Joyful Adenium

Day 237: I began my small collection (three, if the truth be told) of Adeniums with "Joyful," and it does a good job of living up to its name. This is the reward adenium fans get for tending a few leaves at the top of a potful of sticks: glorious outsized flowers which last a week or two before they begin to fade. The plants come into bloom two or three times each year, to be followed by a period of new foliage development. Almost invariably, one layer of leaves will drop as the stalk hardens and becomes more woody at the points of attachment, leaving the Adenium aficionado with taller sticks and roughly the same number of leaves. A succulent caudex forms at the base of the plant, a swollen stump from which the stems arise. Hybrid plants (those bred for their showy flowers) generally do not develop a caudex and are grafted onto non-hybrid stock. A desert plant, Adenium likes its soil on the dry side. During the non-blooming period, watering should only be done when the pot feels light when it is lifted. During the flowering period, watering can be increased, but soil should still be kept on the dry side. Adeniums demand phosphorus to flourish, but are sensitive to other fertilizer salts. If your plant drops too many leaves or if the leaves are wrinkled or discoloured, flush the soil thoroughly with water and then allow it to dry almost completely before watering again.