If you give a Gardener a Plant

People give me plants. It works out really well because I like plants so well. My daughter brought a terrestrial orchid, Epipactis gigantea, all the way from Santa Cruz. Here it is blooming . . . beautiful and should prove to be challenging! My sister scored a Crassula ovata undulata, a hot new wavy-leafed jade plant, at the Fullerton Arboretum and was nice enough to give it to little me. Thanks! It is shown here planted in an old teapot, but I changed my mind about that and moved it into a cool lime green square pot I found at a neighbor's yard sale.

Last but not least is this gifty hydrangea that was adopted by my other daughter when the intended recipient was a no-show at a musical social function. I love the fact that this gift came complete with a resident spider, possibly a funnel weaver of some sort. Hydrangea, you say? True, not one of my favorites, but I found a spot for it where I hope it will thrive. I do like the dried flowers.