What is your Oldest Houseplant?

Very interesting thread and photos.

Tapla, love your Ficus nerifolia, especially in the photo as it shows the wonderful structure of the plant. I have several varieties of Ficus, but none as striking as yours.

My oldest plant is a Jade Plant. It is more than 50 years old now. Moves outside for the summer and back in before frost. It is 40" tall now, and the trunk is about 8" in diameter. Right now is full of buds which are just about to start opening. It will stay in bloom for about 3 months. it is sitting on the gh floor at east end. I will try to locate a photo I took of it about a year ago. DonnaS

Beautiful beautiful picture and plant, rutholive. Wow. Gorgeous - I admit I didn't know jade plants bloomed at all.

Wow! Some of you have some REALLY old ones. My oldest is the one that holds a special place in my heart. It is my grandmother's Christmas Cactus. Not sure how long she had it (it was huge then) but I knwew it was the only thing I wanted of her's when she died 11 years ago. She had tons of info on how to get them to flower - so funny to think about that now as it flowers multiple times a year for me! Sure she has "something" to do with that...LOL!!

Years ago shortly after I bought this house I had a friend move in to help pay the mortgage. He had an old jade plant that he loved.
Two years later he moved to California with his big, old Jade.
After he left I found one broken leaf, so I planted it and it rooted.
A year later, he moved back to town. He told me that his old Jade was not allowed into California and he had to discard it at the border.
When I presented the baby Jade to him he was ecstatic.
Now, 15 years later, he still has it.
Andy P

Oh, Andy P., what a sweet story. You should send that into a magazine - it's just a lovely story about change, growth, faith and renewal, rooting hormone, no, seriously. Wow. Gardening is such a good metaphor. I, at least, am quite moved.

xxx, Carrie

We have a Sansevieria I got from my Grandma's house when she died in 1984.
She got it from her sister-in -law at her death in 1975.
I have no idea how old it was at that time but remember her having a ton of plants when I was a pup.
So it's 40+ years old.
Like Kelli mine has gone thru many repots, divisions and cuttings but the original lines are still there.

We have a Spathe Lily from Grandma's funeral.
So it's 20+ now.

I'm also growing a Dracenia at work that is now 7' tall.
It's in a 20" pot now.
In a 6" pot and 12" tall when we opened the doors 20 years ago.

Man how time flies!

Ric

Andy, how neat about the Jade and its leaf plant. I really enjoy mine during the three months it is in bloom..

DonnaS

Carrielamont's story reminded me of my ficus. This is my very amateur attempt at bonsai. I've had this tree for at least twelve years and it is about 14 inches high. Once in a blue moon I'll trim the roots and put it in new soil but I never put it in a larger pot. It's no work of art, but you might find it interesting that a tree can be kept small.

LOLROTFPIMP He thought I was doing it on purpose, though, like you, ha ha ha ha ha. He cracks me up. I love the pot - I wouldn't want to leave it either, if I were that ficus!

xxxx Carrie

kelli, Good looking ficus. Isn't wonderful to see their root system. DonnaS

Wow...there really are a lot of great stories associated with our oldest plants!

AndyP....love your story...curious.....what did your friend do with the big Jade plant?

Awesome Jade plant, Donna....and a great 'gnarly trunk' ficus, Kelli!

Nan, He said he had to leave it in a quarantine area at the California border. Seemed odd to me but he said they were worried about importing bugs or something.
He isn't one to tell tall tales, so I accepted his story.
Andy P

I have a philodendron that is over 30 years old. We got it as a gift when we got married in August 1975, from the florist that did our wedding. It doesn't look as good as it did back then, but it's making a comeback, and looking better than it has in years. It went through rough spots, just like our marriage, but it's survived. LOL. If that thing ever dies, I'll be heartbroken.

Oh, I definitely believe you/your friend AndyP....I've heard of others who weren't allowed to move their plants to CA....some with large collections!

I guess what I meant was....did he ever get it back, or did he give it to someone, or ???

Oh, Kylee...I can understand why you'd be attached to that Philo!
Glad to hear it's looking good!
Also...if you've children who also enjoy plants....what a great gift a cutting would be to give to them!

I've thought of that, but it's not big enough for me to want to risk cutting it. I'm sort of scared to rock the boat it's in at the moment! LOL!

Nan, It's compost.
Andy P

Hey, Kylee....well....maybe someday, huh? lol!

Andy P....what a shame!
I figured that was what you meant, but then when you
stated it was 'quarantined' I was hoping (!) he might have by some slim chance, got it back, after all....I guess it doesn't work that way.

I have a Pleomele tree, Song of Jamacia-Song of India i've hadindoors for twenty years.

Lewellyn, I don't have any idea of what your Pleomele tree is, not in my books. Can you send a photo. Maybe it is something I just saw in Jamacia when we went ashore at Montego Bay. DonnaS

Nan, you know what? I'm going to take a chance and take a cutting from the philodendron and try to get a nice looking plant for our oldest daughter. She gets married in August.

