Hello!

Thank you for inviting me,I love house plants but Iam definately not a green thumb.My husband is the planter in the family,I would kill a alo vera if it got near me...LOL. I had a house plant called "Christ in a manger"it lived for 4 years as my husband nurtured it ,it did fine.When he became sick I took over the nurturing it was`nt but 2 months the plant started turning brown and died.So I run from any planting that is needed to be done.

Hello Roger,  Gardeners and quilters are the nicest people I know.  They enjoy their work and are willing to wait a long long time for results.

Thanks for volunteering to answer questions here.

And for my British friends I have a special plant.  We in America call them "Hens and chickens".

According to legend, as a gift from Jupiter for protection from lightning, thunder, fire and witchcraft, houseleek has always been considered a form of home fire insurance.  Its wild origins are unknown: even in the fourth century B.C., the Greek botanist Theophrastus recorded its presence on walls and roof tiles.  The Romans planted courtyard urns of houseleek, and Charlemagne ordered one plant to be grown on every roof.  These spread to Europe and then were brought to the new world.

In the language of flowers, houseleek symbolizes vivacity and industry.  It is also one of the oldest first-aid herbs, with similar but reduced healing properties to aloe vera. Houseleek's advantage is that it will survive several degrees of winter frost.

They are called chicks and  hens because the rosettes (hens) produce runners  with small rosettes which root. The rosettes hover over the little ones as a hen watches over her chicks.

Look forward to your help, Roger.

Hi Mary,

My garden is beautiful.  Large pear and apple trees, a weeping birch, flowering bottlebrush, huge lilac hedge, and lots of perennials and annuals, bright, colourful and shady in the summer.  Oh, yeah, there's a huge evergreen spruce and elm, and a huge area of soft grass for us to play soccer with my grandchildren!

We also run through the sprinkler with them when its very hot!  My garden is a place of serenity and laughter.

Thanks for letting me share.

Lisa,

Knowing the amount of sun, shade and water that a plant needs is the key.  When in doubt, under water and when it starts to look a little dull...give it some water.

Some plants do not like to have their "feet" in water .So drainage is important to allow the water to run off.

I do not know the plant  you refer to.  In different areas different names are given to plants.

Jennifer,

Thank you for allowing us to visit your garden.  I can feel the cool breeze  and smell of the flowering trees and bushes.

This will leave beautiful memories for your grandchildren.