By Grace Rabano & The Clermont Garden Club
Every month from September through May, Clermont Garden Club members loan plants to Cooper Memorial Library and Clermont City Hall to promote horticulture awareness and connect our community to Clermont Garden Club’s programs, civic activities and community outreach.
To start off the New Year, Clermont Garden Club member Elaine Hogan loaned a Pinstripe Calathea (Calathea Ornata) or Prayer Plant to Cooper Memorial Library. This Calathea is a popular indoor plant known for its striking, dark green leaves with fine white or pink pinstripes. It is native to the rainforests of Brazil and thrives in high humidity and indirect light. The leaves exhibit “nyctinasty” which is a natural movement where they fold upward at night and unfurl in the morning, earning it the nickname “Prayer Plant“. Calatheas prefers well-drained soil that is kept consistently moist, but not waterlogged.
Tina Worrell loaned an Earth Star (Cryptanthus spp) to Clermont City Hall. The Earth Star plant is a distinctive, low-growing terrestrial bromeliad known for its striking star-shaped rosette of colorful, wavy foliage. Unlike many of its relatives that grow on trees (epiphytes), Earth Stars are terrestrial bromeliads that grow directly in the soil on the rainforest floors of Brazil. The plant prefers bright, indirect sunlight. Keep soil consistently moist, but never soggy. Unlike other bromeliads, Earth Stars do not have a central “cup” to hold water. Watering should be done at the root zone.
Clermont Garden Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our clubhouse at 849 West Ave., in historic downtown Clermont, is available for rentals for meetings, birthday celebrations, showers, etc. See clermontgardenclub.org for more information.
