A Change of Stripes?

The good news is that not all the rudbeckia flowers are half rust-colored but more of the yellow-orange that I prefer! But did the plant change its stripes? Hmm… I poked around a bit and saw two different shapes of leaves. Two plants for the price of one—two different plants? A little further investigation uncovered the tag that said, “Rudbeckia Becky mix”; ah, a seed mixture was sown and two were potted together. I get what I want plus another kind. From disappointment to bonus.

In Its Place

Ever on the lookout for plants with colorful foliage, I spotted this pretty oyster plant at a local greenhouse. It seems to take little care and its leaves are attractive from either direction—pink and green-striped in front, and red-violet on the back, so I added it to my garden.

Also known as Moses in a Basket or Boatlily, Tradescantia, can be a good houseplant and can make a quick-growing groundcover but you can probably guess what’s coming—it’s invasive. I’ve read reports of its rhizomes and seeds taking over entire beds unbidden. Dogs love to lie in said beds because its smooth leaves feel cool—momentarily. Unfortunately, dogs are highly allergic to it. People can be too. So, as long as I keep mine in a pot by itself (which I was doing anyway by default) and don’t touch the lovely smooth leaves, everything will be colorfully fine. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/650/

Outdated?

More years ago than I can remember, I decided to plant my old, outdated packet of wildflower seeds in an available pot. Maybe they’d come up—maybe not; I had nothing to lose. Surprise! This ferny-leaved white yarrow sprouted and grew. It’s fern-like leaves often stay green right through the winter; it has bloomed a couple of times every spring and summer for probably five or six years. Just when we thought that the cold weather was over, last night’s temperatures were forecast for the 40’s! It was so chilly this morning I had to bundle up in my afghan when I sat in the garden. Another beautiful day is ahead, Lord willing.

Stress Relief

I finally got around to planting my latest garden additions today. I don’t remember the name of the red-leafed plant but fortunately the locally-owned garden center had a sign that said to plant it in the shade—otherwise, I would have put it on the sunnier side and wondered why it didn’t do well. This garden center has begun posting full-color printed signs with name and care instructions for various plants. Not only are they helpful but they look neat (in both senses of the word☺) And the good old cobalt blue lobelia can do reasonably well in part shade or mostly sunny. I feel as though my garden isn’t complete without it. The intensely deep blue flowers cascade over the edges of pots until it gets really hot and then again in the fall. Deadheading the tiny flowers is tedious but when it gets overwhelming you can give them a full haircut. However, once you cut them back, depending upon how hot it is and how far back you cut them, they may or may not come back until fall. I had to buy a six-pack of lobelias in order to get a couple—I wish that retailers would make 2-packs or even 3-packs. The slightly larger individual plants that sell for almost as much as six of them isn’t all that helpful either since they’re harder to fit into small spaces in container gardens. It was a beautiful, sunny morning to do my planting. While I was at it I added some organic nasturtium seeds to my salad pots and hyacinth bean vine seeds (not edible) to a hanging basket. We’ve had so much stress, and activity lately, it felt so good to be outdoors working in the garden then sitting in it, enjoying the fruit of my labor.

Night Watch

I finally remembered one night to photograph one of the prayer plants in its “prayer“ position. From its habit of folding its leaves upward at night came its name.


Lately I’ve noticed that the prayer plant’s news leaves are much larger and have darker markings than the older leaves. At first I couldn’t think of any conditions that were different, then I remembered that when I repotted it I used potting soil fortified with Miracle Gro. I normally opt for “plain” soil but only the fertilized kind was available at the big box store. So, I guess without trying, I’ve proved their claims. ;)

Season’s First

These long-stemmed Sweet Williams make up my first garden bouquet of the season with flat-leaved parsley leaves for a fresh fern-like backdrop.

After weeks of record-high temperatures—even into the eighties, it’s suddenly cold again. Though the heat is switched off for the season, it’s warmer inside at night than it is outside so I’ve hauled the newer plants back in. Hopefully the frosty nights won’t last.

Too Pretty to Eat

The flowering kale I bought from a large garden center at the beginning of winter turned out to be miniature—a good size for my container that already held snapdragons and Creeping Jenny. However, its color is reserved while the variety I’ve seen around town that has long, frilly leaves abounding with fuchsia. Next time that’s the kind I’ll get. Nevertheless, this little kale has a certain amount of charm with its yellow flowers emerging.

The first time I grew flowering kale at our last home, the neighbors were very excited since they had never seen such a wonderful thing—though they were in landscaping all over town!

Hope Instead

Where one leaf of the Hawaiian Ti plant had to be removed, six more have taken its place and are growing well. To me it’s a sign of hope that where one thing goes wrong, the Lord Jesus can bring in many good things to take its place. These new leaves are slow-growing but growing steadily.

