Bonus episode: episode 26 - old houseplants (from the OTL archive)
My oldest plant: an Aristaloe aristata. Photograph: Jane Perrone.
Transcript
BONUS EPISODE: BRINGING BACK EPISODE 26
Jane Perrone 0:00:16.2
Welcome one and all! It's On the Ledge Podcast; the podcast that puts houseplants centre-stage. I'm your host, Jane Perrone, and in this bonus episode, I'm digging deep into the On the Ledge archives to bring you Episode 26 about old houseplants.
Was your festive season magnificent, or miserable, or maybe, for most of us, maybe a mix of the two? Well, On the Ledge trundles on and it's not a normal episode this week because I'm trying to take some time off to decompress and eat way too many mince pies!
So this episode draws on On the Ledge's mahoosive archive. You may or may not know that the very first 50 episodes of the show are not now available for general download. They're only available to my Patreon subscribers at the Ledge End and Superfan level, but I've made an exception this week to bring back Episode 26, which was all about old houseplants.
I chose this episode because it contains a melange of fascinating mini-interviews with various people, including the lovely Larry Hodgson, who you may remember from other episodes of the show. Unfortunately, he passed away recently, which was a real loss. He was an amazing Canadian garden-writer and horticulturist and a huge houseplant expert and a delightful man, so I wanted to hear his section on Christmas cacti again because it just brought me great joy. So I hope you enjoy this episode. If you want to access the other 49 very early episodes of the show, you can do so by becoming a Patreon. Details in the show notes on how to do that.
But I'm going to leave you with old me! This dates from some time in 2017, I think, so I hope you enjoy it! And you'll note that the theme music is different and there's some funny little inserts from my friend Mark Hamilton which OG listeners will remember. So I really hope you enjoy this episode and let me know what you think of it. Show notes are in the usual place, if you want to take a look, which is, of course, janeperrone.com.
Konichiwa! Ciao! Hola! Bonjour and, indeed, Good Day to you all! This is On the Ledge podcast and I am Jane Perrone!
My apologies if I'm a teensy bit distracted this morning. I've just spotted some white fly on one of my succulents here in the office, where this podcast gets recorded, and it sent me into a bit of a rage. But fear not, I shall be giving this plant a good clean-up later with some insecticidal soap and the problem should soon be fixed. Take that, white fly!
Voice 0:03:33.5
On the Ledge. Have you hugged your cactus today?
Jane Perrone 0:03:37.9
Well, last week saw a very exciting event for On the Ledge podcast. I headed off to the Savoy Hotel in London for the Garden Media Guild Awards, where On the Ledge podcast was a finalist in the Radio Broadcast category. Worth pointing out they don't have a separate category for podcasts. This is described as the Oscars of the garden media industry, so I was really pleased to be up there with The Sun's Peter Seabrook Gardening Podcast and The Sod Show, and BBC Leicester's gardening show and, of course, the RHS Members Podcast, in the finalists list. I'm afraid we didn't win, but nevertheless, it was a fantastic day and it was wonderful to get some confirmation that On the Ledge podcast is going vaguely in the right direction.
Anyway, enough self-aggrandisement, I think, for this week! Let's talk about plants. Now, this week's show is a little bit different. Since I started doing On the Ledge podcasts, one enduring theme that's come out is the number of people who have really old plants that they've been looking after in their families for many, many years and it made me think that I should dedicate a whole show to some of these, quite simply, amazing plants.
The prize for the oldest plant that I found goes to Jack Wallington, who's a garden designer and award-winning blogger. He has an Aspidistra which has been through two world wars. Here he is to tell me the story.
Jack Wallington 0:05:06.3
Yes, I spoke to my dad last night to double-check everything, just because I knew the plant's history and heritage a bit, but he gave me a bit more detail. He told me that he knows it's been in our family since at least 1906 - probably before. So almost definitely Victorian. It's a really old plant. I remember it all through my life, growing up, it's just been sitting there in the hallway, not doing very much because Aspidistras don't do very much, but it's been there as a part of our lives just constantly, really! So quite interesting, as a living thing that's always been there.
