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KPOV – The Point Gardening: Get Good At It Houseplants - The Unusual, The Weird, The Wonderful March 10. 2015 Segment II In our second installment about houseplants, let’s take a look at some of the more unique ones not often found in most homes. While our late winter weather keeps us inside, why not try adding some variety to your house plant collection? Find some that may do strange things or look, wellll, different or perhaps add a wonderful treasure that blooms all year. Here are a few to consider with comments about their uniqueness and some tips on care needs. The Venus Flytrap may not be as quick as a fly swatter, but it can get the job done. Whenever a bug walks across the “jaws” or tiny hairs along the edge of the leaf, the leaf closes quickly enough to capture the insect and then it’s digested and absorbed by the leaf. These are one of easiest carnivorous plants to grow and their few requirements are wet roots, high humidity, and, poor, acidic soil. One way to grow the Flytrap is to keep it in a terrarium or fish tank with an opening to allow insects to enter. Or you can simply feed it a slug and a couple of insects (live ones) every month. No hamburger, please. Only insects. Another strange little plant, the caput medusae or octopus plant has several names and but is commonly known as the flowering air plant. Its snake-like leaves and appearance remind one of its namesake, the Greek myth character, Medusa. Mount this Medusa on wood, tree fern fiber, rock, cork or something similar and place it horizontal, upside down or upright. Simply put the plant where there is bright filtered light, water by misting regularly with a sprayer, especially in summer. The caput prefers humid conditions, something to be aware of during the winter months, too, when the heat is turned up. If you’re into “weird” consider the Mimosa pudica with the common names “Touch-menot” or fainting plant. When the feathery leaves are touched, no matter how lightly, they will fall onto one another and collapse a small section of the plant. Recovery usually occurs within half an hour as long as the plant isn’t played with too frequently. Beautiful pom-pom like flowers arrive in mid spring and last till early fall. The plant does become unsightly by autumn and many gardeners prefer to start over with a new plant in the spring. What a great way to introduce children to fascinating plant behavior and so much easier than keeping a fainting goat in the yard. Ferns are a popular plant to have in the home and the Davallia offers a distinctly different look from the usual fern. These have a furry rhizome, or stem-like apparatus, which creeps over the pot, around the pot, and around each other giving the appearance of a large furry hedgehog with fern attachments. My Davallia has been an easy-care plant that elicits many comments when anyone approaches. One friend refuses to try touching the rhizomes saying they remind her of a tarantula spider. Grow these in medium light, water moderately and use a standard liquid fertilizer every two to three weeks. Now for the wonderful: Take a look at the attributes of the Columnea plant which has long trailing stems, beautiful shiny dark-green foliage and can flower year round. One of the common names for the Columnea is goldfish plant and there are several varieties with different colored flowers. Positive attributes include being easily repotted, requiring little water and having fish-shaped flowers. My Columnea plant receives many compliments especially when it’s still blooming during the winter months. Since these plants all have many common names, you will be able to further research then through their scientific titles by reading this presentation on our KPOV website. Keep in mind each of these are a more specialized and require different methods of watering, amounts of light and, in some cases, different kinds of winter care. For information regarding this segment or for any other gardening topics, go to gocomga.com and click on the KPOV tab on the orange bar. Our OSU Extension Plant Clinic will open again this spring for other garden questions. This has been gardening, get good at it. Thanks for listening. Resources: “Success With Houseplants” - Reader’s Digest Assoc., Inc. 1979, Pleasantville, New York/Montreal Unusual House Plants Selection – Growing and Caring http://www,houseplantsexpert.com International Carnivorous Plant Society http://www.carnivorousplants.org/howto/GrowingGuides Botanical Society of America http://botany.org/Carnivorous_Plants