Cold weather has returned with frigid, blustery winds. After “Noah’s flood”, God covenanted with Noah:

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease” (Genesis 8:22).

Cold (“global warming” notwithstanding) and heat will never go away as long as we’re on this earth so we’d better learn to deal with them especially since they are a promise of good. What a paradigm shift!

Started from a cutting of a bedding plant last year, this Creeping Jenny (rounded yellow-green leaves) is already on its way; it won’t be long until it’s growing down the side of the pot. All I had to do is stick the cutting in the dirt and water it—the kind of propagation I like best.

I began growing Jenny for its color; the yellow-green gave a bit of relief from all the green-green leaves. I’ve also found that its cascading habit gives green on a new level and I like to vary the size and shapes of leaves among the plants. The picture shows Jenny’s rounded leaf shape contrasting with the more pointed leaves of Sweet William and Victoria Blue Salvia. Hmmm, I hadn’t thought of that before; we have Jenny, William and Victoria.

Distinctive

One of things I’m enjoying about this prayer plant is the unusual way it holds its leaves. In the evening they fold up in a prayer-like position, which is where it gets its name (maybe I’ll remember to photograph it then) but during the day this particular plant opens its leaves into a cascade of sorts, almost like a modern dance pose.


A new leaf has opened with red-violet showing through the green with deep red-violet markings--a richness of color that the others lack. I suppose this plant is the unique, creative one.

Oskar Update

Though the flowers are gone, Oskar the amaryllis is still growing strong. Its long, strappy leaves will store up plant food*—chlorophyll to make the bulb strong.

Part of the beauty of growing amaryllis bulbs is that they last for several years. Yesterday when looking back through my garden journal I saw that one year an amaryllis bulb I had had for awhile refused to bloom indoors so I set it and its pot outside as soon as it was warm; one day I was surprised with beautiful red flowers. Don’t give up too soon.

*As my botany instructor emphasized, chlorophyll, which comes from the sun is plant food, not fertilizer; fertilizer is for the soil.

Breathing

Outdoor plants benefit from rain washing their leaves of dust and pollen; have you ever noticed how intensely green and clean the “world” looks after a rain? Indoor plants don’t have that benefit so gardeners have to fill in. Houseplants benefit from an occasional washing of their leaves with a warm, wet paper towel (or cloth) since they breathe through their leaves; they also benefit from the humidity. And, anything that’s cleaner is usually brighter as well—that means brighter color and that’s almost always good!

My smaller croton plant pictured here has spread out as it has dropped some leaves; new leaves are coming!

My breathing isn’t so good this week—probably a cold, but I don’t think that a wet paper towel will do it for me. I’m resting and praying for healing—quickly and completely.

Starting Small

A mockingbird came to visit my outdoor garden this morning then joined a flock flying around the small trees in the natural area. I heard again the bird call that sounded like the screeching of a swing as it rides its bar; circumstantial evidence would attach the sound to the mockingbirds but I couldn’t be sure. Are any of you birders? What bird makes that sound?

The prayer plant baby has more leaves and one more has spots! Another has the slightest shadow of the spots to come.

The prayer plant gets its name from its habit of folding its leaves upward at night—like praying hands. I don’t mean to force this comparison but it came to mind naturally as I watered this morning; just as these baby prayer plant leaves will become larger and stronger, prayers to God can start small and as you pray more, they’ll likely get stronger and larger as you stay with it and get to know him. You can start where you are*.

*Simple heart-felt prayers such as, “Help me Jesus!” and “Thank you Jesus!” carry a lot of weight in heaven.

Sun Effects

My arrangement of water globes definitely catches the sunlight—even if I did have to get on my hands and knees to photograph it (I learned to do this from a professional photographer). One of my favorite aspects of colored or stained glass is the way the sun lights it; it can be beautiful on its own but there’s nothing like the combination of light and color!

The arrangement of sunlight has definitely changed with clocks turned back to Standard Time; I think the plants in the morning windows will benefit most since we open the curtains early. Even outdoors, the east-facing pots have held up to the cold weather better since the rising sun dispels some of the chill.

However, over the weekend the combination of sun, furnace and our busy comings and goings left some of the recently migrated indoor plants in need of dried leaf removal. Oops! I checked and watered them before I went out but they apparently dried out before I knew it. Remember, they’re still in terra cotta pots. But thankfully, they’re not too much worse for the wear.

Leaves that droop or wither can often be revived as with the spider plantlet “Lazarus” but if they’re yellow or brown--they’re gone. Go ahead and cut them off since the plant will put its energy into trying to revive the leaves instead of making new ones—it simply can’t bring that kind back. (While this can be a parable for some parts of life, it does not apply to marriage or necessarily physical health because God is able to revive that which was dead!)