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Description
aglaonema creta stalks Aglaonema 'Crete' | Siam AuroraAglaonema 'Crete' Red pink margins, green leaf centres and flushed petioles give Aglaonema 'Crete' a sharper outline than many pale Chinese evergreens. The colour follows the edge, midrib and stem line, so the plant shows red detail from the top and from the side. This cultivar grows as a compact upright clump from a short base. The leaves sit close together when young, then angle outward as the petioles lengthen, giving even smaller plants a defined
Aglaonema 'Crete'
Red-pink margins, green leaf centres and flushed petioles give Aglaonema 'Crete' a sharper outline than many pale Chinese evergreens. The colour follows the edge, midrib and stem line, so the plant shows red detail from the top and from the side.
This cultivar grows as a compact upright clump from a short base. The leaves sit close together when young, then angle outward as the petioles lengthen, giving even smaller plants a defined crown.
Crete red-margin traits
- Green leaf centres framed by red to pink margins
- Flushed petioles with colour visible below the leaf blades
- Glossy oval to elliptic leaves with a slightly leathery feel
- Self-heading growth from a compact basal crown
- Warm, filtered-light position for firm petioles and fewer scorch marks on the red leaf edges
Red margins, petioles and genus background
Aglaonema 'Crete' carries its strongest colour along the leaf margins and petioles. Young leaves open from the centre with softer colour, then flatten and deepen as the blade matures.
The genus Aglaonema is associated with warm, shaded tropical habitats across Asia and New Guinea. 'Crete' is the cultivar name used for this red-edged Aglaonema selection.
Stable warmth keeps petioles firm, filtered light reduces scorch, and an aerated substrate keeps the crown base from softening.
Growing Aglaonema 'Crete' indoors
- Light: Give medium to bright indirect light. Direct midday sun near hot glass can scorch the red leaf edges, while very low light can stretch the petioles.
- Watering: Water when the upper 40–60% of the potting mix has dried. Keep the root zone lightly moist during active growth and drier when conditions are cool or dark.
- Substrate: Use a loose, aerated houseplant mix with fine bark, coir or peat-free fibre, plus mineral drainage, so the crown base does not sit in stale wet substrate.
- Drainage: A free-draining nursery pot keeps air moving around the compact basal crown.
- Temperature: Aim for 18–24 °C indoors. Keep the plant away from cold glass, unheated rooms and cold draughts.
- Humidity: At normal household humidity, most new leaves unfold without sticking. In very dry rooms, nearby plants or a humidifier can reduce crinkled new growth.
- Feeding: Feed lightly while the plant is actively producing new leaves, using a diluted balanced fertiliser. Flush the pot occasionally to reduce salt build-up.
- Pot choice: Keep the pot close to root size. A young 'Crete' in a deep oversized pot can stay wet at the base for too long.
- Repotting: Repot when roots circle the pot or the mix compacts. Keep the crown at the same depth after repotting, as a buried crown base can stay wet and soften.
- Pruning: Remove spent lower leaves cleanly at the base so damp leaf material stays clear of the crown.
- Temporary outdoor placement: In warm, sheltered shade with nights above 16 °C, this plant can spend time outside. Bring it indoors again before cool nights return.
- Propagation: Divide mature clumps with separate rooted shoots. Fresh divisions need warmth and light, even moisture while cut roots produce new tips.
Crete leaf and crown signals
- Yellow base leaves: Check the bottom of the pot and the crown base. Several fading lower leaves can indicate wet mix or a cool root zone.
- Brown patches on leaves: Review direct sun, cold exposure and water sitting on leaves in a cool room.
- Soft petioles: Check root firmness and let the mix breathe again before watering. Firm petioles hold the red-edged leaves upright.
- Dry leaf edges: Check watering gaps, fertiliser strength and warm airflow. Red margins show edge stress quickly.
- Uneven crown: Rotate the pot regularly so new petioles do not all lean toward the same side.
Crete safety and removed foliage
Leaves, stems and sap of Aglaonema 'Crete' contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. If plant tissue is eaten, it can irritate the mouth, tongue and throat and may cause drooling or vomiting in pets. Keep removed leaves out of reach as well, and wash your hands after pruning.
