Day 43 of 365 - The Vitality of Houseplants
I don't really have a green thumb, a natural talent for keeping plants thriving. But, it's supposed to be good for the energy of a home to have at least a few for air purification and to boost mood. When they are doing well, my mood is definitely elevated by looking at them. When they are not, well, it's just sad.
The current state of my houseplants is somewhere in the middle. The apartment I live in does not have great natural lighting for plants unless I put them right on window sills. Because we have large slat, heavy blinds on our windows this is not really workable for me. I envision pots being knocked to the floor each time I pull on the cords of the blinds.
Last year, one of my sons gave me three little pots of herbs for Mother's Day. Because they needed quite a bit of light I did keep them on the kitchen window sill with the blind up in a fixed position to prevent catastrophe. I did manage to keep them going enough to enjoy cutting and using the herbs in some recipes but they did not really thrive.
In the spring of this year I bought an orchid plant. My eldest sister, who had recently died, liked orchids so I thought I would get one to remember her. It was in beautiful bloom and the blooms lasted quite some time. I found a reasonable location for it on a small table in the kitchen set a bit back from the window to get enough light, but not too much. I followed the guidelines of watering by putting three ice cubes in the pot once a week.
Since the blooms of the orchid died the leaves have been thriving. There are at least twice as many as when I got the plant and they are getting big. I'm beginning to wonder if this is more due to me perhaps using a bit of inappropriate fertilizer than the actual natural state of the plant. Clearly, I did not do my research. Also, the roots, which are sort of an air root, are looking shriveled. I trimmed out all the dead looking parts today after looking up orchid care.
I've also read that orchids go dormant for awhile and then bloom again. I am not seeing any budding activity, just the super leaf growth in the past few months. Will it survive and bloom again? I have no idea.
This is sort of my typical relationship with houseplants, occasionally giving them some attention which is haphazard and hoping I'm not killing them. It doesn't exactly sound like thriving does it?
Currently, I also have two other houseplants. One is a philodendron, given to me by one friend. They are supposed to be able to thrive in poor light. So, it sits on top of a bookcase where it gets perhaps enough light, but not enough for a deep green variegation in the leaves. At least I have not killed it yet! The other is a small kalanchoe, given to me by another friend who was going to throw it out because it stopped blooming. I decided to rescue it, which is kind of funny given my history.
I have lived in homes in the past that had better lighting conditions for plants and where I actually had several in a bay window or in a plant stand near a south window. But, I wasn't great with those either. Eventually, I gave up on houseplants because we have had more than one cat who seemed to think they were just for chewing. Now that we no longer have a cat, I thought I would try again.
The very best houseplants for me have been artificial ones. I know this goes against the whole concept of air purification and boosting the energy of the home. However, they always look great and I am cheered by their healthy and thriving appearance. That counts for something, doesn't it?
Soon, I will be getting out my artificial red poinsettia for the holiday season. It will brighten my space for several weeks with no dropping of leaves or blooms and no worries about under or over watering, correct temperature or lighting. Now, that's my kind of vitality.
The current state of my houseplants is somewhere in the middle. The apartment I live in does not have great natural lighting for plants unless I put them right on window sills. Because we have large slat, heavy blinds on our windows this is not really workable for me. I envision pots being knocked to the floor each time I pull on the cords of the blinds.
Last year, one of my sons gave me three little pots of herbs for Mother's Day. Because they needed quite a bit of light I did keep them on the kitchen window sill with the blind up in a fixed position to prevent catastrophe. I did manage to keep them going enough to enjoy cutting and using the herbs in some recipes but they did not really thrive.
In the spring of this year I bought an orchid plant. My eldest sister, who had recently died, liked orchids so I thought I would get one to remember her. It was in beautiful bloom and the blooms lasted quite some time. I found a reasonable location for it on a small table in the kitchen set a bit back from the window to get enough light, but not too much. I followed the guidelines of watering by putting three ice cubes in the pot once a week.
Since the blooms of the orchid died the leaves have been thriving. There are at least twice as many as when I got the plant and they are getting big. I'm beginning to wonder if this is more due to me perhaps using a bit of inappropriate fertilizer than the actual natural state of the plant. Clearly, I did not do my research. Also, the roots, which are sort of an air root, are looking shriveled. I trimmed out all the dead looking parts today after looking up orchid care.
I've also read that orchids go dormant for awhile and then bloom again. I am not seeing any budding activity, just the super leaf growth in the past few months. Will it survive and bloom again? I have no idea.
This is sort of my typical relationship with houseplants, occasionally giving them some attention which is haphazard and hoping I'm not killing them. It doesn't exactly sound like thriving does it?
Currently, I also have two other houseplants. One is a philodendron, given to me by one friend. They are supposed to be able to thrive in poor light. So, it sits on top of a bookcase where it gets perhaps enough light, but not enough for a deep green variegation in the leaves. At least I have not killed it yet! The other is a small kalanchoe, given to me by another friend who was going to throw it out because it stopped blooming. I decided to rescue it, which is kind of funny given my history.
I have lived in homes in the past that had better lighting conditions for plants and where I actually had several in a bay window or in a plant stand near a south window. But, I wasn't great with those either. Eventually, I gave up on houseplants because we have had more than one cat who seemed to think they were just for chewing. Now that we no longer have a cat, I thought I would try again.
The very best houseplants for me have been artificial ones. I know this goes against the whole concept of air purification and boosting the energy of the home. However, they always look great and I am cheered by their healthy and thriving appearance. That counts for something, doesn't it?
Soon, I will be getting out my artificial red poinsettia for the holiday season. It will brighten my space for several weeks with no dropping of leaves or blooms and no worries about under or over watering, correct temperature or lighting. Now, that's my kind of vitality.
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