Adeniums

Day 206: As houseplants go, Adeniums spend most of their days as tall grey-green sticks with a few leaves at the top. They are not particularly attractive during that portion of their cycle, but if you are patient and water them sparingly, your ship will come in when they bloom. The flowers of "Plum Beauty" (left) are nearly three inches in diameter when fully open; those of "Star Cluster" (right) are somewhat smaller, but usually occur in greater numbers as the variety name suggests. A few on this specimen had dropped before I thought to take the photograph. The secret to raising Adeniums is in the watering. Too much water will cause root-rot. When this occurs, the caudex (the swollen base of the stem) becomes soft and the plant dies. The easiest way to tell if your Adenium needs water is to heft the pot. If there is more weight to it than that of the plant and soil, don't water it yet. Wait until it feels light, and then flush it thoroughly under the tap until water runs out the drainage hole. Put your Adenium back in a sunny, warm window and don't water it until the pot feels light again. They are intermittent bloomers, which means that two or three times a year, your stick-with-leaves will turn into a showpiece of gorgeous, knock-your-socks-off flowers like these.