What is my houseplant buddy’s name?

A Desert Rose Plant needs bright indirect light.

The fat bulbous trunk of a Desert Rose Plant stores water so be sure the soil totally dries out before watering this plant. If the soil of a Desert Rose Plant gets excessively dry, the plant becomes dormant until you give it some water and wake it up.

Fertilize a Desert Rose Plant with a plant food specifically recommended for flowering plants. The food for flowering plants should always be lower in nitrogen and higher in phosphorous (10/20/10). Feed a Desert Rose Plant monthly from late spring until the early fall. When feeding a Desert Rose Plant, always reduce the plant food to ½ the recommended strength.

A Desert Rose requires very warm temperatures. Keep the room above 60 degrees and avoid placing a Desert Rose near air conditioners or cold drafts.

This plant does well in basic household humidity.

Flowering occurs throughout the year but is more prolific in the spring and fall. Older plants that are well cared for produce the most blooms. The flowers come in red,white, pink, and rose.

The soil for a Desert Rose needs to be a loose fast draining mixture that won’t become soggy and heavy. Add hard sand to your usual potting soil or buy a mixture made specifically for cacti and succulents

propagation from seeds is best, but rarely possible when a Desert Rose is an indoor plant. Stem cuttings can be used to propagate a Desert Rose plant but the new plants often lack the trunks with fat bases that make a Desert Rose Plant so interesting.

A Desert Rose plant is a poisonous houseplant with a #2 Toxicity level.