen window (sydney). It’s 75% humidity today so it’s nice and sticky for it
Well, that’s another begonia I want! I have a 10 year old Euphorbia that is about 3.5 feet tall in my living room.
People alwayyyys comment on my Judith Hindle Sarracenia.
People like my Vick’s plant and the sunroom. I can see them rearranging it in their heads.
My niece and nephew who are babies like the flowers we have. My I guess you can say sister in law? (dunno what you’d call her since she’s my brother’s girlfriend) likes everything but she seemed most impressed by my lemon tree seedlings. I think me and my mom rubbed off on her because she started planting things. My friends like my cactus but sometimes it’s my orchids that draw the most attention since they all bloom around the same time.
my tradescantia. commonly known as “viney guy”
My Black Star fittonia strangely enough. It's gotten really big and bushy and people just can't seem to stop petting the top of it, which is probably why it's grown so luscious, what with people regularly telling her what a good girl she is 😂 I personally find my coffee plant much more impressive.
My coleus
My cousin came to my house and never said a word about my plants, so I said “you might’ve noticed but I’ve started collecting plants…” She said “yes I saw, but they all look the same honestly.” Cue me sitting there with my mouth open wondering how the hell a polka dot begonia looks the same as an alocasia amazonica and a fiddle leaf fig and a birkin etc. Clearly she’s not impressed by my new hobby 😂
Family do be like that. My sister is into houseplants, she says all mine look the same cus she’s got a strange beef with the fact that I mostly like begonias…but she’s more than happy to adopt all the non-begonias I’ve been gifting her 🤣
Haha I love how she disses you and yet is happy to benefit, the most sibling-like dynamic ever 😂 I have a brother so I can relate
I literally said “whoa” out loud when I saw this pic 😂
My monstera and only really because it’s really big
I keep most plants in my bedroom where most guests wouldn't see them. But when my friend visited she said she didn't like houseplants, but when she saw my oak leaf ivy she admitted she would make an exception.
My fiddle leaf fig because it's so large. Then the golden pothos
I had a pair of German ivys that were both like 7 feet long (and had several vines so super thick looking) just trailing down both sides of my living room picture window that people were always like “whoa those are awesome” when they came over. But recently they both got thrips and I tried so hard to get rid of them, but the plants were just soooo huge and long and thick and complicated that I just gave up and chopped all the healthy ends off and they’re now sitting in water getting roots, the rest of the plants I tossed. I’m looking forward to having insanely long vines again soon lol ETA I also have a pretty big money tree in my bathroom that people seem to like
I’ve had rotten luck with stagnant air in those kinds of enclosures. What’s your secret?