New Avenues for Growth

It’s 108 degrees outside and will likely get hotter. And to think that we had night-time temperatures in the 50’s earlier in the week! That’s the great thing about living in the Southern Piedmont region; June almost always holds a “cold snap” (except in last year’s brutal heat). My “rooster plant” is maturing nicely and is sprouting branches along its “trunk”. The red hibiscus not only survived the cut (pruning) but as hoped, is branching out in new directions. More branches equal more flowers!

Stay Awhile

My friend G. is always starting new plants—in the pots of her larger, older plants. With her in mind, as I’ve found severed spider plantlets, I’ve laid them on the soil in the large croton’s pot until I had a chance to pot them in their own home. They benefited from the croton’s watering and have stayed alive.

Then, closer to G.’s practice, I decided that they might actually look nice circling the pot and cascading their own babies down the side, so I dug little holes in the soil and tucked them in. One was so enterprising that its roots had already taken hold but I redirected it.

Turn, Turn, Turn

Houseplants often get light from only one direction so they need to be turned from time to time to keep them from getting leggy. Sometimes their lean toward the sun isn’t noticeable until they’re turned—then as with this croton, it becomes obvious when you see only the backs of the leaves.

This weekend will be the time to turn the clock forward for Daylight Savings Time. Unfortunately, the east window plants will now get less sun but the west window plants will get more. Turn, turn, turn.

It’s good to “spring forward” in the spring, moving forward to better days.

Slow & Steady

In looking through my indoor garden on this cold gray day to see what I might write about, I found nothing spectacular—tiny new leaves on the crotons and the Hawaiian Ti, the smallest beginnings of hibiscus blooms. Nothing but small, steady growth, which is of course, what gardens do—grow. And that’s good. Most plants are reaching for the sun and need turning to avoid leggy growth.

In fact, if my plants were experiencing rapid growth I’d be overrun. Slow and steady growth can be a very good thing.

Spots

The baby prayer plant has spots! Animals such as deer, tend to lose their spots as they mature but in some cases, plants gain them as they grow.

I searched the internet for pictures of the “rooster plant” and mostly cockscomb celosia came up. However, when I searched the croton family, I found my plant among them. One site said that in low light the leaves are dark green with yellow spots (like mine) but when they have stronger light, red and yellow predominate. Hmm…the rooster plant looks nice in that window but it seems that more light is needed.


I see a similar trend in my largest croton; since the winter sunlight in the southwest windows has been brief the new leaves are only green with a few yellow spots, contrasting with it’s gorgeous red and yellow spotted and veined fellows. Though the overall aesthetics won’t be as pleasing, it’s time to move it closer to the sunlight, swapping it with, possibly, the Hawaiian Ti plant that aesthetically, is perfectly suited to its window perch though it can get by with less light.

Spots can be a good thing. Plants show their maturity and health with natural markings and Jacob of the Bible gained his fortune in livestock by having the foresight to choose the spotted, dark-colored and speckled sheep and goats as his payment for years of hard work for his father-in-law. And God multiplied them(Genesis 30:26-43).

Fall Foliage of a Different Sort

When I first bought my compact croton, the leaves were small, upright red spears. Now in their home in my garden they get full sun half of the day and the new leaves are larger and spreading. They’re also more green than anything else, which can be a sign of a lack of light. However, since they get lots of sun, it may be a sign of immaturity. ☺ Apparently, at least in the croton clan, "the older and wiser" you are, the more colorful!

I’ve long been fond of the multi-colored, spotted gems. This is a painting I made in art college. What a challenge to paint all the colors and spots; I often lost my place! But I persevered in “capturing” the beauty.

I saw the little lizard again the other day--with a beautiful long, intact tail.

Always a Gardener

I’ve always been a gardener—from the first paper-cup-of-dirt-with-a-seed-in-it school project to being surrounded by my grandmother’s flower gardens to my own first garden made by my dad in halves of an oil drum to my garden on the go in my many homes. I love the color of a garden, the shapes. Tending it and watching it grow. I love the surprise of discovery when something new pops up—whether expected or unexpected.

This is one corner of my current “tree house garden” on our balcony.