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4.4 ★★★★★
Based on 17 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Successful Epistolary Novel
Format: Kindle
When we first meet Sybil Van Antwerp, age 73, she is retired from law and spends a lot of time writing letters and emails. She also reads a lot and is interested in what her correspondents are reading. She has children and grandchildren, but she lives alone in Annapolis, Maryland, and doesn’t see her family very often. During the course of reading her correspondence, we very gradually learn about Sybil—her history and her present troubles. She is a complicated character and several times in reading The Correspondent I paused to ask myself what I thought of Sybil—did I like her? What about her kept me from the immediate response a reader usually has about the main character of a book? Even at the end of the book, I am still ambivalent about Sybil, but I certainly understand her much better.
Sybil, herself, and the book have so many layers. There is true depth to the story. My book club took deep dives into it over a period of three weeks, and I don’t think we have sampled all the topics represented in this book. It is a wonderful novel for stimulating meaningful discussion.
Neurodivergence is not called out or named, but it comes to mind in thinking about Harry, a child who is the son of a judge, a former colleague of Sybil. The boy doesn’t quite fit in socially with his peers, but he is brilliant. Sybil makes the perfect “pen pal” for Harry because they have some of the same characteristics. As a child she was punished for “insolence and rudeness,” but her parents were just trying to mold her into a polite young lady as expected by society. She was blunt and didn’t have many friends.
There are so many other issues worthy of discussion, but they would most certainly bring up spoilers. I won’t do that to you. Readers should have the opportunity to see the story gradually emerge from the letters, including a continuing one that the reader doesn’t know to whom Sybil is writing. Sybil sets the word “stone” for secrets, and there are stones in this book making it a puzzle, a mystery of sorts—for the reader.
As a reviewer, I tend to go quickly from one book to the next as soon as I have composed and published my thoughts. Characters in various books can even blend together. This is not the case with The Correspondent. The characters in this book, especially Sybil, have stayed with me and come to mind frequently as I go through my day. Virginia Evans has created a fictional world with impact. Just as Sybil needed time (years in her case) to process the events of her life, the reader will need time to process them and their effects on Sybil as well.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Better Than the Movie
Format: Hardcover, Format: Hardcover
I picked up Remarkably Bright Creatures after hearing so much buzz about it, and it absolutely lived up to the hype. This is one of those rare books that is heartfelt, funny, emotional, and completely unique all at the same time. The characters feel real and layered, and the story unfolds in such a thoughtful, satisfying way.
Marcellus the octopus completely steals the show. I didn’t expect to become so attached to an octopus, but his chapters were easily my favorite part of the book. They added humor, wisdom, and so much heart to the story.
If you’ve already seen the movie adaptation but haven’t read the book yet, you absolutely should. The book goes so much deeper emotionally and gives so much more background and connection between the characters. I enjoyed the movie, but the book made me care about the story on a completely different level.
The writing is approachable and easy to get into, but it still leaves a lasting impact. This would make a great book club pick or gift for anyone who enjoys character-driven stories with warmth and emotional depth.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Beautiful!
Format: Kindle
I heard about this book in a conversation at a craft party and ordered it the same night. I was not disappointed. I fell in love with Marcellus and Tova and their delightful relationship, and with all the ancillary characters that made this book so special. The ending was so very sweet and satisfying as well. Great 1st book!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2026
★★★★★ 4
A Remarkable Book--I Want More Like It!
Format: Kindle
I stumbled on Remarkably Bright Creatures among my recommendations. As often happens, the premise intrigued me enough to read it even though I didn't know the author. Well, if Shelby Van Pelt often writes like this, I definitely want more of her books.
The friendship between Tova the aquarium cleaning lady and Marcellus the giant Pacific octopus is a definite selling point in this book. It's a great twist on the "A Kid and Their X" trope (the kind of thing you see in stuff like Where the Red Fern Grows, Old Yeller, Free Willy, and so forth). This one, I am pleased to report, is far less cheesy and saccharine. Tova is a multifaceted character whose life may seem small in her estimation, and probably is if we go by what is a "normal" life in a small seaside town. Yet that life has been stuffed with complex emotions, unanswered questions, and a longing for "more" that I think everybody can relate to. At least, I certainly could.
As for Marcellus, he's multifaceted, too. A part of me did stick with his point of view, and story, because it is a story of a "remarkably bright," underestimated creature trapped and controlled in a world he doesn't understand. I have cerebral palsy and was diagnosed as level 1 autistic this spring; I'm still looking back and trying to heal from a lot of the latter's implications. So in a visceral way, yeah. I'm not a captive animal or mistreated, but I understood how Marcellus felt. What I liked even better about his story though, is that Marcellus' story doesn't stop there.