It came down from my dad's family. It was owned through his mum's side, so it went through both World Wars. It started off in London. My dad's family grew up in North London, around Neasden, Harlesden area and then my mum and dad eventually moved to Fulham and then off to Buckinghamshire. So the Aspidistra moved to Buckinghamshire. We all grew up there, me and my siblings had our childhood around Buckinghamshire, and then it moved up to North Yorkshire. My parents moved up there about 10 years ago and then finally my dad divided it into four. We kept one piece. My mum and dad kept one piece and then the other three bits were given to me, my brother and my sister. So one bit came back to London and the other bits are all across the country.
In our modern home, it's doing really well. It's interesting it can cope in all different environments, but I suppose in our flat -- we've only got a small one-bedroom flat in Clapham, we've got central heating -- we've got it in a really shady spot. There's a bit more light. I tend to give it a bit more light because it seems to grow a bit faster, a bit closer to a window, but not direct sunlight, but it's definitely coping very well. I've noticed that it needs to be repotted. I haven't repotted it in about three years - since my dad gave it to me, actually. He'd be horrified to find out! It does need repotting, but it's living and it's growing, sending out new leaves.
Actually, one interesting thing - it hasn't flowered yet! My dad remembers it's flowered once since he's had it! That's the golden thing to aim for, for me - to get it to flower as well!
Jane Perrone 0:07:31.9
Jack's dad, if you're listening, I've made him swear blind he's going to pot up the Aspidistra into a fresh pot very soon, so don't worry! It will make it to another century, I promise!
Interestingly, did you know that many Aspidistras are pollinated by slugs? Fascinating fact there for you Aspidistra lovers! It's so fascinating to know that this plant has been through so much and is still doing really well in Jack's modern home. And I'd like to state, here and now, that I'd love this to be the start of a campaign to get Aspidistras back, on On the Ledge! I think they're wonderful houseplants and everyone should have one. But why are they so hard to get hold of?
In fact, let me let you into a little secret here. The first working title for this podcast was 'Keep the Aspidistra Flying,' named after the George Orwell novel, of course. Well, I say "Of course" - the reason why the show didn't end up being called that was because I quickly realised that a lot of people had absolutely no idea a) what an Aspidistra was, or b) they'd never heard of the George Orwell book, so the idea was quickly nipped, but I still love Aspidistras! What most people don't realise is there's also a whole realm of wonderful, variegated Aspidistras too. Some of them have got striped leaves or dotty leaves. There's a really exciting world of Aspidistras out there, which don't seem to be very widely available to buy.
So come on, Aspidistra growers, let's see those Aspidistras flying off the shelves!
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Jane Perrone 0:09:33.4
Obviously Jack is a bit of a plant pro, but sometimes a plant just seems to thrive, whether by luck or judgement, we're just not sure! When I heard the story of Kath Bond's amazing, long-lived cactus from her son, Ed, I just knew I had to give her a call. We had a wonderful conversation about this amazing cactus! You'll hear her husband chiming in in the background, occasionally, which I think makes it even more entertaining and delightful to listen to! Here's Kath.
Kath Bond 0:10:02.5
Ed bought it for me, from a fête, when he was seven, so that was 34 years ago! It's had several lifetimes really. It grew and grew and grew and grew, and at one point I think it was about a metre high, and then it started dying off a bit. So we've chopped it back a few times. It crawled 'round the window, so it was very tall. It was really big. In fact, a little girl came to our house and was in the garden and she thought it was a snake in the window!
Jane Perrone 0:10:43.0
What's it planted into?
Kath Bond 0:10:44.8
Just in a big jar. I've got to go and have a look. Yes, it's in a big jar!
Mr Bond 0:10:54.9
It's an ordinary, it's a pickle jar!
Kath Bond 0:10:56.5
So the secret is a pickled onion jar, maybe! It's got a little son, or daughter, now, growing by the side of it.
Jane Perrone 0:11:03.5
So there's no drainage in this jar?
Kath Bond 0:11:05.8
No drainage in the jar. It just sits in there. Seems to be very happy in there.
Jane Perrone 0:11:10.9
You've not repotted it at all?
