Anyhoo (yes "anyway" was already taken).

Stick that in your pot and grow it

I haven't done a plant update in a while, have I? So...
- The intentional avocado is in the greenhouse, has survived being frozen in there (the watering can next to it froze as the temperature plunged unexpectedly below -5 outside) and part from one section which looks frosted, appears to be going quite well. God knows where the unintentional one is; possibly back on the compost heap which bore it.
- The banana is currently overshadowing me, with the traditional plume of long, sumptuous indoor leaves all longer than my arm (all of which will keel over in the slightest breeze once it goes outside).
- The Eden cactus is about 200 mm in each dimension, with varying degrees of spikiness, branching pattern inspired by fireworks and a rock balanced on the side of the pot to keep the whole thing upright. The grandparents' cactus has large chunks of embarrassing life in middle of the unremovable dead sections (I did not nearly kill them; someone who shall remain nameless and Texan did).
- I've lost track of the Mexican hat plant/plants. At they moment they appear to be trying to grow in a bookcase as well as everywhere else.
- The amaryllis has still shut down for the winter.
- The sensitive plants are happier having been potted on, though they're still leggy. One of them has churned out a bud which is unlike anything so far; it may be about to flower (I suppose it's had about a year), or possibly turn into a Triffid. Comments about the aptness of me growing a plant which is slightly prickly and has a tendency to recoil and retreat at the merest intrusion will not be appreciated.
- We have lychees. Buy them, eat them, gather seeds, stick in damp compost point down, wrap in plastic bag, stick in airing cupboard, return a few days later and before those which are sprouting, pot on trying not to snap the root, leave on windowsill, worry when the most advanced turns from white to pink topped with a hint of green overnight but not be sure if it was the cold or the light that did it and so decide it's too late to worry.
- No news yet on the chikoo (Tesco spells the plural with an s, but it seems odd, so I'm sheeping it). But then they've only just been stuck in the airing cupboard and I've only just discovered such a thing exists thanks to the short-dated reduction. Supposedly it's like a caramel infused pear, but I think the one had was a bit old, tasting and feeling more like an overripe pear does once the sugars have started to go, only without any taste of pear (just the grainy texture). Oh, and it looks like something found in the ground that might be a potato but it also might not.

Just checked the airing cupboard again. I might soon have to ask if anyone wants a lychee plant; everything I read said they were hard to germinate.

[Update 23/2/07 (sorry, 20070223)]
Lycheemania strikes. I now have eleven seedlings which have broken the surface, although with varying degrees of maturity. All stems turned red; the lower section of a couple remains cream, which I think reflects where the stems were originally buried before they got potted on.

The buds on the sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) turned out to be me not recognising what new foliage looks like when it's big.

Anyhoo,