MBT, I'm not sure where you got the idea that ZZs are common. They are actually pretty hard to find, and they are often expensive. The non-chain nurseries around here (I live in McHenry county) sell medium-sized ones for about $30.00.

When I occasionally see them for around 9.99 or so at HD or Lowes, I consider that a bargain. And 14.99 is a pretty typical regular price.

As for gifts, I got another Amaryllis for Christmas. The White Lion I received last year was mislabeled and turned out to be a Red Lion, so DH bought me one already in bloom this year, so we'd know what color it is. It was only labelled "White Amaryllis," but the flowers are large and lovely.

I have a twin sister who is a lot like me except that I am a plant nut and she is a horse nut. She was after me for a month, telling me my dogs wanted to buy me a gift. The look on her face when I said I would like some paperwhite bulbs for the New Year went totally blank and I didn't think about it again. She was so excited as I opened the dogs gift as she had actually found these exotic things!!!!. I have them potted up today. Next year I may send her off to find an amaryllis. (May as well not make it too easy!) Happy Holidays to everyone.

About 1-2 months ago my HD and Lowes had the 4inch ZZ for 8.99.

I thought most things were more expensive in California! I guess not, since my HD got quite a few ZZs in about a year ago, and I jumped on one. It was in a 4" pot, about 6" tall at the time, and it was only $6-7! I can't remember exactly, but it was right around that price range. Might have even been $4.99 - can't remember. But I know it was close to that price, because I wouldn't have spent much more than that. Of course, this was a 4" pot, and the one you looked at was in a 6" pot. My plant is now in a 6" pot and is 14" high. Get a ZZ if you can. I know they don't flower or do anything spectacular, but for some reason, they really appeal to me, and I love this plant! Plus, they are tough as nails, drought resistant, can take low humidity, and grow fast compared to most plants.

I have read on this board and others that ZZs are not easy to find so you can imagine my reaction when I saw DOZENS of them at HD that day! And I swear they had never offered them before - I'm sure I would not have missed them. I didn't want a large plant, by the way, but couldn't resist this baby ZZ that was begging for me to take him home! When it keeps getting bigger and bigger. . .as it already is, well, I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it! I wouldn't give up my ZZ for nothin'!

Randi

Hey Randi, I was shocked also when I saw them at HD and Lowes. I saw dozens also.
I grabbed 2 of them in 4" and put both together in a 6in and I have got new ones already flushed.
It's my baby compared to the one in a 12" that I paid $40 for and that was highly discounted!

They had ZZ plants in all the big box stores this year...gosh, they had them at Walmart. At the end of the season, they were half off (large but shallow pot of it for 5 bucks)...guess I should have picked one up.

MBT, I'm not sure where you got the idea that ZZs are common...

Hmmm... I figured since so many people (on GW) had them and I see them in offices and malls alongside Snake Plants that they were equally common. I don't know if I'd pay those prices for this plant. I guess I have a new found respect for this plant and the people who grow it.

Maybe I'll get a job as a mall security guard and get some cuttings. LOL.

zz's are expensive, even when buying wholesale from Florida. They are quite slow to get started which probably explains the high price. They are great plants, though. Occasionally I will see them around here. I scored an 8" for about $15 or $20 at Lowe's this past fall and was pretty pleased with that price.

I got a potting bench for Christmas! Woohoo! I've wanted one for years and years - I'm tired of using a card table in the garage.

Hi,

I'm not that crazy about the look of the ZZ plant. Thought I wanted one, then saw one at Lowes and passed it up. I wouldnt generally pay over $10 for a plant, unless it was rare and hard to find. My LARGE Philo 'Moonlight' was $23, from a greenhouse. The most I've spent on a houseplant. I find lots of bargains. Outdoor plants, thats another story! My bf got me some gardening tools-pruners, hedge trimmers, spades etc a gardening tote and seat and a Red Flyer wagon lol. I wanted one to haul my mulch, big bags of dirt and watering cans around. He had fun pulling me around the house in it : ) Hope everyone had a nice Christmas!

Jen

I was willing to pay close to $20 for my zz plant-I rarely spend that much for plants. After I had it for a few weeks 2 friends commented, what is that plant, this is the second one I've seen this week. I got a selaginella (winter fern is what the tag said) in a cute christmas coffee cup as a get well/christmas present.

Congrats on all the plant related gifts everyone. I forgot I had gone out today and bought myself 2 new amaryllis bulbs, which brings my count up to nine in two years.

