Houseplant Triumphs and Tragedies

My relationship with houseplants continues to be turbulent one.  I forget about them come summer and then in the fall I try, once again, to tend to some indoor greenery to keep me sane until gardening season comes again.  Each year I try to overwinter rosemary and each year I lose the battle.

Still upright but dead regardless

Although this plant grew happily in the garden all summer long I managed to kill it in record time once I brought it inside.  I think it lasted a week before it expired.  While my talents with rosemary are obviously lacking, aloe is another matter.  It likes me, a lot.

Apparently its only requirements are that you never change the soil and never ever water it.  If you're diligent in that regard it will grow to extraordinary proportions.

This plant stretches about 3 feet high and wide and continues to grow.

It will also sprout pups which you will then have to pot up and find room for.

I now have about a dozen of these pots scattered throughout the house.  If anyone has a sunburn I've got you covered.

Spider plants also seem to suffer the same issues as aloe.  I just can't kill those things.  I remember my mother planting spider plants in her garden and leaving them out there to die in winter.  I thought she was heartless, now I understand.

How many spider plants can a girl have really?

Other plants however don't like my talent for neglect.  My Christmas cactus looked lovely in November blooming such pretty blooms.  Too bad I didn't take a photo then.

Blooms shrivelled up without water.

They looked nice when they were alive.  I forgot to keep watering and all the blooms and buds dried up.  A lesson learned for next year.

My greatest triumph this season though has to be the moth orchid.  I was gifted an orchid once by a former boss and I killed it in short order.  I resisted purchasing them after that but a couple years ago I kept seeing orchids on other blogs and I thought, well maybe I could try just once more.  So home came a little chartreuse number that bloomed for months but then started looking a little weary.  I swore I wouldn't give up on this plant so I did some reading, repotted it and added a pebble filled tray for water.  

The water filled tray provides a little extra humidity

It has done much better since, growing new leaves but no flowers until now.  (Thank you Kate for telling me about fertilizer!)

I have counted 15 buds on this new stem and I'm thrilled.  There will be beautiful yellow blooms to keep me company this winter.

Spring Fever

I must apologize for my absence.  We've been awful busy around here lately and the blog seems to keep getting pushed to the bottom of my list of things to do.  Why is it that the amount of work on my desk increases threefold in direct proportion to my lack of time to complete it in?  Last week we had a sudden snowstorm (ironically following a record 23 degree hot day!) that lost me a day at the office, followed by a short week before and following Easter.  Holidays be damned, that work has to be finished one way or another so extra hours have been put in on other days.  In addition we've had meetings.  One after another we have met with various banks in the last weeks to discuss financing the new roof.  Which lead to the great spring clean.  For the last week we have been scrubbing, trimming, and washing all manner of things inside and outside the house in preparation for an appraisal.

Dead foliage was cut back to allow the new growth to push up.

Flower beds around the house were trimmed and raked of dead branches and fallen leaves.  Those pesky yews at the front door that I've been meaning to prune for the last two years finally got the royal treatment.

Three wheelbarrows full of branches were carted away.

They were almost completely blocking the front entrance when I started.

And afterward - still large and rambly looking which I like, but at least you can walk up to the door now.

As you can see, despite the snow storm, the temperatures returned to more spring like conditions which allowed for a bit of gardening.  Including our favourite yearly spring activity of planting trees.

A few spruce babies were dug up from around the big trees and transplanted to the hedgerow where we are attempting to reestablish a tree line.  Unfortunately my outside time was cut severely short as we had yet another SNOW STORM.  15 cm ( or 6 inches) of the white stuff came down with blowing wind.  What a tease.  Luckily my sweet husband brought me an Easter treat so I have at least one bloom to share.

Let's not mention to him that lilies aren't my most favourite flower shall we?  He saw a clip on the news recently saying how lilies were the perfect Easter gift because they can be replanted into the garden and he was so proud when he gave me this and told me that tidbit.  I can put up with the smell because he's such a darling.  And they certainly spruce up the inside of the house which will be nice for Mr. Inspector when he shows up.

My Aloe Vera is a YouTube Star!

