Wandering Jew

Our parakeet and Myna Bird

With our parakeet come different birds, usually for food. But she fights for attention! the daily procedure in early mornings that she has to drive them away from her territory!

Visiting friend the crow

 The wandering jew is truly named and I was wondering who might have penned the strange name. But the habit of this creeper or space cover is truly like a wanderer. On thinking about this lovely plant even I have to admit that I found a small piece of the plant lying on the premises of our building. God knows from where it had come but it was looking attractive and with my obsession of plants , it was all but predictable that  I would take it and give it a home. And since then there has been no looking back. This plant does not require much care and grows everywhere, just every where!

wandering jew purple plant

It is grown especially in hanging baskets or pots and looks very attractive with its silver colored leaves and dark purple outlines, almost royal! The plant will not require much soil or deep pot. It has roots coming from notches in the stem and they can connect to any plant, pot or soil from neighboring pot. It takes to the wall without any support and has a habit of growing very fast.

close up of leaves and roots of wandering jew

It is very delicate and can be removed by hand and I used to think that it will die in the heavy rains. But the opposite is true, it is flourishing in the dark environment as it cannot tolerate direct sunlight. My wandering jew plant is growing below bigger plants as it gets the required shelter from direct winds and  sunlight. The leaves glow like silver and the purple colour is lighter during sunny days and when the climate is best for the plant you can see the healthy colour of the leaves and its firm growth.
Tip for growing- Leave it a sit is. I tried to plant this deep but the plant does not require much care and grows better on the surface of any pot. It can survive without and deep root formation. I was surprised to remove it with hand lightly as the roots do not penetrate deep into the pot.
Use it as a space cover for any big pot or landscaping in the garden. The colour sure is a highlight for any garden, a must have to break the monotony of green!