Kath Bond 0:11:10.9
We repotted it once, I think. So it has been repotted perhaps just once. I mean, it just sits there. It's not as big any more because it did start dying off a bit at the top, so I just hacked it off and it's shooting out again. Yeah, it's just got little shoots on the side.
Jane Perrone 0:11:35.3
So now you know! If you want success with your cactus, plant it in a pickle jar! I'm not sure I'm going to recommend that, but Kath's cactus - you can see a picture on my website show notes at janeperrone.com to see a sight of this wonderful plant! Thanks so much to Kath and her husband for their insights into this wonderful plant. I love the idea that a little girl was terrified that it was a snake in the window!
So clearly some plants, like many cacti and also Jack's Aspidistra, make really great, long-lived houseplants because they can stand all kinds of conditions. They're pretty stoic, whatever you do to them. But what other qualities give certain houseplants the edge when it comes to sticking around for the long-term?
Larry Hodgson, aka the 'Laid Back Gardener', says the Christmas cactus is a prime candidate and I think I know what he means. If you join any houseplant group on Facebook, it won't be long before somebody's showing off their great aunt Lulu's ancient Christmas cactus covered in blooms. Here's Larry to explain why.
Larry Hodgson 0:12:38.8
They're not going to get that big, or they can get quite heavy, but I think, also, they don't need much space for their roots because of the problem of repotting some time. You can grow some pretty big houseplants, but how would you move the pots around? Whereas if you can keep a full grown Christmas cactus in a pot that's maybe 12 inches across, you can move that around. That's very handy.
Jane Perrone 0:13:04.7
If you are, at this very moment, shouting at your smartphone or speaker because you just can't get your Christmas cactus to bloom, don't worry, we'll be talking about this and other Christmas plants in upcoming episodes. Larry had a story from his family about this plant, of course.
Larry Hodgson 0:13:22.3
When my son was little, we used to do gifts we made ourselves, right? That was one of the things we would do. And so he gave his grandmother a little cutting of Christmas cactus in a pot. Now, she died two years ago, but that plant lived to be 30 years old and every single year she'd call and talk to my son and she'd count the flowers. "I have 150, or 200 or 300." She was so proud of this plant that her grandson had given her and it lasted longer than she did, finally!
Jane Perrone 0:14:01.8
It's really lovely when you've got a plant that really reminds you of a particular person. I've got an Aloe aristata, a Lace Aloe, which was given to me by some dear friends many years ago now, Fiona and Jugs - I haven't seen them for a long time. They live in Scotland now, but they entrusted this Lace to me many years ago and it's still thriving. In fact, I can see it now. It's in my greenhouse where it'll be very happy over the winter because it's a particularly hardy type of Aloe. It's sitting there and it always reminds me of them and what lovely people they are. So it's really special when you have a plant that has a person's memory attached to it.
As a Professor of Biology at the University of Nebraska, Dr Paul Twigg has a lot of plants, many of them with stories behind them. But I have to say I'm a little bit in awe of one particular plant that he's got because it's a gerbera that's been on his windowsill for many, many years. A gerbera, I have to say, if and when these things are in the house, I just kill them as quick as look at them, but clearly Paul's got the knack! I guess it helps that he studies plants for a living!
Paul Twigg 0:15:07.7
It was actually something that came from a plant sale that a student of mine had bought to take home. She was convinced after she got it home that she was going to kill it, so she brought it back to me, to keep for her. And then eventually she moved on to do other things. She's now got a PhD, studying prions, but the plant ended up staying with me. If you've ever had a gerbera for any length of time, you'll know that it looks great while it's blooming and then it has some leaves and it kind of dies back to the ground and, as a result, this plant goes through that cycle over and over again. And I wonder, every year, "Is it going to come back?" And every year it comes back, with these lovely, light pink or coral-coloured flowers! It was a variety of gerbera at the time, I believe, called 'Crush' and I've maintained it, basically, in my offices in the head house, or the greenhouse. It lives in the window above my computer, next to a variety of other whatnots, but it's sort of a sentimental reminder of that student I guess. I nicknamed the plant in her name. Her name was Katie, so I refer to the plant as Katie's gerbera.