Well, maybe it's not the star of the video but it caught my eye!  and yes, that stereo is pretty nifty too.  Plants are generally my priority but interior design is another hot topic in this house so I thought I would share hubby's latest creation.  Hifi is on display this weekend at the Interior Design Show in Toronto. If you're in the area you can check out this latest design in person or you can visit Jody's website at Modern Revision

Architecture in Plants

The ground is covered in a white coat today with not a stitch of greenery to be seen so I am turning inward and gazing at the houseplants.  I tend to ignore these poor things for the better part of the year in favour of the outdoor garden but recently I've noticed just how amazing some of them are.  The aloe vera is really the star of the show right now.

Originally purchased in the winter of 2010 when it was only a couple inches high it has burst forth and now requires ample room to to wave its many thick stalks.  Gazing from above the pattern it creates is star shaped.

There is an architecture to this plant that fascinates me.  I've spent more than a small amount of time gazing at how the branches are piled one on top of another.

And observing how the light plays across the spines.

I bought this plant for its medicinal value, it's always nice to have on hand for sunburns and skin irritations, but now I'm not sure I could sacrifice even a single branch.  It would disturb the intricate balance nature has created and that would be a shame.

On the Inside

Although the sun has been out this week half the yard is still covered in snow and I'm not able to garden. So I thought I would spend a little time with my indoor friends.

After seeing photos of so many lovely orchids on others blogs I was tempted.  Even though I've killed one before I decided I was willing to try again.  How was I to resist when they put them next to the check out counter.  Got you gum, check.  Got your magazine, check.  Got your orchid, check check.

New life is taking hold in the bathroom window

These little spider babies are sprouting roots in the Unbreakable Bodum, which promptly broke one month after purchase.  Oh well, at least it's found a new purpose in life.

More yellow flowers, I do love yellow.

African violets, you can never have too many.  I love the little guy in the back with the spot on his forehead.

A sure sign of good things to come, pussycats are lounging in the suddenly warm sunshine.

The Art of Seed Shopping

I've been talking about it for quite some time so I'm sure you all thought I had done this by now but I finally got around to placing my seed orders for spring.

Ordering seeds always takes more time than I think it will.  First perusing the pretty photos, making lists of the things I simply must have, making lists of all the pretty things I want to have, reviewing the amount of beds and the space available, moaning over my bank account.  The order list has bloomed and faded, the numbers going sky high and then crashing down again.  What do I need, what do I want, what can I afford and where will it all go.

After weeks of dallying the final list is as follows:

1. Drunken woman lettuce
2. Borage - Borago officinals
3. Nasturtium - mixed
4. Miner's Lettuce - Claytonia perfoliata
5. Ruby Eclipse Sunflower - Helianthus annuus
6. Love Lies Bleeding - Amaranthus caudatus
7. Veestar strawberry plants
8. Tyee spinach
9. Napoli carrot
10. Cat grass
11. Sweet basil
12. onion sets

A pretty reasonable list if I do say so myself.  I stayed away from tomatoes since I already received a packet in a Christmas card.  I will try growing these and then purchase any extra plants I need from a nursery (such as the scotia tomatoes pictured above which were nursery bought).  I don't want to start too many seeds indoors this year as I need to experiment with seed starting in a new house.  It will take some fussing to find the right spot to do this and get lights and trays set up properly.  Basil, tomatoes, amaranthus, maybe a few flowers will be plenty enough to start indoors while I work out the kinks.

Although I just placed the order I'm already waiting impatiently for it to arrive.  One plant that will be started indoors immediately is the cat grass.  I need it to prevent more of this from happening.

Who's hiding in my houseplants?

Gino (the cat) grew up with us in the much warmer climate of coastal British Columbia.  Snow and wind do not agree with him and for the last month he's been house bound.  And taking his frustration out on my spider plant.  The cat grass should help to appease him.

The Tyee spinach is a replacement for the tortoiseshell spinach I used last summer.  Tortoiseshell barely grew an inch before it was covered in white spots and then bolted.  I will plant both this year and see if either one manages to grow.