Marcellus actually has a life and a history that Shelby Van Pelt, Tova, Cameron, and other characters dig into. He's not just a captive yearning for freedom and mourning lost opportunities, as often happens with similar stories. He makes wry, witty, yet quiet, non-snarky observations about humans. He cares deeply for Tova because she took time to know him as a "person," but also because she's the only human who has ever stopped long enough for Marcellus to know as a real "person." Marcellus gets to be the conduit of real revelation and change for people inside and outside his world. That's amazing, and frankly, it's a lot more than many human characters get.
Remarkably Bright Creatures couldn't succeed with just Tova or Marcellus though, or at least not as well as it did, I think. The other characters pop off the page as well. Cameron is my favorite, precisely because I didn't expect to like him at first. By his own admission, he comes off as a burnout and a loser, and I admit, that's how I saw him to begin with. But as with Tova and Marcellus, Cameron is hiding a lot of layers, a lot of depth. He's got a great heart, but he's still a typical, kinda clueless 30-year-old guy (and I'm still a 30-something so I say that tongue in cheek). He's vulnerable but not pitiful; he plays the victim sometimes, but then he gets mad at being called out on that and wants to do better. He struggles and is a burnout, but he's got good, solid friends and some real interests and potential. In other words, I got really into his arc, especially once Tova, Marcellus, and even Ethan got involved.
As for Ethan, he's unexpectedly cool, as well. I admit some brownie points with him, as I love all things Scottish or Irish and he is of Scottish descent. But I also didn't expect a shopkeeper in his '70s with a gruff edge to be a Grateful Dead fan or to get along so well with a neat and tidy, tiny Swedish aquarium cleaner, so brownie points on plot and character there. In fact, Ethan's role in the story, in particular, went all kinds of unexpected places, so without spoiling anything, I'll tell you to keep an eye on it.
Finally, Shelby wins some extra brownie points for a lot of the "little" things that "pop" out at me when reading a book like this one. For instance, I love cats and love the reluctant yet affectionate relationship Tova develops with a stray cat. I love Marcellus' Collection and the pride and care he takes in it. I love and felt some heartbreak over Tova's reminiscing about the attic playroom that never got to be a playroom.
But I think the thing I loved most about Remarkably Bright Creatures is how remarkable Shelby showed readers humans--and creatures--can be, without getting heavy-handed or cheesy. There are some romances here, so to speak, but this is a relationship novel, and those are, have been for the past several years, some of my favorite ones.
There is some language here, so caveat emptor if that's not your thing. From a writer's perspective, I also wondered how much some threads or characters were actually needed. For instance, looking back, I understand why Tova had a brother, but I'm unsure how much he furthered the plot. Similarly, I understand the roles of Avery and Marco but again, am unsure how much they furthered the plot.
Also, I almost hate to say it, and I could be wrong about this. After all, I know about as much concerning octopi as the average person who watches Jeopardy (which I do). But while Marcellus' plot thread is great, and while I definitely understand suspension of disbelief, I did wonder along with Cameron how much those boundaries were pushed. I mean, I buy Marcellus getting out of his tank, and with the right Collection items, I guess Tova and Cameron could've figured out whatever they needed to know. But...there's a logical shard of me that isn't quite sure she buys how everything lined up, I guess.
All that aside though, Remarkably Bright Creatures is still a remarkable book. As often happens, I'm now eager to find more like it. And yes, it does get a hearty recommendation. At the very least, I'll want to take closer looks next time I go to an aquarium.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2025
★★★★★ 5
Great story and characters
Format: Kindle
I had to see what all the hype was about and after seeing the trailer on Netflix I knew I had to read the book before I watched the movie. I have to say, this was one of the better books I've read so far this year. It's not a fast paced read but it held my interest the entire time. The characters are very well developed and I really grew to like Tova and Cameron, of course Marcellus is the star of the show and is as witty as they come. If you're looking for a good read I highly recommend this one. The octopus is a difficult creature to care for so I sincerely hope the "octopus tank craze" doesn't start over this like the "clownfish tank craze" did when Finding Nemo came out. Leave it to the expert level saltwater hobbyist to care for them or better yet, leave them in the ocean. I have to mention too that this is the author's debut novel and for a debut novel it's very impressive, I'll look for others from her in the future.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026