Jane Perrone 0:16:34.0
Okay, so this is rather embarrassing! It seems that, actually, all those times when I thought my gerbera was dead and I've chucked it on the compost heap, I should have been more patient and waited for the plant to resprout. Gutted!
Anyway, thanks to Paul for that story! Let's see who else we have to talk to. Ah yes, so my final guest is called Elizabeth Day, and she's got a story about a haworthia that's been with her through thick and thin. I spoke to Elizabeth by phone from her home in California.
Elizabeth Day 0:17:08.1
I got it in Madison, Wisconsin - my first year of my PhD programme. I was getting a Doctorate in Educational Reform and making a new home there. I had moved from Colorado, and so really adorning my new place with plants, and, of course, I had brought some from Colorado too, but what drew me to this particular plant was the haworthia succulent. It was very small, and it was actually the container it was in, as much as the plant, at the time.
On my Instagram page you'll see the container it's in. It's hard to explain, but it's clay and it's shaped like a person holding a basket. It feels like there's something old about it, something kind of primeval. I don't know. I just loved it! The person's mouth is open and they have big eyes. You can look at the photo! But anyway, their legs are crossed and they're just holding this and they're holding this plant and so I thought that is really powerful! I like that! And I was beginning my journey, this long doctorate process I knew was not going to be an easy one, so I thought, "Well, I'm going to get this little guy!' And here we go!
Jane Perrone 0:18:37.2
I expect you're as intrigued as I was to actually see this amazing pot that Elizabeth found. I'm going to post a picture of it in my show notes at janeperrone.com so you can take a look.
So, scroll forward 30 years! Where's the haworthia now and how's it doing?
Elizabeth Day 0:18:52.2
It hasn't had any offspring. However, it's possible that now that it's in a much larger pot -- now it's in a seven inch pot compared to an inch and a half to two inches. When I sent you the picture, it's tiny and it had really grown big in that tiny thing, which was also very inspiring. So I don't know if it just felt, like, "Okay, I'm doing all I can with this small space." In its new circumstances, perhaps there'll be some little babies. I don't know. There's something so symbolic about it. It keeps growing, despite the circumstances that were happening in my own life; some of them where I felt like I was thriving and other times where it was really difficult. And so because they're slow-growing, I think they're just a beautiful symbol of resilience and adaptability and growth on a personal level, even if you don't know you're growing. Even if you might not feel like you're changing, and so I think, for me, when I look at it, it's the small changes. It's the green on the tips, or the green coming from the middle of the plant. And it's, like, "I'm still here! I'm still growing! You can do it!" Anyway, that's how I related to this guy!
Jane Perrone 0:20:24.0
Now I know I probably come across as a bit flippant most of the time in On the Ledge, but it's really touching to hear stories like this, of how plants can really come to mean something for somebody. And it's a great illustration of what a wonderful thing it is to have in our lives. I'm delighted to say there is a little coda to this story, which I'll bring you now.
Elizabeth Day 0:20:46.0
When I repotted it, it coincided, interestingly enough, with a new love in my life, who happens to be a gardener, who listens to your show! That was kind of symbolic as well. It was growing and got repotted. So I think that's the only thing else that I really wanted to share.
Jane Perrone 0:21:11.0
Now that's what I like to hear! So next time you see a plant that's just calling out to you from the shop, or from the garden centre, whether because of its unusual pot, its fascinating foliage or stunning flowers, I urge you to just say 'Yes!' There's no end to the joy these things can bring to our lives.
Anyway, before I get too Oprah on you, let's move swiftly on!
Question of the Week this week is something a little bit different and it comes from Eleanor Green, who emailed ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com. She writes, "I came across your Instagram a few months ago and your podcast has since become a regular listen. I love it!
I've been interested in plants and gardening for some time now and was wondering if you had any pointers for me to enhance my knowledge. Obviously, I know the best way is to get out there and just do more of it, but I'd like to read more or do a course. Thanks so much for any help you could offer."
