Adenium "Star Cluster"

Day 239: Although Adenium "Star Cluster" bears smaller blossoms than many other Adeniums, it makes up for it in sheer numbers. This time around, the stems have produced a succession of flowers lasting over a month. This is where the Adeniums excel as houseplants: showy displays of outsized blooms. They spend the rest of the year looking like sticks in a pot, or with only a few leaves at the top of a foot-high stalk. In my experience with the cultivars, the leaves drop a little before flowering begins and foliage production resumes once the blooming period is over. It's a trade-off I'm willing to accept  for a month of spectacular floriferousness (and yes, that's really a word). But mind that you do not over-water them. They do not take well to having wet feet. Fertilize only during the active growth period, using a slow-release, balanced product at 1/4-1/2 strength.

A Cluster Of One

Day 124: What Adeniums lack in leaves, they make up for in bloom. Admittedly, this is a rather poor showing, but "Star Cluster" was purchased at the end of the season and promptly shed all of its leaves save one upon being transplanted to its permanent pot. Eventually, it will live up to its name, displaying six or more flowers at the tip of its woody stalk. Leathery leaves will follow as the flowers drop, and if I'm lucky, it may put out a side branch. That said, another interesting appeal to this African beauty is the swollen caudex from which the stalk arises (not shown in the photo). The caudex husbands moisture to allow these plants to survive drought and heat. Adeniums come in a variety of hues from nearly black through red and purple shades into pale yellow. Some have coloured centers like "Star Cluster," but if you're expecting dense foliage, take your search elsewhere. Leave the Adeniums to those of us who don't mind nursing "dead" stems for months on end to obtain a few weeks of large, showy flowers.

Buddies

Day 30: I can't honestly claim that there is something always in bloom at my house, either indoors or out, but there are fairly few dull moments. The Christmas cacti are starting to flare (the yellow and white ones, at least) and the two new Adeniums arrived in bud and seem determined to bloom despite having been transplanted to larger pots. I've made a mash-up of "buddies" here, Christmas cacti in the foreground and Adeniums at the top of the photo, but in full bloom elsewhere in the house are Hoya bella and Adenium Joyful. Plum Beauty is what you would expect from a plat so-named: its blossom will be a rich plum purple. Star Cluster is yellow with broad red stripes central on each petal. I find myself wishing for more shelf space, but that's a dangerous path to walk for a crazy plant lady.