When considering what to order I was tempted to add peas to the list.  I have an old packet of peas in storage and I attempted to germinate them recently to see if they were viable.  I placed the seeds in a wet paper towel and then put the towel in a plastic ziplock bag.  The bag was left on the top of the fridge for a week.  Nothing seemed to happen so I assumed the seeds weren't good.  By then I had decided there really wasn't enough room for peas anyway and I crossed it off my list.  Maybe another year.  Oh but what's this?  While cleaning on the weekend I discovered a plastic bag in an upstairs closet.  I found this inside.

Germinating peas.  Note to self - next time write down where you put all the bags of germinating seeds.  Otherwise you're bound to find a crop of vegetables growing out of the closets.  So it looks like I might have to find a spot for peas in the garden anyway.

There's some new flowers on my list as well.  Plants I've never tried before that I'm very excited about.  After all I need to have some fun.  A pink sunflower and love lies bleeding are headed for the new border behind the garage.  I think it's always important to try new plants and experiment.  I've learned more about gardening in the past by being sucked in by a pretty plant than anything else.  Experimenting, curiosity and failure are the best tools I have.

Ultimately I tried to hold back on buying too many seeds because I want to focus on building beds this year.  There are 5 beds in the vegetable garden presently and I intend to add, at minimum, another 5 beds.  That will mean lots of digging, building, and mixing of dirt.  Not to mention the work I'm planning for flower beds.  If I can focus a little more on beds this year then next year I can buy all the seeds my heart desires.

A New Addition

I like to do my grocery shopping on Friday evenings after work.  Most people are quick to run home for the weekend and the stores are rather quiet.  Additionally the flyer sales start Friday morning so I'm usually able to pick up some good deals.

Last night, as per usual, I headed out to the stores after a long week. Snow was blowing and the shopping centre was delightfully empty.  I wandered the aisles and then my ears heard a voice.

Over here, Hi.


oh hello


Take me home.

oh, I'm not sure, the cart is really quite full.


Help me please, I'm going to die.    and I'm so pretty.

well, you are quite lovely I agree.  But I don't think you're on the brink of death.  Now those african violets, they really do look dreadful.

They're already goners, you can't help them.  Take me instead.  Before I meet the same fate.


so I himmed and hawwed and pondered, and then I remembered this.  Thank you Frances for your delightful words of wisdom.  Say hello to my new house buddy.

Triumphs and Tragedies

It's been awhile since I've posted about the ups and downs of my gardening life.  There's less gardening going on these days but it's not entirely absent.  The weather outside today was gorgeous.  Sunny and 2 degrees (celcius).  So we took advantage and spent a good amount of time with the basement windows open throwing firewood inside.  Okay, so for most people that's not really an ideal way to spend the day.  Me neither, my arm hurts now but at least we'll be warm tonight when the temperature drops.

We did manage to relax some afterwards and took a nice walk.

We've had snow off and on in the last few weeks but the temperature has been constantly shifting so it doesn't stay long.  As you see there's no ice on the water and it's running freely.

We happened upon a group of yellow birches that caught my eye.  That bark is just so striking to me.  I'm really glad I planted 2 of these trees in our yard.

Back inside the house I decided to finish what I began the other day and tidy up my house plants.  That dracaena did indeed perk up with some water so I decided to pull the plant out completely and check it's roots.

I was surprised to find it actually has a pretty decent root structure.  This plant does not want to go in the bin at all.  I'm reminded of something I read a while ago regarding children.  A doctor commented that children will thrive in spite of what we do to them, rather than because of what we do.  I found this idea quite profound.  Life, in all its forms, has a natural will to survive and this little dracaena, despite my neglect, and my good intentions, is going to live it's life with or without my help.

Talk about will to survive, that spider plant wants to create a bajillion little spider plants.

Can you see all the babes hanging and trying to find a spot to nest?  Well they got some pots today.

Several shoots got a pot full of dirt to rest their roots in and some water.  I'll attempt to remember to keep them well watered over the coming weeks and we'll see if they take hold.

On the Inside

Lately I've been spending a lot of time indoors and my attention has turned to my house plants.  Oh these poor poor plants.  I neglect them so.  I watered them this week for the first time in months.  Amazing really that they're even alive.  Even more amazing that the aloe is absolutely thriving.

The soil is hard as a rock but those stems are arching out and away growing ever taller.  I should probably add more succulents to my shopping list.

