Potted Elephant inspiration, and purchases

We return to the Potted Elephant for a handful of photos meant to remind myself (and maybe you too?) to be creative with how I grow my plants. I first saw this tillandsia encrusted plant in Dicks greenhouse (that is Richard Van Ingen, we'll revisit that name throughout this post). It's still just as inspiring as the first time I saw it.

Plants on a large hunk of driftwood.

And mounted on slabs of wood, evidently even begonias don't mind this treatment.

Or jewel orchids, since this Ludisia discolor appears to be happy.

I should have asked about buying this orchid in a pot made by Richard Van Ingen, the color has always put me off a bit, but I love the shape and texture—I've photographed it a few times and I really should just do it.

The orchids I've grown on a stick (purchased as such) have done very well, I should try growing more plants like this.

Even "Christmas cactus" can be mounted.

The possibilities are endless.

Ha! This gingerbread man is another Richard Van Ingen creation, Cory pulled it out knowing I'd appreciate it.

One last planting from the Potted Elephant collection.

This one I'm determined to "recreate" here at home. My jungle cactus that were so happily nested in Clifford's branches last year need to find a new place to live, I'm finally giving into Andrew's desire to prune up the lower branches of our Magnolia macrophylla.

My plan is to somehow mount them behind this large piece of driftwood. Yes that's snow—I took this photo last week, it's gone now...

...and then somehow mount that on our fence.

Like that! (ish) Wish me luck!

So what did I buy? This pair of Lepismium cruciforme spiralis came home with me, they have a little growing to do!

I also bought a small Kalanchoe beauverdii, because I was absolutely smitten with this plant growing in one of their greenhouses. Look at those flowers!

Their plant was growing on an epiphyllum, it's a look I really liked and may try to recreate.

The best description of Kalanchoe beauverdii is one I found on World of Succulents: "Kalanchoe beauverdii is a climber with branching, gray, wiry stems that clamber and twine and hold green to dark purple, succulent leaves with numerous easily caducous bulbils on the teeth. The leaves are very variable in shape and size, linear, narrowly spatulate, hastate, ovate to oblong, sometimes triobate-hastate, up to 2 inches long and held in widely opposite pairs alternating 90 degrees form the last pair. The reed-purple tinged, gray-green flowers hang downwards in terminal clusters in winter and spring."