Well, Eleanor, I think this is a fantastic question! Now, obviously the first answer is of course, keep listening to On the Ledge podcast, but beyond that, there are some fantastic resources which are available to anyone who wants to get into houseplants. I still think the absolute Bible for houseplants is 'The Houseplant Expert', by Dr David Hessayon. If you don't want to spend a lot of money on one of these, you can get it out of your local library. Also, you can often find them in your local charity shop or thrift store.
The best edition that I've got - and I have several - is the 'Gold Plated Houseplant Expert.' This is a hardback version of the book, an expanded version, and it's got a red cover on it. That's the one I'd recommend going for, if you have a choice, and it's one of those books that you can usually pick up on second-hand mail order book sites, as well as charity shops and other places, as I say. So check that out. That would be my first place to look. In terms of visual inspiration, it's lacking quite severely, but in terms of actual concrete information about plants, you really cannot beat it, to this day! So that's the one where I would always recommend that people start.
If you're looking for a slightly more modern version of this kind of book, Veronica Peerless' 'How Not to Kill Your Houseplants' is an excellent choice. I spoke to Veronica back in Episode 5, if you remember? That's another good choice.
If you're looking for something that's a bit more stylish, again, I'd go for the wonderful Alice Fowler's 'Plant Love' which contains lots of really interesting, geeky stuff on plants, but also has beautiful images of houseplants and shows you how you can display them really well. Are you noticing a theme here? They're all friends of the show!
There's another book which I would recommend, which is rather old now but I still think it's a great work on houseplants. It's called 'Potted,' and it's by the famous Chelsea award-winning garden designer, Andy Sturgeon. It was written a good decade or so ago, but it's got some really interesting insights into how to use houseplants inside from a designer's point of view. That one's definitely worth a look for in your local library, or charity shop. I don't think it's in print any more.
If you're the kind of person that likes to do your research online, there's a real smorgasbord of delights on the internet, in terms of houseplants, but beware - there is loads of really, really terrible advice! So, how do you sift out the good advice from the not-so-good advice? Well, the best thing you can do is go to really reputable sources. So, for example, if you're researching cacti and succulents, check out the website of the British Cactus & Succulent Society. The web address for that is society.bcss.org.uk. You'll find there's a forum there and there's also a gallery with lots of images and loads of information and publications that you can order, which are really providing in-depth knowledge about cacti and succulents.
There's also an excellent BCSS Facebook group where you can post questions and ask for ideas on particular plants that you've got. I highly recommend getting involved in that too.
I must also recommend a wonderful blog called 'Plants are the Strangest People.' It is beautifully written and the person who writes it clearly has a ton of knowledge about houseplants. I think they either worked, or do work, in a nursery setting. It's just so much fun and you'll learn such a lot from it. This person isn't afraid to discuss their successes as well as their failures and it's a really good read. I highly recommend it. That's plantsarethestrangestpeople.blogspot.co.uk. Check that one out!
And finally on the Internet front, without wishing to blow my own trumpet too much, I'd also recommend that you take a look at my show notes. I put them together for every single show and they go online at janeperrone.com and all of the links in there to further information I can absolutely guarantee contain great information about houseplants. I also post on there various other bits of information which you may find useful.
Also, do take a look at my Facebook page - On the Ledge pod - and if I read a really interesting article about houseplants, I usually share it there, whether it's written by me or not. That's a great place to look for extra resources too.
Now, in terms of courses, there aren't any courses I know of which concentrate specifically on houseplants, beyond the short workshops that a lot of florists and houseplant shops run to make terrariums and things like that, which tend to be on a Saturday afternoon, or whatever. If you're looking for a longer course on houseplants, I don't know of one at the moment, but if anyone in the listenership knows differently, do let me know.
One thing that you may want to consider, if you want to expand your knowledge of plants more generally, is the RHS qualifications. The Royal Horticultural Society has a range of qualifications which cover different areas of plant science and propagation and garden design and so on. There are many places where you can study these courses through online learning, so you don't actually have to go anywhere to do your study. These are definitely worth investigating. To find out more, visit the RHS website, rhs.org.uk.
