Pages

Thursday, December 11, 2008

The Spider Connection


Who doesn't love/grow the spider plant? Easy to care for
and to propagate, this is a staple in most gardens and
homes. Chlorophytum comosum is also known as the ribbon
plant or airplane.

This guy has come to check out my depleting stock of ash gourd
and pumpkin!!

My latest addition to my plant collection is the spider flower
or Cleome aculeata. You can make out from this slightly blurry
photo that the blooms are very showy. Cleome, native to south
America, likes a well-drained, fertile soil. Thrives in sunny
areas and partial shade. Propagation is by seed. Googling also
came up with this gem of information-- it can be invasive too!
The sight of these blooms at the nursery made my heart beat
faster! 'Invasive' sounds like the loveliest word ever!!

13 comments:

TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe said...

Hello dear Kanak, this spider flower is gorgeous, such a nice photo.
Next post I will show you my 'Indian flowers' and I would VERY much like you to help me with the ID, because when you are out and about in the world and take photos of lovely flowers you have got any name for them and that is sad I think...please help me with the next post. Your garden friend from the north Tyra

Unknown said...

Will be glad to Tyra. I'm bad with botanical/English names because we usually use the local names. It is only due to blogging that I'm learning/getting to learn many of the wonderful names!
Can't wait to your next post!

tina said...

Yikes! I do like and grow the spider plant, you can keep the second one, and I love the third one. I grow cleome hassleriana, but need to try yours as it is very showy. Love it!

walk2write said...

Did you perform catch-and-release on the eight-legged variety? My daughter insists on it and yells at me if I don't. I hand her the jar and tell her to go for it. That cleome seems to glow. It's beautiful!

Jan said...

Nice shot of the live spider. Is he still live? Walk2Write makes a good point:) That last photo, the spider flower, is definitely a new one on me. I wonder if it would grow here in VA? Perhaps it would in the summer, but may not over-winter very well with the cold. It is interesting to see the long 'legs' it puts out of it's flower. I suppose 'invasive' is good for you...anything green is good, to cover the brown! How long does it bloom? Take care, Jan/ThanksFor2Day

Susie said...

Enjoyed your spider connection much Kanak but I would flip out if I saw that spider anywhere near me. I don't kill them because I know they are so good to eliminate insects but yikes! I've not seen this species of cleome before. It is very pretty. Does it come in different colors?

Anonymous said...

The Cleome is very pretty.
Some invasive plants are very attractive - which is how they get planted by gardeners who realise their mistake when it is much too late (lol)

Unknown said...

Thanks Tina. Cleomes do look attractive in a strange way! Can you tell from these words I've been googling/ogling?!:)

W2W, I've never done anything like that before. We don't see them all the time so I let them be. Sometime after the photo was taken, I didn't see the spider again. Glad you like the cleome.

Oh very much so, Jan. I just ignore them except on the rare occasion when I feel like photographing them!
This really is the first time I've planted the spider flower. The nursery couldn't tell me anything else apart from the name! They'd brought it for the first time!

The Net says its blooming period is 'long'. Good for me! I'm sure it'd grow there in summer...I'm still waiting for this bed to fill out. Happy days!

Susie, I've never killed a spider. We do see them around the house, not every day of course...but they make an appearance from time to time. About the cleome, I've only seen this colour (on the net). Other cultivars come in different shades too but I'm still trying to find out.

Easygardener, very true! I hope in this case it'll take a long time for familiarity to breed 'cleometempt'!:)

Chandramouli S said...

Cleome! Aah! You've tempted me again. I've seen this plant in local Horticultural society and along roadsides too and have always been tempted to get one, but I told myself - "You don't have enough space!" Now, I'm thinking, 'Is that true?'

Anonymous said...

Like Susie, I've not seen this particular species of cleome but it is so pretty. I always enjoy your photos so much.

Unknown said...

Chandramouli, that's what I tell myself ALL the time before I succumb to temptation! Go ahead and get it...it'll make you feel good!:)

Thanks Mildred...and now I'm off to Nalley Valley!

Carla said...

Invasive is in the eye of the beholder isn't it? My Cleome is different-more spider-y shaped blooms, love my spider house plant, and little 'pests' that keep the other 'pests' away:)

Tanya Boracay said...

Wow great, you got a big pumpkin. It better if we cook this.

Just like to share with you a beautiful quote...

"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life" - Albert Camus

You can get more quotes about happiness at http://www.quotelandia.com/category/Happiness