22 November 2019

Plantes que j'aime




Years ago I bought a little jade plant (Crassula ovata) here in Saint-Aignan. It thrived, growing to be too big and top-heavy. I started taking cuttings and leaves and rooting them. Now I have 12 or 15 jade plants, including what I think is the original one, which looks something like a big bonsai. And now that big old plant is flowering. I can't wait to see the flowers open up.


I had many jade plants when we lived in California, but I don't think I've ever seen one produce flowers before. Before we left San Francisco, I sold a lot of very big potted plants, including a huge potted jade plant, for a couple of dollars apiece. Back there, jades and other house plants could stay outdoors year-round, so mild was the climate. It's more complicated here, where frost-sensitive plants must be brought indoors for the winter.



Another plant I'm happy to be living near at this time of year is the linden tree in our back yard. It's showing off its fall colors right now. Maybe it needs to be pruned, though. Any suggestions?


After seeing recent forecasts indicating we would have a sunny, dry week, we were caught off-guard by rain starting before noon yesterday. Then it tapered off. At about 5 p.m., I went out for the walk with Tasha in the vineyard. We got a good dousing. It wasn't a hard rain, but it was steady and soaking.

7 comments:

  1. I have had a jade plant for years, but I've never seen one flower! I hope you will post a photo when it does. The Linden tree is beautiful and I have no idea about pruning it.

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    Replies
    1. I will post a photo when the flowers open up.

      Delete
  2. We live in the land of jade plants. I've only seen flowering ones growing by the beach and that was infrequent. I've never seen a potted one flower, though, so you're doing something right.

    Thin the linden, so there's less weight (advice I should heed myself).

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    Replies
    1. I just read on a couple of French web sites that pruning back the linden/lime/tilleul is completely optional. People prune the trees for esthetic or crowding issues. Ours looks good and isn't crowded at all. So I guess we'll opt for leaving well enough alone right now.

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  3. Don't prune the Linden / Lime...
    yours has achieved the classic Linden shape...
    you've another 40 yrs of growth before it will need trimming.

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  4. The first time I saw a jade plant, it was a hedge in San Jose, chest high and probably thirty feet long. I was smitten. Quickly found out that no, I could not grow jade in a poorly sunlighted Manhattan apartment, not that I didn't try from time to time.
    I have wood stairs, and stick-on traction tape across the edge of each tread keeps elderly dogs from falling down them. People, too.

    ReplyDelete
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