Plants I Loved and Lost in Winter 2020: Coming to Terms

I admit to being guilty of primarily sharing my plant successes, mostly in the form of attractive photos. I’m proud to share what’s going well. It’s fun, and it makes me feel like all of my effort as a plant parent is paying off in the form of their health and vitality. The truth of having 250+ houseplants, however, isn’t always graceful or pretty. Even if I handled each plant with perfect care, the odds still say that I’m likely to lose a plant here and there. We all are. Plant deaths are a part of life.

Sadly, I don’t handle every plant with perfect care. Sometimes accidents happen. Sometimes neglect happens. Sometimes I’m exhausted from other areas of my life, and I sit down for the evening knowing that I have thirsty plants staring at me. Plant care is very much self care for me, but that doesn't mean that everything always goes according to plan. I love caring for my plants, and I consider it a luxury when I can spend some time in the kitchen listening to my favorite songs while giving extra special attention to one plant at a time. I love to bring the plant down from the shelf, go through all the foliage, polish it, remove any crispy leaves or vines, check the potting mix, and give the plant a bottom watering. But…If I did that every week with every plant I own, I’d never eat or sleep, and I’d be neglecting my other duties.

I don’t feel great when this happens, not by a long shot, but over the years I have come to accept plant death as part of the process. Maybe it’s bad to admit this, but some losses sting more than others. In fact, I’m even relieved when some plants…opt out of my care. It’s not that I’m happy to see them go. It’s just that we weren’t the right fit for each other. In the pandemic, I’ve had a harder time re-homing my plants than pre-2020.

I decided that I want to share a few of the stories that aren’t pretty or successful. Talking about why I lost a plant, or when and how I lost it helps me learn. It helps me find my motivation and inspiration to keep doing things the correct way rather than the lazy way.

I’m going to share the ugly pictures when I have them (sometimes shame led me to toss the plant in a mad hurry), as well as the plant in happier times.

Aglaonema ‘Etta Rose’

Likely Cause of Death: Underwatering

I purchased this plant in the winter of 2019. At first, I thought everything was going well, but upon reflection, I don’t think this plant ever truly loved me. It came from Florida, and it was clumped together like a bundle of individual plants rather than feeling like a cohesive unit. I did get several blooms out of it. I didn’t bother with pollinating them, but I was happy to take some photos, and enjoy the beauty. It really is a pretty plant, and Aglaonema are usually so easy. The fault, no doubt, is on me. Here are some photos in healthier days. In the third photo, ‘Etta Rose’ can be found to the far left.

And now in sadder times:

Yeah. I’m not proud of this situation. The worst part is that she’s still sitting in my bedroom just like this. Sometimes, I even throw some water in there as if it’s going to make a difference. Alas, I think ‘Etta Rose’ is done.

Tradescantia ‘Burgundy’ a.k.a “Inch Plant”

Likely Cause of Death: Old Age

I remember being utterly enamored with the “Inch Plant” a few years back. I purchased mine from a local hardware store, and I was thrilled when it constantly produced gorgeous little purple flowers. Shortly after purchasing the plant, I was doing more research as I’m wont to do, and I discovered that these plants don’t have long lifespans. As they age, they get longer and heavier, putting strain on the root system and upper portion of the vines. I was immediately mad, because I was practically planning my life with this plant. The advisable move is to constantly propagate this plant, but I’m simply can’t be troubled to do so. The wonder was spoiled for me when I learned that they are generally short lived plants. That’s not to say that there aren’t plants out there who have lived long and glorious lives, but mine isn’t one of them. My care remained the same as ever, but at nearly three years old, it’s toast. With that being said, the ends of the vines are fine. I just didn’t have the will or the strength to save them. These plants propagate easily, but TBH, I really want to use that cool orange pot for something that’s going to hang around for a while.

And now…

This might not be surprising news, but I’m not sad about this one. It’s time to move on.

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Cause of Death: Cat Attack

I’m really sad to see this one go. I’ve had this Orchid, purchased from Ikea, for over five years. Every winter, right near my birthday, this Orchid and another of the same age would go into heavy bloom. Sometimes, it would produce 3-4 blooming stems, and the whole window would be full of white flowers. I loved looking forward to the flowers in a time when many other plants seemed to be sleeping. This plant lived in a West facing window that takes some particularly intense afternoon sun. With no trees or buildings to obscure the view of the afternoon sky, the light can be almost scathing. I put my Orchids here as a temporary perch to get them out of the way during moving, but they began to thrive and the placement stuck. They share the space with three Hoya plants and a lipstick plant, which also love the conditions and bloom consistently. My cats love a window, any window. They love to watch the birds. Sometimes this is detrimental to the plants who are just trying to soak up the sunlight. It seems that a kitten was envious of the perfect basking conditions, and made a very ill-conceived plan to jump onto two square inches of space. The kitten stayed on the ledge, but the Orchid hit the floor. The Orchid that died by cat is the one on the bottom left.