K and Nan,

My great aunt has a huge robust gorgeous jade plant in her guest room where we sleep. I sent her a copy of Andy's great story about the jade plant and she says she's going to root me a cutting of hers!

xxxx, Carrie

Kylee, Carrie....Cool!!
Keep those 'plant-traditions' going!!
Good luck to both of you on rooting your cuttings....."may they thrive and prosper" (lol) !!!

My brothers and sisters all have a cutting of grandma's hoya.....and my plant from my cuttings is bigger than the original plant....*but* the original plant is still going strong, so far!!

Lewellyn....that Pleomele is one of the plants that I have trouble growing!! I'd love to see a photo of it, too!

rutholive(Donna).....look up Dracaeana reflexa....some references call it that.

Hey Andy, guess what I bought at Walmart last night? It's so cute!!

Let me think, hmmm an African Violet?, no must be something that lives for a long time.
Oh I bet it's a watchacallit,,,,,, Jade? yea, yea, a Jade.
They are cool.
Andy P

lol....Kylee....bought another houseplant, eh?!
I'll get you 'on the wagon', yet!!

Andy, no, you guessed wrong! What is it you have that's CUTE? LOL. I'll bet you hate games, too, huh? Too bad! :-)

Nan, this is crazy. For someone who kills everything inside, I now have:

- some sort of common house palm
- 5 amaryllis
- 2 abutilons
- 1 large passiflora caerulea
- 2 pothos
- 1 philodendron
- 1 schefflera
- 4 Gerbera daisies
- 4 Boston ferns
- 1 Norfolk Island Pine
- 1 anthurium
- 1 passiflora 'Lady Margaret' (on its last breath)
- 3 passiflora caerulea cuttings, trying to root
- 3 hydrangea rooted cuttings that I'm trying to keep alive till spring
- 1 large pot of springeri fern with a little spike

and

the mystery plant that Andy hasn't guessed yet. LOL

My first thought was a Pony Tail but I never saw one at Wally Mart.
Maybe a tropical Hibiscus, but lets say a Pony Tail.
Andy P

Ding! Ding! Ding!

lol!!
And a very nice one, at that!!

I've one of these that's about 20? years old...bought it when my son was a baby.

It's taken a lot of neglect over the years, and could have handled a lot more light, but it's still going strong (If you've cats....they like to chew on the leaves of these!)
So.....with that in mind, and after seeing some with multiple heads in a nursery......I decided to cut it back, and now mine has 5 (or is that 6?) heads!!

The only thing that can kill these, IMHO, is overwatering.
They even bounce back after long bouts of low light!

It looks 'fab' in that plant stand....is that it's permanent home?

I had to put it in the plant stand, because the cats LOVE it, as you've said. They like my other palm, too, so I had to put it up as well. I don't know if I'll keep the ponytail there, but for now, yes. It doesn't get a lot of light there, though.

Nice one. Like Nan says. Neglect is the word for this one.
Just give it some good light and water it once a month. You'll have it for ever.
I think they are native to Mexico and other arid locations. Have you seen them in the Plant Files? Amazing.
Andy P

I paid $9.86 for it, and I think it's lovely, too. I haven't looked in the Plant Files, but I will do that.

Whoa.

Told you they were amazing. The ones growing outdoors in natural, native conditions are beyond description.

If neglect is what they thrive on, it's a sure winner for me. LOL

They had one of these at a fast food joint near work that was at least 16" across at the base.
They went out of business and it sat there for over a year.
I kept trying to get a hold of someone to get it out.
Went by one day and it was being loaded in a pickup by the new property owner.
I asked if he wanted to dump it.
He said yes for $150.00.
It seems he had thrown a little water on it a few weeks before and it had started a new tail. errrrrrrr!!!!!!!!

I always used to lose these to over-watering.
A tip I learned at the arboretum near here for indoor watering.........
Push the bark w/ your finger.
If it feels corky it can be watered......
Firm do not water.

Ours is now 4 years old and thriving.

We over-winter it in a Cold House.
The night temps are around 40. Day can get to 80 or so.
I haven't watered it for 4 Winters now.

Ric

You don't water it all winter???

Wow a year without water..... I'll admit to forgetting to water it for a month or more and I NEVER let it sit in water. I have to bottom water it because it is pushing out of the pot of 20 years, but it always drinks it right up.
The 'bulb' is always rock hard, although I don't recall ever testing it.
I did bruise it trying to get it out of the last pot. I know I'll have to cut this pot away next time.

The only water it gets in Winter is raining in the GH.
It's a hoop so on hot days condensation drips on it some.
I'll put a shot up.

Remember it's a Caudiciform version of Agave .
That swollen base is for water storage.
Plants don't develop that in Nature unless they go thru an extended drought period.
As they come from temperate forest areas of Mexico and are also fire resistant.....
this tells me they come from an area that gets lush at some point of the year, then dries out and burns.

All the literature I've seen on them says they like temps in the 50's in Winter and very little water.
If frost free and dry they can do 25 F (as will most Agave).
Once I started treating it like I do my 20 other Agave species it started thriving.

Check the Garden Notes at PF many people have had them bare root for up to a year.
These are tough customers.

I'm now looking for a B. stricta.

Ric

.

Nan, thanks for the name info for your Pleomele tree, found Dracaena reflexa in my A to Z and it is very attractive.

DonnaS