Monday 25 March 2013

Spider Lily - Hymenocallis

Over the last few weeks my spider lily has been putting out spray after spray and it's been delightful. The scent that floats through the house on a calm evening is divine.

When I inherited it, it came in a broken pot and had lots of that white fluffy mite that is so problematic here. After transferring it to a lovely new big pot I set to work trying to get rid of its parasites. This was before I found the recipe for the natural pesticide. The store bought one just couldn't get rid of them. They'd be back in a week! I even tried taking the bulbs out of the soil, washing them in a bucket with the pesticide in the water and soaking them for a while before planting them back into the pot, to no avail.
Three sprays all at once

Then I found the recipe for the chilli/garlic pesticide and it found a new life. It even rewarded me with a new spray of flowers within a few days of the mites disappearing! I just do a systematic spray now and then to keep the mites away and a far more regular leaf fertilizer and it loves it.


My spider Lily is also protecting two baby pigeons! They are very cute, and noisy when it's feeding time. My daughter's a bit worried as the nest is down under the plants and she's concerned that they won't be able to get out when it's time to fly. Thank goodness for google as that's what I'll be researching next. They're definitely sheltered from the rain and storms that regularly come through KL and that's probably why the parents chose the spot.

Two babies eye-balling the weird thing appearing above them.