The dracaena has not faired as well.

I gave it some water and we'll see if it perks up.  If not I think I'll pull the whole thing out of the pot and take a look at the roots to see if anything is surviving down there.  If there's a good root ball it'll be worth trying to save but my recollection is that when I bought this plant there was next to no roots on it to start with.  So it may not be worth it.

My african violets are alive and well though their flowers have dried and withered. 

A trim was in order and a new fancy purple pot for my kitchen violet.  I even purchased a bag of fancy african violet potting soil.  My guilt has me pulling out all the stops.

Trimmed and at home in a nice new pot!

The spider plant is alive but looking a little dehydrated and limp. Little wonder. But guess what I discovered when I took a closer look. I knew my spider plant had blossoms in the summer but as usual I ignored it and didn't realize that not only did it blossom, it also produced seeds! Has anyone out there ever grown a spider plant from seed? I'm a bit curious to try. Not that it's necessary because my plant has produced a half dozen or so 'babies'.

Baby plants have grown at the ends of the stalks and seeds have dropped all over the counter.

I'm considering placing the babies in some small pots and rooting them.  Since spider plants are so obviously easy to grow (I haven't killed one yet!) I'm thinking it might be useful to have a few more of them in the house.  That would make up for killing the dracaena wouldn't it?

On the Inside

I may have mentioned that my ability to grow plants indoors is pretty limited.  Mostly because I forget about them.  Then every once in awhile I walk by and think Oops.  Some plants can survive on pure neglect and they get a thumbs up from me.  Others don't.  I looked in on my window seat this week and here's what I saw.

Spider Plant aka Chlorophytum comosum.

This guy caught my attention.  The last time I looked this plant it was tidily situated in its little green pot.  When I walked by the other day I suddenly noticed that it was invading the aloe.  Neglect can be a good thing.  But now I'm not sure whether to transplant this guy.  I like this pot but those runners will eventually drop and hang down.  A hanging planter might be better or perhaps just a small table that allows the runners to dangle.

Next to him is that purple plant or Tradescantia pallida

I gave this lady a haircut a few months back promising I would take better care of her.  I haven't.  It's still alive, I think, but at this point I don't care.  It's messy and ugly and I have no patience.  To the compost with you.

The Aloe

No big issues here.  Not growing much but not dead either.  A stalemate.

The unknown.

I think I picked this up for $3 at some home renovation store.  A look at my 2850 House And Garden Plantssays it's a Dracaena of some type.  sanderiana? fragrans? deremensis?  Who knows but neglect apparently does not suit him.  Seems to prefer warmer temperatures, probably could use some fertilizer or something.  I suppose I could try a little harder.  He's cute after all.

African violets

I like these little guys.  They're cheap and come in bright cheery colours.  And so far they haven't died.  The pink guy lives in the kitchen so he's a little better kept than my other plants.  I tend to spend more time in the kitchen so I notice him more and he actually gets watered.

A second violet lives in the bay window.  Good news is he's showing signs of revival. (just ignore those dead leaves hanging off the side)

I purchased this plant, again some random hardware store, in February and it was cold.  He 'accidentally' got left in the truck while other errands were run.  Only a couple hours, not much!  Oh, okay, I know, that wasn't a particularly nice thing to do.  He went into shock and I had to shear him.  He's starting to make a come back though.  He has leaves again which is a good start.

So from 6 houseplants we're now down to 5.  Not a terrible average.  I can't be the only one to kill a houseplant or two, can I?

On the Inside

While I am waiting for spring to officially come to our little island I spend much of my time indoors.  While I love gardening outdoors I must admit I am not so keen on taking care of houseplants. There's no rational reason for this behaviour.  I like my indoor plants well enough but more often than not I simply forget about them.

This poor plant, possibly a Tradescantia pallida, was inherited with the house and amidst all of the moving in was simply forgotten about for months on end.  It's a miracle she's survived thus far.  I glimpsed her today, dehydrated and leaves strewn across the floor and had a pang of guilt, and so I went about giving the little lady a haircut and promised it would never happen again.  Here she is back in her window seat. with her friends  She looks much happier now doesn't she?