MICRO DOT
Hypoestes Phyllostachya – April, 2023
My first plant was a gift from the director of The Gods of Comedy. Her original name was “Dot,” which was not a character from the show. So, to keep with the character name tradition, she received a name upgrade to “Micro Dot” after our 2025 production of Moriarty. Micro Dot wasn’t a character in the show, but it held all the clues!
CHANDEBISE & POCHE
Phalaenopsis Tropic Ocelot – July, 2023
I have never had much of a green thumb, so when I was gifted a pot with two orchids by the director of a play I was working on, I wanted to name them after characters from that play. The play was A Flea In Her Ear, and it was a French farce about two identical, but unrelated men. Doppelgangers. Twins. Their names seemed perfect for my orchids, despite the fact that I usually think of orchids as being female. So Chandebise and Poche received their names. As it turns out, these orchids are hearty, and strong and male names seem totally appropriate now.
HOOTIE PIE
Blue Vanda Pachara – August, 2024
My next orchid was a lovely Vanda Pachara with a wild tangle of roots. It just seemed fitting that she would be named would after Hootie Pie, the unseen assistant to Masha in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Though she was never seen, Hootie Pie had a distinct influence on each of the other characters in the play. Similarly, in my orchid world, Hootie Pie has influenced the way I care for all of my orchids by teaching me the importance of root systems, hydration, and patience.
ROCINANTE/ROSSI
Peperomia Caperata “Rosso” – August, 2024
Rossi was a PlantCon 2024 find. I immediately fell in love with his thick, deeply textured leaves and had to have him. With the last part of his latin name being “Rosso,” I decided on Rocinante or Rossi for short. His name comes from the name of a ship on “The Expanse,” one of our favorite SciFi shows.
ELEANOR, PETRA, KAT & ALAIS
Eleanor: Phalaenopsis Lianher Cranberry Cha-cha – October, 2024
Petra: Phalaenopsis Lianher Scallops – October, 2023
Kat: Phalaenopsis Fuller’s Gold Stripes – October, 2024
Alais: Phalaenopsis Fuller’s Gold Stripes – November, 2024
These orchids were named after the ladies from The Ashes of Aquitaine. Eleanor of Aquitaine, her sister, Petra, the servant girl, Kat, and Alais, King Henry’s mistress.
JOHN LACKLAND & RICHARD THE LIONHEART
Schlumbergera Truncata – December, 2024
Along with Eleanor, Petra, Alais and Kat, hese gentlemen were named for characters in Rusty Hardin and Leigh Moore’s The Ashes of Aquitaine, a sequel to The Lion in Winter. I received John first and the messiness of his stems reminded me of our John Lackland, son of Henry V and Eleanor of Aquitaine. At the end of the run, along came a second, larger plant and it was obvious that he would be John’s brother, Richard the Lionheart. It should be noted that these fellas are not Christmas Cacti, they are Thanksgiving Cacti.
IRENE ADLER
Phalaenopsis Springtime/Cliffhanger – March, 2025
Irene Adler received her name from the world of Sherlock Holmes, and from a production of Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character is also known as “The Woman” to Sherlock Holmes, who was inexplicably drawn to her from the moment he first saw her. Likewise, I had decided that I wanted a white orchid and when I saw them on sale at my local grocery, I knew I had to have her.
TOBY
Pilea Peperomioides – March, 2025
The Pliea Peperomioides is also known as the Chinese Money Plant, and mine was a gift from my director for Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty. In the play, Toby was supposed to be a hound that Sherlock used to search for villains. In our play, Toby was a shaggy marionette and he was absolutely adorable.
ARTHUR VANCE a.k.a. MARTHA PANTS
Alocasia Baginda (Dragon Scale) – March, 2025
I totally fell in love with this plant when I found it at Home Depot. His name, Arthur Vance, comes from Paul Slade Smith’s The Outsider. In Arthur’s first appearance, he is introduced as Martha Pants, hence the a.k.a. In my opinion, this picture doesn’t do her justice. The creases are really a deep, dark green and the higher areas have a silvery sheen.
DAVE RILEY
Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma (Mini-Monstera) – April, 2025
Dave Riley is also named after a character from Paul Slade Smith’s The Outsider. While known as a Mini-Monstera, he is not of the Monstera genus. I have learned since purchasing him that he is a vine that can grow quickly to very great lengths.
LULU and PAIGE
Phalaenopsis – No ID – April, 2025
Lulu and Paige also received names from Paul Slade Smith’s The Outsider. What makes them special is that they are rescues that were almost dead when I purchased them from a local grocery store. Unlike my other orchids, I am going to keep them in orchid bark, perlite and bits of sphagnum moss for extra moisture (they were both severely dehydrated when I purchased them).
MASHA and VANYA
Monstera Borsigiana – May, 2025
Alocasia Frydek Variegated – May, 2025
Masha and Vanya are named after two characters from Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, one of my all time favorite plays. Masha, my Monstera Borsigiana, was a spontaneous purchase from Home Depot. Her label said she was a Monstera Adonsonii, but upon further research, I’ve realized that was incorrect. Adonsonii has oblong leaves, whereas the Barsigiana’s leaves are rounder and more heart-shaped. Also, the Borsigiana’s leaves are usually around 18″ at maturity compared to a Monstera Delicioca which can have leaves that are 36″ wide.
Vanya is my first “rare” plant and I hope I’m ready for him. The variegations on his leaves are just beautiful. When he reaches maturity, his leaves should be around 18″ long. I can’t wait to see how he grows!
Monstera Borsigiana
Alocasia Frydek Variegated
my Plants 
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