And in more general terms, I'd just say that when you're researching a plant online, if at all possible, if you know the Latin name, use the Latin name when you put something into Google because you're far more likely to find accurate information that way because you will find that many plants have the same common name, which can get very confusing. You'll also find that using a Latin name will weed out some of the more basic and often incorrect articles that you get on news websites and magazines, and leave you with the more detailed advice which tends to be more accurate. And, as I say, if you're looking for a plant ID, you can always post a picture to me via email, or you can tweet me: @janeperrone. If I don't know what it is, then somebody who follows me will, so I'm always happy to help out with plant IDs!
Well, that's just a few suggestions for you, Eleanor. I'm sure I've forgotten loads of great resources, so, listeners, if you want to add to my list, tell me where you learn more about houseplants. Do let me know and perhaps I'll get a blog post together on this subject so people can look at this resource all in one place. So send me your ideas! We love to hear from you!
As another episode hits the buffers, there's just time for me to remind you how to support the show. The number one way is to tell a friend. Wrestle their phone out of their hands, if you have to, then get them set up on a podcast app, make the first subscription to On The Ledge: you're happy, they're happy and I am simply over the moon! You can also leave me a review, or rating, or donate a few quid, dollars, euros, rupees or reels to the show, by visiting my crowdfunding page at ko-fi.com.
Thanks to Morwenna, Heather Withers, Tom, June, aka The Cynical Gardener, and Joff, who all did just that! I'll be back next Friday, but in the meantime, remember: money can't buy you happiness, except at the garden centre!
This week's show featured the tracks Whistling Rufus, by the Heftone Banjo Orchestra, and An Instrument the Boy Called Happy Day Gokarna, from Samuel Corwin's selected field recordings from India and Nepal Volume One, both licenced under Creative Commons, and Hot Lips, by Bill Brown and His Brownies. Voices by Mark Hamilton. Find out more at markhamilton.org
No new episode this week, but I revisit an episode from the On The Ledge archive, published back in 2017… I talk to people about their long-lived houseplants, from an Aspidistra to a cactus in a pickle jar.
This was one of the first 50 episodes of the show that are usually only available to Patreon subscribers at the Ledge End and Superfan level. You can become a Patreon subscriber and unlock this and other benefits here.
Elizabeth Day’s Haworthia.
We hear from ...
Garden designer and award-winning blogger Jack Wallington about his ancient aspidistra. It's into three figures now, having survived two world wars and any number of house moves.
Kath Bond on her venerable cactus, growing quite happily in a pickle jar, of all things. It's doing rather well, as you can see from the picture below.
Lary Hodgson aka the Laidback Gardener on why Christmas cacti make great longlived plants.
University professor Dr Paul Twigg tells me about the gerbera he named after one of his students: you can see a picture here.
Elizabeth Day on her haworthia that's travelled along with her through 30 years of life's ups and downs. See below for a picture of the succulent in its intriguing pot... and right at the top of the post is a picture of my lace aloe (Aloe aristata) that's mentioned in this episode as one of my longlived plants.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Listener Eleanor Green asks:
"I've been interested in plants and gardening for sometime now, and I was wondering if you had any pointers for me to enhance my knowledge. Obviously I know the best way is to get out there and just do more of it, but I'd like to read more or do a course."
I'm planning a blogpost on this topic, but here's a brief summary of my suggestions for books to check out:
Dr Hessayon's Houseplant Expert book is still my houseplant bible - the best edition is the Gold-Plated Houseplant Expert.
Other great books include How Not To Kill Your Houseplant by Veronica Peerless, Plant Love by Alys Fowler and Potted by Andy Sturgeon.
Blog Plants Are the Strangest People is a wonderfully-written, quirky and informative read.
Want to ask me a question? Email ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com. The more information you can include, the better - pictures of your plant, details of your location and how long you have had the plant are always useful to help solve your issue.
CREDITS
This week's show featured the tracks Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops, Whistling Rufus by the Heftone Banjo Orchestra and An Instrument the Boy Called Happy Day, Gokarna from Samuel Corwin's Selected Field Recordings from India and Nepal, Volume I (Folk Songs), both licensed under Creative Commons, and Hot Lips by Bill Brown and His Brownies. Thanks also to Mark Hamilton for his voices: find out more at markhamilton.org.uk.