14 June 2009

Chenille plant

So Auntie Jess has been helping us to clean our house these last few weeks (yes, I keep that kind of house. The kind that takes weeks to clean. Back off) and so we've gotten to spend lots of time together recently. I try to buy her lunch and give her things at every turn to try to repay her for her work, but there's just no way to show her how much she helps me. And then she showed up the other day bearing a plant. A fabulous hanging basket full of a plant I'd never seen: a chenille plant. It's also called a red-hot cattail plant (how cool is that name?) and I think it looks like it's covered in fat caterpillars. Isn't it crazy?
My research says that those caterpillars can grow to 18-36 inches long. Dang. Also, because it always makes me sad when annuals die, I'm happy to see I can convert it into a houseplant come fall. AND it's supposed to propogate easily. What a dreamy addition to our garden! Thanks, Auntie Jess, for the crazy plant. I love it.

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