Herself's Houseplants

I love unusual plants and this one has the added benefit of being easy to grow. I’ve seen it in hanging pots where it spills over the sides and down about 4′. I’ve seen it in greenhouses, shaded and full sun, I have some in pots out back in full sun.

It is known as a carrion flower. The flower is scented to attract flies, it has a mild, distasteful smell, that is not noticeable after a few days. Unless you’re a fly.

It loves the sun, it loves when you forget to water it, it just doesn’t like the cold. It must be protected from freezing.

In the winter it will need lots of light, all you can give to it, and ease up on the watering or it will rot. It is very prone to root rot, water this plant sparingly.

Stapelia does best planted in sand so the water can rapidly drain and the soil dry.

This plant is native to parts of Africa and there are several sub-species with different sized, colored and shaped flowers.

Propagation:
Snap off a stalk and plant it. It’s that easy.

See also:
Plants of Africa: Stapelia
Floridata: Stapelia

This is the first of the Masdevallia orchids I’ve picked up. It was just sitting in the store and such a cool color of orange we had to bring it home.

Masdevallia orchids, like most orchids, prefer warm days and cool nights. ( 55F nights to 80F days)

Masdevallia orchids want high humidity. The higher the humidity the happier this plant will be. Watch the bulbs at the bottom of the leaves. If you see any wrinkling at all water more and provide more humidity.

These are understory plants meaning that they grow in the shade in the wild. I’ve put ours in a south west window inside, but we have a tinted film on the window to keep the heat down. I recommend east or shaded or filtered west or southern windows. It is very susceptible to sunburn.

Sphagnum moss is the preferred medium for this orchid, especially if you are growing it in a typical home. If you tend to over water your plants, use orchid bark but water daily. Do not let this orchid get dry, neither keep it sitting in water. Or you can put your orchid in regular potting soil. Any of the above will work.

This orchid is especially nice for homes because it remains compact in size.

These plants are native to Mexico and South America.