If you are in need ask a librarian. They can find the answers to any question you are looking for. The wealth of knowledge and kindness Librarians have is vast and priceless. If you read my last blog/apology you saw I had deleted all my progress notes on my plants. I felt very ashamed and didn’t want to admit my mistake, but after our smart, savvy Librarian Jennie Lewis read the blog she informed me computers have back-up systems. Finding those lost files would be a very easy task. She was RIGHT! With the help of the IT Department, the lost plant journals are FOUND! I found my plants’ baby pictures. Librarians are priceless! Thank you Jennie!
Today’s featured plant is The String of Pearls. Senecio rowleyanus, is a succulent vine native to southwest Africa. The creeping plant grows along the ground, with the trailing stems. As the stems touch the ground, it starts rooting where they touch and forming a dense mat or groundcover. The plant has green bubbles as leaves growing on skinny stems. It likes lots of sun and not much water. This plant is trendy and beautiful and surprisingly easy to care for!
The first picture is from April 23. This was the first picture after transferring out of the nursery pot it came in. Just one small string, not long enough to go over the brim.
This picture is from May. The string has gotten longer! The plant got over the shock of the new bigger pot. I was worried I was going to kill the plant. I was gentle with watering, by watering from the bottom, and the plant began to flourish.
It’s starting to happen!! The plant is getting stringy! Like the name of the plant…String of pearls!! This plant is so fun to watch grow! Look at these pictures from July and August
This is where we are now in October! This plant is becoming so stringy it may need a new pot. Or an apparatus to hang off of…..Some inventions will have to be made. I have ideas.
This plant is a beauty and very easy to care for. I recommend this plant to any new gardener who has a nice sunny South window.
If you enjoy this blog we will be starting a bi-weekly video series on YouTube where you can watch the behind the scenes of plant care, tips and hacks, with me the Purple Haired Plant lady. Check out other library content on YouTube at the Chemung County Library District channel.
Amanda Zell
Horseheads Library
Senior Library Clerk / Keeper of Plants