I had intended to save the plant, but unfortunately it sat alone and bereft on my counter for several days until it was just too late. I finally tossed it in the bin while scolding myself for neglecting such a storied old friend. Below it lies in my “plant to-do list” area with a burgundy oxalis that was due for potting, and, bizarrely, a hairbrush.

Begonia ‘Maurice Amey’ …and Other Begonia Friends

Cause of Death: Sooty Mildew

My fingers are still crossed for this plant. I purchased it last year, and immediately fell in love as soon as it arrived. I desperately adore Begonias, especially the cane variety, and this one has all the goods. It’s big, it’s beautiful, the colors are bold, the patterns on the leaves are awe inspiring. I really enjoy having this plant in my collection. I noticed that it was dropping leaves at a rate that I considered to be concerning. It was winter, but I kept my conditions consistent with heat and grow lights. After consulting my Begonia pals at Arrow’s Aim Greenhouse, I learned that my plant was suffering from sooty mildew. I put in an urgent curbside pick-up order for Fungicide at my local hardware store, and I crossed my fingers. This plant is still hanging on, but it isn’t looking good. I have it isolated from all other plants, but it just can’t seem to kick the mildew. Here’s Maurice in his glory days.

And Maurice now…

My hopes aren’t high, but I’m (perhaps foolishly) keeping my fingers crossed for this guy to pull through. I really love this plant, and I don’t know that I’d be able to find the same beauty again. AS a last ditch effort, I will cut it into pieces and try to propagate a new version of the same plant, minus the mildew.

I also tossed my entire Begonia ‘Benigo’ in the trash because it was too far lost to the mildew to recover.

My Begonia Sinbad was near in proximity to Maurice and ‘Benigo,’ and also took a major hit from the sooty mildew. It was a beautiful plant, so I was bummed.

I thought I lost it, and I left the stump unattended in the pot. Look what popped up! Sinbad might be making a comeback.

Seeing this little sign of life inspires me to keep faith in Maurice.

Syngonium ‘Maria’

Cause of Death: Frozen to Death Due to Human Negligence

I really did this plant wrong, especially considering what a dramatic display I put on to acquire it. I went to three different big box stores to get enough of these tiny pots of plants to fill up a 6 inch pot. Yes, sadly, this was all in one day. In my defense, I didn’t mind checking out the plant stock at all the local stores that day…or any day.

I had moved this plant outside last summer during the remodeling of my office. Somehow, it ended up hanging under a tree in my back yard rather than the hooks on the side of the house. It wasn’t visible from the window inside the house, but I knew it was there. I tried to prompt myself to bring it inside when the weather began getting cooler, but turned into one of those nagging reminders that I dismissed cavalierly. Here she was before she froze to death.

And after winter did its worst…

Not good. I feel bad about this one because it was completely preventable.

Odds and Ends

This is not a comprehensive list of the plants I lost over the past winter. A few others come to mind. I lost my beloved Columnea ‘Prince of Light’ that will be very hard to replace, at least if I’m looking locally. A heart-leaf Philodendron was brutally taken out by a cat trying to reach a window sill. I dropped a grow light on a fern leaf Begonia, and drove to another state the next day to replace it. Cissus Discolor seemed to opt out of life practically overnight. I’m not sure what that was about. I haven’t decided if I’ll try to grow it again. Syngonium podpodophylum suffered an extreme case of neglect after I put it on top of my tall greenhouse cabinet, and I never watered it again. And perhaps the most dramatic death of all was my Fittonia. I stood up too quickly from my seat, and walked into the bathroom. By the time I made it in there, my low blood pressure caused my vision to go black, and I started falling over. I caught myself with the bathroom wall, but it was a clumsy recovery and the fittonia hit the deck spectacularly. The whole thing was shattered, and I didn’t bother to try saving it. I tossed it straight in the bin.

I wanted to share my lost/murdered plants because I don’t think I challenge myself enough to share the good, the bad, and the ugly of owning dozens of plants. I am involved in the lifestyle because I’m attracted to the beauty and the vitality, but there is a shadow side, too. For every new leaf, there could be a brown or yellow leaf (or two) on one of my other plants. Sometimes, as with people, my energy doesn’t blend well with that of a plant, and I think that’s okay. My conditions, especially in the winter, don’t have to be suitable for every plant. These are mostly tropical plants, and I live in the Midwest, which is known for blisteringly cold winters. We don’t have to be suitable for every plant. The notion of a “green thumb” is fun, but a lot of the magic that goes into it is a choice. If we don’t choose to nurture our plants every day, and in turn, be nurtured by them, they won’t thrive. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be as rewarding.

How did your plants fare over the winter? Did you lose any? I would love to hear your stories. Comment below, or find me on Instagram.