Ficus or Cactus?

[Sally, la reina]

You have to have a houseplant for one year. What kind do you choose?

I'm a fan of succulents. Maybe it is the dry colorado air. Maybe it is my black thumb.
What do you choose?

[Félix]

Cactus.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Ficus.

[Sally, la reina]

oooooooooo, check out the thumbs on that crustacean female!

[Félix]

heh good one.

[Aynge]

I only have one plant right now: basil.

[Félix]

They don't * anyone Basil anymore. Why is that?

*name

[Sally, la reina]

What?

[Jonathan]

<<< I have a ficus (see avatar pic). It's a little difficult to take care of, but a beautiful plant. I might get a cactus at some point.

Larry, the only Basil I know of is the John Cleese character from Fawlty Towers. Never met a Basil in real life, at least that I can recall.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

According to a friend of mine the most popular kindergarten name in the Union Square area recently was Atticus.

I wouldn't be surprised if Basil makes a comeback, as it's waspier sounding than Oregano.

[Mary]

I only have one plant (cats and plants don't mix) and it is a cactus my husband gave me for Valentine's Day 5 years ago. You may well ask, why a cactus and not a dozen long stemmed roses, it is a question I have also asked myself. Amazingly, in spite of years of neglect, it still lives and even grows.

[Sally, la reina]

Has it ever flowered for you?

[Félix]

Prickly.

[Phil]

There was an Atticus at my son's school a couple years ago.

[Jammies]

I pick a jade plant. :p

[Sally, la reina]

mine looks like this:

[Félix]

So ... succulent.

[Rachel]

Ficus. I'm paranoid about cactus.

[RandomAnthony]

Those are great ones, Sallers.

I've always been pretty decent with plants, but lately cacti/succulents have interested me. I'm fascinated by the nuances of caring for them...how sometimes the best you can do for them is to not do anything for them, etc. I have a row of cacti in my office that are doing ok. I'll need to repot them this spring, I think.

[Jammies]

RA, in that case, you definitely need a jade plant. Mine is almost 30 years old and has bloomed in the past.

[Gatorman]

Cactus.

[Jim]

I have 37 cactus in our house, 31 that I grew from seed, the rest I brought back from my SIL's in AZ. Like RA says sometimes it is amazing that they will grow better with less attention. I have a bunch that need to be replanted. I doubt my wife will let me bring any more soil from AZ with me, as the last time we did that she got pulled aside and it was tested for explosives. She wasn't very happy with me for awhile.

[[deleted user]]

I love your cactus story Jim. Is AZ soil associated with explosives? How did they know?

I guess I would have to say succulents.

I've had african violets in my kitchen for about 15 years. I'm not sure that I really like them, they've simply become part of the furniture. They flower all year round and I haven't managed to kill one yet.

[janine]

i choose the cactus, though i'll have to learn to ignore mine more, it isn't doing very well.

[RandomAnthony]

Jim wrote: "I have 37 cactus in our house, 31 that I grew from seed, the rest I brought back from my SIL's in AZ. Like RA says sometimes it is amazing that they will grow better with less attention. I have a..."

Wow! I did not know this, Jimmy. I may hit you up for advice.

[RandomAnthony]

Also, how did they test your soil for explosives? How did they find out you had soil in the car?

[Jim]

RandomAnthony wrote: "Also, how did they test your soil for explosives? How did they find out you had soil in the car?"

It was at the airport RA, I put some of the soil in a ziplock, and put it in my bag to bring home. She moved it to her carryon. She was carrying a statue of a bull for her brother, and it had horns which looked like a sharp object when it went through the scanner, so they pulled her over to look at it. When they opened the carryon, they saw the soil, and then pulled her over there to have it tested for explosives. She has yet to see the humor in it all.

[Jim]

Barb wrote: "Technically, it was the pointy statue she was carrying that got her pulled off for examination to begin with ... so she can't really blame you for it.
Now, I dare you to tell her that."

Pointing that out didn't help Barb. Maybe I should have waited awhile longer to point it out.

[[deleted user]]

ficus

[Jackie "the Librarian"]

Cactus.

[Félix]

Ficus (pronounced /ˈfɪkʊs/) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig (F. carica) is a temperate species native to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region (from Afghanistan to Portugal), which has been widely cultivated from ancient times for its fruit, also referred to as figs. The fruit of most other species are also edible though they are usually of only local economic importance or eaten as bushfood. However, they are extremely important food resources for wildlife. Figs are also of considerable cultural importance throughout the tropics, both as objects of worship and for their many practical uses.

[Sally, la reina]

Very cool Larry.