If anyone is interested I posted pics of the succulent I bought for myself in the cacti gallery.
----

watergal congrats on the potting bench. I've wanted one for a long time myself. Even with your card table you were better off than I am, I'm using a rubbermade container on the floor. :0)

Toots-
Did your selaginella improve from your last posting? That's another one I want. I saw them at a Jamaica Gardens last year and I passed it up when my cheap-o gene didn't want to pay 5 bucks for it. LOL. But then I paid 8 bucks for a small pot of Cereopiga Woodii.

(an aside)
Toni if you're out there when I created this thread I was thinking of you and hoping you're doing better and that you got more plants for your collection. :0)

I got books about 25 of them, this I am excited about.

Okay dumb, me what in the world is a ZZ plant. Norma

Norma,

It's short of Zamioculcas Zamiifolia. I can't spell it let alone pronounce it so I shortened it to the common name for the plant. It's pretty neat looking

Here is a link that might be useful: Some Pics from Google

I didn't get any plants for Christmas (people say they don't feel comfortable buying plants for me) so I bought myself 2 Hoyas. Shop around this spring MBT, I think you can beat that.

Hi Norma,

Further to what MBT offered abt ZZ plants, they're an ancient Aroid, semi-succulent w/ these odd water-storing, fat stems that grow tubers resembling potatoes. They're pretty cool.

MBT, I've never known them to be common; have NEVER seen them at malls or box stores, only ever at nurseries, more upscale florists & my own Plant Societies. At my plant society, a friend always offers up leaves for propagation every year. I've started them from his leaves & also from a bare stem, slow growing but very cool.

FYI, I've seen full pots of them maybe 8-12" in diameter, 1 ft. tall going for btwn $15 to $30. You passed up a deal. These are EXTREMELY SLOW when one starts them oneself! In abt % yrs. my single leaf is now only 4 separate stems each w/ several prs. of leaves. Certainly not a full, lush plant (yet).

it definitly looks like a plant I would kill, the neat ones always die on me:( our home depot has nothing right now, one of our wal-marts has a pretty impressive setup in their greenhouse and nothing has been marked down, the other wal-mart that is closest to me had marked down just about everything but their palms, they left them in the outdoor nursery area and the closer it got to being too cold for them I thought they would mark them down from 20.00, I watched about 100 palms die when it froze, made me so mad! I would of bought 2 had they marked them half off, and I am sure others would of too, but yet they practically were giving away the other houseplants that were inside (bought 2 monsteras in 6" pots for 1.50 each)
my friend went nuts and bought about 20 plants, 6 of them being the dreaded dumb canes, I kept telling her that I could not raise healthy ones let alone bring those back from the dead (they always end up coming my way when they start to die) she thinks I am a miracle worker just because I brought her pothos back from nothing (water was the miracle worker) now I have 3 of her dumb canes in my house, she tried to get me to take 1 more to "fix" and I refused, she needs to get her houseplant greenthumb to working:)

Sorry, typo above in my comment to MBT supposed to say "in abt 5 yrs. my single leaf ..."

Fred or anyone else out there - where can I find a decent sized hoya? I took a cutting from a friend and it's taking forever to put out new growth, I read they are slow growing but I'm not a patient gardener. Let me know what you think. I'm still pretty new to houseplants but am loving making new plants and watching some flowers open indoors. Thanks!
Lynn

We have zz's at many of my clients, although we haven't used many lately as they are so expensive. People seem to either love them or hate them. They are favored especially by people with ultracontemporary decor. We love them because they don't need much water and they can tolerate a wide range of lighting.

Hi Lynn
My local Lowes gets in quite a few Hoyas. They are Exotic Angel brand plants in hanging baskets. The 6 inch pots are about $10.00 and the 8 inch about $14.00. But they are very full healthy plants IF you get to them before the store kills them. If you're not familiar with Exotic Angel, the plants come in those infamous terra cotta colored hanging baskets, and I don't know what they use for potting media but it soaks up and holds a LOT of water. I rip the drain tray off the minute I get the plant out of the store and I don't water for a month. But they are nice plants. Home Depot and some Walmarts sell them also.

I am seeing zz's more and more. A few years ago I had only seen them in offices. I have two large ones that I paid around $60 each and 3 small that i found at IKEA for $6 each.

I got no plants or related things for the holidays so I am trying to find a Natal Mahogany. I eat my lunch in an area in an office building that has 20 of them and I JUST LOVE them.

