Parade

The light is already changing in the east windows as the white pear blossoms are replaced with spring green leaves. Sunlight still feeds the pentas, Angelonias and prayer plants from another angle though since the maples and oaks haven’t leafed out yet.

Since the air conditioner is finally on, we won’t need the fan any more for awhile so it’s back in its corner but the bougainvillea that surrounded it is still outdoors. The calendar says it’s the first day of spring but it could still get cold—but probably not that cold. More plants may go out soon.

Over the weekend, we saw lots of red-violet redbuds, yellow forsythias, and added to the colorful parade were the yellow-green beginnings of dogwood bracts, purple wisteria and the palest of pink cherry blossoms. A few pink or orange tulips joined in as well. Spring is definitely here! And though I’m sneezing through it, I love it!

Pentas A-Plenty

The deep pink penta is in full bloom, probably more than it bloomed outdoors. They do, as it turns out make good indoor plants; I wouldn’t have expected it.

I’ll take them back out to the balcony garden though when the weather warms for more than a day or two. It has worked out really well to have the various plants indoors since we have such good window space but I’ve never had this many indoors before and I’m eager to get some of the them out into fresh air.

This morning I trimmed some straggly branches off the Angelonias and look forward to more fresh new growth.

The Little Things

So often the little blessings of life, like my Penta flowers, get overlooked in the wake of the hurryings, the crises, the spectacular, and the major purchases. These tiny deep pink Penta flowers—little stars no bigger than my smallest fingernail tend to fade into the forest of greenery surrounding them but I’m taking time today to realize how blessed I am to have flowers blooming indoors in the winter. They’re a bonus really; when I bought them I had no idea that I’d attempt to overwinter them indoors and I surely didn’t expect non-stop blooming! It’s good to take time to enjoy the blessings of life and be thankful (even when it’s not Thanksgiving)—no matter how small. As I’ve learned from my earliest years—she who appreciates gets more. As I read scripture I see a strong indication that the Lord applies the same principle.

Stars & Prayers

The deep pink penta is still, amazingly, in full bloom. The penta’s neighboring prayer plant* has an offspring—a baby prayer plant (incidentally, the Latin word fetus means “offspring”--not blob of tissue).


Surprisingly, the prayer plant bloomed too—it must be happy! The small white flowers turned into seed pods, which produced tiny black seeds. The seed specks fell onto the soil and voila—a plant emerged! I didn’t do a thing except provide sunlight and water. I love spontaneous gifts like that.

He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head." Mark 4:26-28 NIV

*As it turns out, I have two pentas and two prayer plants and have arranged them symmetrically with the two Angelonias in between.

Morning Had Broken

It’s another rainy morning stirred by a cool breeze yet the first sunlight slides through a crack in the clouds. The growing light shimmers golden on rain puddles. The forecast says it will rain all day but the sun doesn’t seem to agree.

Alas, the clouds have won—for now, but the birds are still singing.

As I’ve chosen this morning to focus on the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8)—rather than the radio’s bad news, I’m feeling better and singing. Like the sun vs. clouds struggle, it takes perseverance.

Indoors where it’s dry with plenty of light, the deep pink pentas are still in full bloom as are the Angelonias.

Outdoors, not only are the ‘Million Bells’ still blooming as I mentioned yesterday, but the UGO (unidentified growing object)—“the bronze-leafed plant”, is full of rosy new growth. Even the purple sweet potato vine sprouts miniature purple leaves. The purple sweet potato vine has held up to the cold better than the yellow green one; my guess is that the yellow green vine’s larger, softer leaves—perhaps even its lighter color make it more vulnerable. Darker colors absorb light and heat and don’t reflect it (as much), which is why we wear dark-colored clothing in the winter.

Silver Glow

Here it is nearly Thanksgiving and the temperatures are in the 70’s again—eventually. The morning air is chilly but fresh, almost like spring but without allergies.

The pear tree’s branches know it’s autumn though with only a few leaves dangling, yet many new buds emerging (I used to think that trees went dormant once their leaves dropped but close observation told me the truth despite the analogies teachers like to make). It could even, like some cherry trees I saw, bloom in the mild weather. I used to be alarmed when I saw such a bonus, worrying about the trees’ spring display but they were fine.

The bougainvillea, though it has dropped a lot of leaves, is producing tiny new ones. To my amazement, the angelonias and pentas continue to bloom indoors; though the heliotrope is still opening a few flowers they’re no longer heliotrope but white.

All, including the two red hibiscus blossoms are enjoying the silver glow of the morning light. Fewer pear leaves means more sunlight that beams into and through the next room! It’s a balm to me as well. I’m beginning to produce more new leaves and flowers too—after dropping some old ones.

It’s a Jungle in Here!

Saturday evening prior to freezing temperatures, I made “The Great Plant Haul.”
In an hour or so of clearing spaces, cleaning saucers, and heaving plants, I brought in all the plants that would still be too cold-- even under the covers. Though the freeze was too cold too soon (as was the snow on the upper east coast) I decided it was time to bring them in for wintering-over. For the most part, once they’re in—they’re in for the duration since it takes so much time and effort to haul them back and forth.

