What is the oldest you have?

[jsmith]

i have several orchids that are over 20 years old. I also have a cactus that we call the "grandpa" cactus. My husbands grandfather gave my mother in law a cactus plant shortly after she married my father in law. They will celebrate there 50th next Feb. My sister in law has a plant from it-as do i -and i have started one for my daugher in law. My "piece" is potted in a 20 gallon pot and is about 5 and half feet tall. My sister in laws is larger-probably because she lives in Arizona. the orginal has been cut back several times and is over 6 feet tall.

 

[mom2boys]

I have a 30 year old Philadenron (sp?). I took it to my office. Sadly, the co-workers on either side of me are not as old as my plant.

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

I have three hanging baskets my mother gave me several years prior to her death in 1991, so they are well over 20 years old. I have divided and repotted them many times and shared them with other family members, but I am the only one who has managed to keep mine alive. One plant is a hoya and the other two are spider (airplane) plants.

 

[AKL_Megs]

My oldest houseplant, named Big , was purchased in April of 2002. It was about 9" tall at the time, and is now over 3' tall.

I would be devistated if it died.

I only hope I still have it 30 years from now like some of you!

 

[hopemax]

I moved into my first apartment in 1995. My Mom brought me a philodendron as a house warming gift, and I still have it. It has moved from WA, to AZ and now we're in CO. When we pack the car, it's always, "make sure there is room for the plant." Actually, I just remembered that when we moved to AZ, DH took the car down 1 month before I moved. And when I moved I just took an airplane. So he had to take the plant with him. It survived. But without knowing where we would end up permanently, it's the only plant I've ever had.

 

[Judy from Boise]

impressive people!

I have a ficus tree that is 19 years old, my DM has a jade plant that is around 35.

 

[dislaney]

I have none that are older than a year. I usually start out ok but somehow they all end up gradually dying. No green thumb here!

 

[DisMN]

My dad gave my mom a house plant when I was born. She still has it. She reminds me about it every year on my birthday.
I'm 53.

Pretty sure you win!!!!

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Can I brag about 2 outdoor plants?

I have HUGE staghorn that my parents had from the mid 1970s. It hung in their yard until I got my house a year ago, and they passed it along to me!

Here it is, with my 5' 11" DH standing next to it...

and here is an orchid given to me on my 13th birthday. I just turned 42 two days ago. It ONLY blooms the month before and the month of my birthday.

 

[golfgal]

I have 2 plants, one that is only a year old and one that we have had for about 11 years.

 

[marcyinPA]

My DH and I were just talking about this! We only have ONE houseplant...I kill them all! The one we have was given to us by his mother when we bought our first house, about 6 months prior to getting married. We'll be married 17 years in October! His mom passed away almost 16 years ago...and the plant lives on.

 

[marcyinPA]

I have a 16 year old peacelilly

The one I have is a peace lily too...17 years old! I've forgotten to water it on more than one occasion, and it always comes back!

 

[stichy]

We've had a mini rose bush for over 13 years. We bought it when we first started dating. His name is Hector. Hector is now so big that he has become an outdoor plant. We keep him in a pot since we tend to move frequently.

 

[clutter]

None. I am the accidental Lizzie Borden of the indoor plant world. I think I gave away the rest of mine at one point out of mercy. Haven't had a plant in years. No, take that back, twice in the last 3 years I tried to keep an aloe plant. Not good, not good at all.

 

[TnTsParty]

I haven't had too good of luck with indoor plants, outdoor plants do better at my home. But I do have to brag about 2 house plants I do have - I got both from Epcot in the Land pavillion - the Mickey's greenhouse plants that are started from a cell. The one (colenchoe) has to be at least 5 years old and the other (dragonfruit) is almost 3 years old. They are still small but I can't believe how much they have grown if you consider what they started from. They sit on my kitchen window sill and love the western sun in the afternoon. My other houseplant use to be on my desk at work - its a peace lily so it have been on the brink of death a thousand times but always seems to perk back up with just a little water. It probably is 7 years old or more. Everything else inside dies or gets torn up by the cats. Ugh.

 

[jen0610]

The Christmas cactus is 15 years old.

The africian violet was 12 years old, when our neice killed it 3 years ago on Christmas Eve. She was gushing about how huge it was and that she can never get one to stay alive. She turned it, noticed that it had a dead leaf on it, plucked it and within 6 months the thing was gone!!!

Since then, she's no longer allowed to touch the plants. DH even made her a t-shirt for Christmas the next year that read I am a plant killer! With a before and after picture of the arfician violet. It's become a running joke between her and DH.

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

My husband gave me a plant for Valentine's Day the first year we were dating. He included a note saying he looked forward to the plant growing along with our relationship. I was wreck because I thought for sure I would kill the thing and it would be an omen that our relationship was doomed!

Thankfully both the plant and our relationship is still going strong 13 years later.

 

[tvguy]

Pretty sure you win!!!!

My mom does, actually. Mom doesn't like change. Been in her house 50 years.....owned her last car 27 years.

 

[DisMN]

....and here is an orchid given to me on my 13th birthday. I just turned 42 two days ago. It ONLY blooms the month before and the month of my birthday.

That is so cool!

The one I have is a peace lily too...17 years old! I've forgotten to water it on more than one occasion, and it always comes back!

I think that one is a bit more difficult to kill. I had to try and try and try before mine finally bought the farm.

None. I am the accidental Lizzie Borden of the indoor plant world. I think I gave away the rest of mine at one point out of mercy. Haven't had a plant in years. No, take that back, twice in the last 3 years I tried to keep an aloe plant. Not good, not good at all.

Poor Aloe. Poor poor Aloe. Good to know there are other brown thumbs here on the DIS.