Okay I admit it. I can't visit a big box store without walking through the plant department, you just never know what you might find. Unfortunately every one of these stores has a little shelf of horrors. It's usually tucked away in a very dark corner with bad air circulation, this one was no exception, let's have a look shall we...
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Their 2.5" succulents now come with a snazzy paper wrap, nice for gift giving I suppose ... but those little collars block what little light there is from making it to the back rows.
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The grafted cactus come complete with a plastic handle, that way you can hang them on the doorknob of a special friend's house, ring the doorbell and run away...leaving them to wonder who cared enough to give the very best.
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Bottom shelf, mostly in the dark, we have the Aloe Vera plants. Or are those marijuana plants? I'm confused. Around Portland these days that green cross is the symbol of marijuana distributors.
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Next to the questionable Aloe Vera we have the always hideous Kosmik Kaktus. How is this company still in business?
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Who buys these things?
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And even if they were worth buying they are on the bottom shelf with absolutely no light. What do you suppose their life expectancy is?
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Ye gads...
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The hot glue gun gang...
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And this, the latest big box atrocity...
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I was surprised to see the word Tillandsia used, not just "air plant".
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Oh the possibilities!
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Although perhaps there's no need to remove the poor plant from it's cardboard and elastic-band prison?
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This one is already almost dead (brown leaves).
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This one is being smashed.
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But this one looks okay, not that it will 3 months from now though when it hasn't gotten any water.
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But wait, there's more! Have you seen the latestabomination development in plant torture? Waxed Amaryllis bulbs: "There’s no better garden gift for the person who hates to garden!"...
Read all about them here (I did not see these at the big box, they seem to (at least for now) be more of a speciality item, available at fancy stores like Terrain).
And I suppose I should confess, I did buy one of those grafted things a couple of months ago, after falling for one at Pistil in Toronto. It's so crazy and wrong, that it's right. At least that's how I'm feeling now, we'll see how long I go on loving it.
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All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
Their 2.5" succulents now come with a snazzy paper wrap, nice for gift giving I suppose ... but those little collars block what little light there is from making it to the back rows.
The grafted cactus come complete with a plastic handle, that way you can hang them on the doorknob of a special friend's house, ring the doorbell and run away...leaving them to wonder who cared enough to give the very best.
Bottom shelf, mostly in the dark, we have the Aloe Vera plants. Or are those marijuana plants? I'm confused. Around Portland these days that green cross is the symbol of marijuana distributors.
Next to the questionable Aloe Vera we have the always hideous Kosmik Kaktus. How is this company still in business?
Who buys these things?
And even if they were worth buying they are on the bottom shelf with absolutely no light. What do you suppose their life expectancy is?
Ye gads...
The hot glue gun gang...
And this, the latest big box atrocity...
I was surprised to see the word Tillandsia used, not just "air plant".
Oh the possibilities!
Although perhaps there's no need to remove the poor plant from it's cardboard and elastic-band prison?
This one is already almost dead (brown leaves).
This one is being smashed.
But this one looks okay, not that it will 3 months from now though when it hasn't gotten any water.
But wait, there's more! Have you seen the latest
 |
| photo via Terrain |
Read all about them here (I did not see these at the big box, they seem to (at least for now) be more of a speciality item, available at fancy stores like Terrain).
And I suppose I should confess, I did buy one of those grafted things a couple of months ago, after falling for one at Pistil in Toronto. It's so crazy and wrong, that it's right. At least that's how I'm feeling now, we'll see how long I go on loving it.
All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.