This year, I’ve brought in more plants than usual, wanting to “protect my investment”; maybe I won’t have to buy new ones next spring. As it turns out, some of the new to me plants do well as houseplants. For example, one houseplant book says that pentas bloom in December and January; what a treat to have them bloom all spring and summer then indoors in winter too (maybe they actually will)!

The plants are definitely too crowded so I’ll have to continue to discover better configurations to spread out “the jungle.”

When Life Breaks Things

When life gives you broken stems—make a flower arrangement! Two of the Angel Face Angelonia stems were hanging at an angle, broken by the weight of the sheet that kept them warm.

I snipped the flowerful branches and put them in a vase with a tall, narrow neck. I added the smallest branch of Persian Shield and the straightest Parrot Leaf I could find. When I take cuttings, I always try to leave at least one set of nodes (growth joints) behind so the remaining stem will branch out (grow again or “revive”).

I needed a third flower to complete the arrangement since design, whether floral or art calls for an uneven number. The deep pink Penta’s color seems to be made for the Parrot Leaf’s beautifully “painted” leaves (a member of the Joseph’s Coat family), so I gave the star clusters the starring role. I stripped the Penta’s leaves before adding it to the arrangement, or they would have hidden the more colorful ones.

Much of art these days is made of things not often thought of as art, broken things, cast aside things. But this isn’t just modern art; in past centuries--even millennia as they are today, many artists’ pigments are made from soil/dirt. Pigments such as burnt sienna and burnt umber are made from baked dirt. We artists use what’s around us--granted, we have to pay a lot for art materials companies to process them, but we make something beautiful out of the ordinary, even the broken. God, the ultimate Artist does the same with people giving us—when we turn to him through Jesus, the most wondrous beauty, a reflection of his glory.

Progress

The hyacinth bean vines have made some neat-looking purple seed pods, hyacinth beans—the very thing they were created to do! I like the way they’ve arranged themselves as a cascading “mobile”.

Still more heavy rain fell this morning but now we have sunshine! We’ve not seen much of that stranger since last Wednesday or Thursday. I was beginning to think we were in the Pacific Northwest!

Now that autumn is officially here, maple and oak leaves around town are beginning to turn reddish.

No more white stuff has turned up on the soil. The avocado plant that I pruned has the smallest beginnings of new branches! This morning a moth delicately sipped from the pink pentas; I’ve never before thought of moths being delicate. The butterflies didn’t accept the invitation so I guess the guests will come from “the highways and byways”.

The Garden Watered by God

It must have rained again last night, then again this morning so the garden didn’t need much watering.

Since it didn’t need much tending otherwise, I cut some flowers and brought them in. I’ve not used pentas as cut flowers before; I’ll see how they do. Maybe they’ll even root (though clear glass containers are better for rooting). I’m enjoying their star shapes. I added some Victoria Blue Salvia, some Parrot Leaf, and peppermint to smell good.

I had time to do another kind of planting today. In day 4 of revival, the angels are rejoicing because another person is added to the family of God. And so am I!

Mystery Fragrance

This morning as I rearranged a couple of my plants to their better advantage—and mine, a lovely fragrance attracted me. Where was it coming from? Not the scant honeysuckle on the back fence; I know that scent. It was right there in front of me, under my nose—literally; the Angelonia Angel Face exuded a new dimension of beauty. I don’t know why I haven’t noticed it before; were the purple flowers making this perfume before now? Or did I have to get down on my knees for it to reach me?

The hummingbird flitted in mid-morning to sip from the orange Million Bells. Two Red Hibiscus are blooming today as are hyacinth bean vines, Angelonia, the Victoria Blue’s, pentas, and earlier—a few four O’clocks.

Though the temperatures have been in the upper 80’s and low to mid-90’s, the drier air makes being outdoors delightful, especially when there’s a warm gentle breeze. I could have stayed…

Plenteous Pentas

I finally added a deep pink penta to my garden; the first one hadn’t yet opened when I bought it so I couldn’t tell that it was more of a “sweet” pink. Oh well, butterflies like them. Butterflies may enjoy dining on the nectar of pentas but they must not have gotten the invitation to mine; I haven’t seen a single one.

Nevertheless, the pentas' clusters of star-shaped blossoms are pretty, long lasting, bloom often and grow well. When I bought the "sweet" pink one it was the size of this deep pink one (that I got for half price!); now it has multiple branches and blooms. They like having more room to grow.

I thought I could stay outside longer this morning to write since it’s cooler but the humidity smothered that plan.

I haven’t seen any more caterpillars or grasshoppers, no lizards—just lots of tiny white flying insects. I don’t use chemicals and to a point, I reason that these creatures have a right to be outdoors. However, they don’t need to be attacking my plants; they especially like my petunias. Maybe I’ll get some fly paper.