syngoniums:

The herp store had a variegated syngonium in, so of course I had to get it. I used to be an avid collector 6-7 years ago, albeit much more financially limited; it all came apart in a combination of mealybugs, depression, inadequate space and winter. Even my big ‘Neon Robusta’, which I had since 2009, bit the dust. It was very disheartening and put me off for a while.

What I did learn during that time is that pretty much any syngonium is stupid easy to grow, but if you want to branch out from the small numbers of cultivars available at big box stores, you’re going to spend a lot of time hunting them down online. Glasshouse Works has a decent variety, including ‘Jade’, which this may be. I don’t recall ‘Jade’ having such thin leaves, but it’s been a while. Google has pulled up a few similar plants under other names, but I’m not sure how many are legitimately different cultivars. (It did always annoy me that syngoniums seem to lack the pedantic, obsessive fan base that some other aroids have, at least in the U.S. Someone out there must be obsessively importing crazy cultivars from Thailand!)

In any case, the three big box plants I bought earlier this year survived without mealybug issues, so I think I’m ready to return. Syngoniums are very easy plants, and I’ve always wondered why you don’t see more of them, especially with all the colors and patterns available. More posts soon!