Home Depot has a sale on 4 inch foliage pots 2 for &5.00. I got two verigated Scheffleras today. I wasn't going to get them since I have two Scheffleras already, then thought I could play around and experiment with them then give them away or sell them when I'm done.

It's probably hard to tell, but the one on the right has darker green foliage with a little cream colored verigation. I saw some beautiful small leafed Wandering Jews there too

Lowes is always good for interesting plants. I got a Hindu Rope there recently.

For some reason the pic is just a blue box with question mark. Don't know if it's you or me but I'm viewing other posts with pics just fine right now.

BB stores are a good way to start a new collection since prices are cheap. I've only found a couple of schefflera varieties here in BB's in central Fla even though Costa Farms shows many more on their website.

Russ

Hmmmm not sure what happened there. Our HD gets its plants from Hampshire Farms. Their site does not have much info to help identify my Scheffleras. I like to experiment with pruning them so I guess it doesn't matter(though I really would like to know) I won't have space to keep all of them. I will have to try and get a pic later.

Thanks for the picture update Chipped. I have the small scheff on the left, it's one of three Luseane's they offer, I think the one I have is Ivory since the variegation is that color rather than yellow.

Mohavered, Snow Queen is a new name to me. I have Glacier, Pearls and Jade and N'Joy and they all look the same to me.

Russ

I have Glacier too. Snow Queen is new to me too. It's nice.

Russ, thank you for the ID.

Chipped, doesn't your Glacier look like the one you bought as Snow Queen? See any differences?

My Scheff Luseane is about two feet tall but leaves are staying tiny compared to the larger and very common landscape variety here in Florida called Trinette. Both are growing within a few feet of each other and the difference is striking. Luseane is quite a cute and delightful little schefflera that wouldn't take up a lot of room for enthusiasts with limited growing space.

Russ

My Glacier does look a lot like Snow Queen. It tends to get brown and crumbly at times, grows way faster than my Marble Queen.

I got my first Schefflera about a year ago. It has smaller leaves too and more compact. They were small outside in full sun too.

I have glacier as well, they are definitely different. I'll post a side by side of two leaves tomorrow (glacier is in the baby's room)

Just for grins I looked at Hampshire Farms' website. It didn't make sense to me that tropicals would be supplied to northern stores by a source in Illinois given their long, hard winters and the high cost of heating a million square feet of growing space. They grow hostas, daylilies and perennials, I did notice a single tropical on their list in a quick scan which was pothos Pearls & Jade, but no scheffleras.

Chipped, if your schefflera had a label when you bought it, I'm curious if it indicated Hampshire Farms as the nursery source?

Russ

Hampshire Farms was on the price tag on the pot. All my HD tropicals are from there. Hampshire is about a half an hour from my house. I don't know how far they distribute their plants. I cannot imagine what it would take to heatand maintain a green house here. Not just because of the extreme cold but the storms and winds we get are crazy.

Im from IL but in NY right now. BBs have a lot of regional plant suppliers too, my plants were from a NY greenhouse can't remember what the tag said though)

That's certainly interesting information, you'd think the heating costs would be too enormous to be even remotely cost-effective. And as you said it's not only the severe cold but storms, wind, snow, ice.

I actually remember someone up north that partially heated their greenhouse by keeping rabbits under the plant benches. They apparently produce a lot of body heat, but it also allowed them to sell the rabbits to offset costs as well as having availability of the manure.

Mojavered, I had you figured for Calif, Nevada or Arizona given your 'handle', I was surprised at your mention of Illinois and New York.

Russ

Yep, I just love the southwest :)

There is a large orchid greenhouse in the Chicago burbs, they have everything from cattleya to dendrobiums to phrags. They grow all of them onsite, the babies are in glass bottles in a closed off area but you can still see them. Orchids by Hausermann for the curious.

My favorite box store find. Two years ago at lowes.

Ficus benjamina - $21.00

Now about 7 feet. it's in front of the same window in both pics. didn't even reach half way up the window in the first pic. Second pic it's a foot taller than the top of the window.

Cool about the orchid greenhouse in Chicago Chipped! Big cities have almost everything if you look in the right places. I wonder if they've got rabbits under the orchid benches :)

Dave, that's remarkable growth of the benjamina in just two years, and well filled out. Obviously a result of your feeding program. Very nice that it's braided too. What's the large-leaved plant in front of it? Maybe another ficus of some type.

I have a large F. retusa 'Tiger Bark' that sorely needs repotting but I'm waiting until early summer. I keep it outside but set it inside the covered shadehouse during cool spells. You've done a great job with the benjamina given it's an indoor plant.

Russ

Hey, thanks Russ!

to be fair, the benjamina does spend mid May - October outside in full direct sun. That's why it's grown so much in two years.

the large leaf plant is a Schefflera. Also from lowes. $12! It was two feet a year ago and now it's about 5'! Grows like a weed. This pic was taken yesterday.

Mojavered, I just contacted Hauserman a week or so ago looking for something. They pointed me to Ted's Greenhouse in Tinley Park. Small world. I am in the opposite burbs but might make a trip out that way. My sister lives in that area and I occasionally trek out there for my kiddos soccer.

My daughter lives in Tinley Park! It is a small world. :-)

Lowe's has some great clearance items. Depending on location, there are some very good finds.

I have two $1.00 clearance finds, still going strong.

• Dracaena Dorado - has grown almost 8 or so inches in a year and a half with the right light, and will need potting up soon. My guess is a foot and a half tall now. I really want it to be a tree one day!

• Dracaena Janet Craig, just last week - still diminutive, but only one bad leaf when I bought her! Otherwise, pretty flawless. I don't even know why the plant was on clearance, but hey, more for me! I almost broke down and bought a bird's nest fern, but this one will definitely do. Same upright growth pattern, less maintenance.

I have a Janet Craig I cut the top half off because it was too tall..Time to do it again, so I'll have 3.....I just ordered a Bird's nest fern! great minds.

Debra, your Janet Craig is a beauty! And is that an Aspidistra Milky Way in the background? Wow!

Good eye!..yes that corner table is between North & west windows. So I think it's happy....

this plant is behind it...I moved this Diablo Spath out of this corner & moved it to the corner where the Aspidistra is...I will probably move it back here again. It has more here...the plant in front of this one is a Spath too.

I found this awesomely cute little Coleus, 'Burgundy Wedding Train.'

And Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost.' They are in the ground while it's warm, but will definitely be coming inside for winter.

Oh I have a very similar coleus Tiff..yes, they are very darling...

You're so lucky to be able to put your plants out so early...