Geoff Duncan

As if to make up for the torch lillies out front that were stolen, my long-suffering philodendron has managed a bloom:

Philodendron bloom

This particular plant is dubbed a "moonlight philodendron." The leaves are a bright pale green, it likes shade and partial shade, and it seems to do fine in a container. I've had the plant for almost five years and it's gone from a typical houseplant in an 8-inch pot to a bit of a snarly monster, looming a lopsided four feet tall in a large ceramic pot. It's had some setbacks—it got a little too much sun during a move, and at one point Pugsley decided it made good salad fixings—but it seems quite hardy. I imagine these plants are supposed to bloom every year (or even more-or-less continually in decent conditions) but I've only seen it bloom three times—and start putting out a fourth flower which didn't make it. Which is a shame, because the blooms are astonishing, though short-lived.

Here's the plant's first bloom from back in 2002. I'm somewhat amused to say I'm still using the same digital camera—horrors!