As we give names to our animal friends and companions, what about our plant friends? Did any of you give a name to your hoya/s?

I'm thinking of several names I could call them. I have one already picked out for my KQ: Ursula (from The Little Mermaid)! (It looks like an octopus the way it's growing out of the basket!) LOL.

Weird idea, I know but I thought it was kinda funny :)

Brad AKA Moonwolf

I've never named my plants because I have WAY too many, but I do talk to them all the time. When I talk to the ones with long names, I use a shortened version. "Hey Archie (archboldiana), how ya doin'?" "Look at that big new leaf on you, Big Mac (which, for me, is macrophylla.) I call macgillivrayii MacG, 'KQ' is Queenie... you get the drift.

Sounds silly, I know, but I started "talking" to them years ago when I read an article about the assertion that plants respond to interaction with us. IMO, they really do respond, though probably the talking thing is more about the exhaltion of carbon dioxide which plants need to survive. But in the article I read, it talked about a Dieffenbachia that had sat in the same location and thrived for years. A little dog always slept under the plant. The little dog got sick and was in the animal hospital for a couple weeks, and the plant suddenly started to droop and looked sickly. Within a couple days of the little dog returning, the plant perked back up. It was an interesting story, and who knows how much embellishment there was, but it made me decide I wouldn't feel silly talking to my plants!

But an observation I have made over the years is that if a plant suffers a setback when I get it (maybe just shock from shipping...), and I look at it constantly, feeling frustrated and annoyed that it's not growing or it's looking sickly, it gets worse. If, on the other hand, I put a plant like that in a spot where I won't see it often, not interacting in a negative way, they usually pop back pretty fast.

Just my hair-brained observations!

Denise in Omaha

Gootziecat, I know what you mean, but I'm out of room as it is and I don't think I can get too many more hoyas or other houseplants!

Denise, that story is neat! It makes me wonder if plants are attached to people/animals the same way we are.

I named my KQ Ursula because she sings my favorite villain song (Poor Unfortunate Souls) and she's awesome in the Broadway version, IMO! Sherie Rene Scott was the talented actress on Broadway (original cast) and Pat Carroll voiced her in the movie. A little trivia for you all!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Mike

Mike, I will have to check out that link you posted.

dmichael

Kelly

Mike

I just put in my V-day request. I'm hoping hubby will come through with this book - sounds interesting! Some people think I'm a little "new age weird" when I imply I feel very simpatico with my plants.

Kelly & Stacey,

I'm glad to hear I'm not alone. They do seem to respond to being talked to, though I'm sure it's more the interaction than the talking itself.

Denise in Omaha

Thanks stacey in COLD canada

I think it's one of those things that's subjective enough that you'd see a lot of disagreement amongst scientists. (Kind of like global warming, dare I say?) But those of us who grow plants, I think, recognize the influence our moods and interactions have on our plants.

I bet this is why once I fail at growing a certain species that I usually fail when I try again and again. Once you have that mind-set, that this one or that one is "difficult", it becomes so...

Denise in Omaha

No, I don't name my plants. However, I am VERY attached to my grandmother's hoya ,,, which in our family is known simply has "grandma's plant". But I do think of it as male so I refer to it has "he", "him", "big daddy" or "mack daddy" cuz' he's such a big guy. I talk to him all the time (and he ignores me). And sometimes I talk to my other plants when I water them (and they also ignore me). :) Jennifer

If they're growing well, they must not be ignoring you! It would be kinda cool if they talked back. Let's see, what would they say?? "Hey, could you move me a little closer to that window? I'm feeling a little sun-deprived!" Or, "I really like those VF-11 baths, but could you warm that water up just a bit more?"

Oh, wait a minute, I'd never get any peace with 350+ plants vying for my attention!

Denise in Omaha

Denise in Omaha

There was a study from last year discussing the Acacia trees in a game reserve. The trees would begin to communicate that they were being eaten by browsing animals and all the other trees in the area would begin to produce chemicals to deter browsing before the animals ever took a bite. Eventually the animals were poisoned because they could not leave the game reserve and were forced to eat the Acacia leaves. This is the shortened version of the study.

Mike

Brad AKA Moonwolf

My baby Compacta, which I started from a tiny root cutting from my Grandmother's plant in October 2008, has been happily been dubbed "Stanley".

In fact, I think I may have taken a silly step further! I've created a Facebook page for him!

(No, I'm not crazy! Just, as my final year in college is drawing to a close, it's nice to have a bit of a creative streak to keep me...well, sane ironically!)

Only one of my plants has a name, and it was the first plant I bought of my collection. His name is Sanseveria Sam. Love 'im to bits along with all my other plants, but somehow there's always just a slightly more special place in my heart for the first.

And personally, I think people would have to be nuts NOT to talk to their plants. I find it so relaxing to just yap away to my plants while I'm tending to them. Their the best listeners around. I could be talking about the most boring thing and they just listen, don't critize, tuant or mock, just listen. Especailly when I've had a bad day, it makes me feel better to get stuff off my chest and not be judged. They don't give advice, but just talking usually helps me work it through.

Oh I wish I could go hug them all without it taking me an hour....and getting stabbed by a few pokies.