Hi Lynn (Soycandle),

Since you stated above: "I read they are slow growing but I'm not a patient gardener."

you may want to consider plants other than Hoyas (said by someone who grows 35+ of them; they can be slow when they have a mind to be). Just a thought.

Just saw a couple of very large and very nice ZZ plants at Home Depot this evening...I think they were 30 bucks...

If I decide to get one, I think I will wait for the half price sale again...sure wish I would have picked those up for 5 a piece.

ZZ's a very common where I am in N.Y., Lowes, Home depot have them all the time as well as mom/pop garden centers. Not the cheapest plants but not terribly expensive either. I bought 4 2 years ago. We only started seeing them here about 3 years ago....

Happy new year!

Tom

MBT,
My local Lowes just got in some 6 inch ZZs for $8.97.

Aren't this sold as "Seminole Bread" . Their pretty common sold as seeds.

The only garden related item I got for Christmas was a book called "The Essential Garden" which appears to be not much more than an advertisement for various garden tools and equipment.

So as a consolation, I treated myself to my first begonia (6" with orange blossoms, very elegant looking) and my first marginata dracaena, which is too big for the spot I was trying to fill. There are 4 plants in the pot, so as soon as I can purchase some more decorative pots, I will divide it. I'd like to put something else in the pot with it, that will spill over the side. What pairs well with the marginata dracaena? I have always had one type of plant per pot, but I want to create little indoor container gardens. I just want to be sure I pair up plants that have similar needs. Anyone have any suggestions?

No, "Seminole Bread" is a common name for a few species of Zamia, which are cycads. Zamioculcas zamiifolia is an aroid. Its name derives from the fact that the leaves of ZZ resemble that of a Zamia. They are not related and seeds of ZZ are not commonly available.

highalt, I would suggest philodendron, maybe 'Brasil' if you can afford one - gorgeous striped foliage. Possibly Algerian ivy (it has red stems) - also expensive but a little less prone to spider mites than normal ivy.

Pothos is a cheap and easy solution too.

I like the look of vining plants underplanted too. I think I need to set some of mine up like that. A bonus is that I won't have to drill more holes for hanging baskets!

MBT, I went to HD today and saw the tiny ZZs they are selling for 14.99. I now agree that someone has indeed lost their minds. I think the supplier is trying to market them as pseudo-bonsai, and thus charging a premium.

What I saw today that really blew my mind were Amaryllis bulbs inside narrow-necked, bulb-shaped, ceramic containers. The neck was just wide enough for the flower stem and some leaves to emerge. There appeared to be no way to get the bulb out of the container short of smashing it. What a waste!

I saw those too!!!!

I have been meaning to go back to get a picture when the greenhouse is not busy so I could share it on my blog. Because nobody could figure out what I was talking about when I talked to them. But if you lift it up there is a rubber stopper at the bottom, at least that's what I think I saw. But still those things are going to rot in there.

Glad you saw the ZZ plant :) and I'm not the only one.

Our HD has orchids-big beautiful flowering ones for $9-I posted a picture in my yippe thread. I could not believe how many different phals there were!

I bought a tagless houseplant at Home Depot today for $4.99. It has large oval leaves springing from a central stalk. The leaves are very pretty, with dark purple undersides. The tops of the leaves are light green, with a dark green border all around. The divide between the light and the dark green is scalloped. Can anyone name this plant?

Brenda

Oh wow Toots that's a really good price. Mine has a lot of them too but they're about double the price. I'll go check out your thread.

Brenda you would probably get more people to see if you started an ID thread for your plant. A picture always helps too. This thread is a little old and many people may not check it out.

BTW if anyone is curious about the Amaryllis in a vase see my link. I went and took a pic of them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Strange Way To Grow It

Oh, that is indeed a weird way to grow an amaryllis! I think it's one of those many times they want to help people think they can't grow plants and need experts to grow them, and then just throw them away. I suppose it's good business for them, but it's a pet peeve of mine.

MBT-again I love your blog-and I could spend alot of time over there but I have to clean my house! That is a strange way to grow an amaryllis. I gave my sister a spendy x-mas present that a florist in Alameda california talked me into-a 2 foot champagne glass filled with I think narcissus bulbs. It was $49 and the florist was from Madison and we talked about Brett Farve and soon after I spent $75!

But my sister felt it was worth the cost and plans to put an amaryllis in it next. She says it still looks nice with the narcissus bulbs. I better warn her that the champagne glass could be in jeopardy with the amarryllis-my guess she will put fake flowers it it