Garden Reel

Right at this moment, I have a desire of my heart as I sit in the garden, cool morning breezes wafting, geese signaling, while I type and post. The air and view out here exceeds that of the indoor wall. Of course, other sounds punctuate the air—a car alarm, the muted flow of traffic and a jet soaring overhead; where is it bound? But these have their place just as the unseen noisy crow to my right has his. Changes are in the air too—a bit of upheaval though thankfully temporary. The apartment management has decided that since they are raising the rates exorbitantly they can say, “But look, we’re cleaning and painting the buildings.” Outside that is, and brown. Thankfully, it looks better when it’s dry since when it’s wet it’s dark brown with a hint of green…er…very organic looking. So, I have to bring indoors every last plant, pot, bag of potting soil and the garden furniture. That will be tight but thankfully temporary. According to a famous rabbi story one of my Jewish friends tells—we will be amazed at how much space we have indoors when we move everything back out to the garden again!

I’ve potted a couple plants into “real” pots that were still in their greenhouse plastic pots. They’ll grow better, stand taller and be less likely to tip over—and there will be fewer empty pots to corral. One long Italian-made pot that I’ve carried with me for over twenty-five years has split horizontally. It worked fairly well as long as it stayed in place but I didn’t want to risk trailing soil across the carpet so I pulled a not so decorative Italian pot (ribs rather than leaves) from the wings and replaced it. I guess some autumnal fixing up is good though I wish they cared as much about the inside. But then, that would be major upheaval and I have enough of that for now.

Painting Flowers

I’ve finally begun the process of painting my flower pots. I’ve kept my terra cottas in the natural for these many years, enjoying the slightly orange color but it’s time for a change to More Color!

The paint is an inexpensive craft paint that I got at “the world’s largest”. For those who are interested—its seals say “Made in the U.S.A.” The paint slides on, and on slick surfaces such as plastic, glass or ceramics, it can just as easily slide off or any which way. As with most paints, two coats make a fuller color. This one is formulated for outdoors as well as in. Occasionally when I’ve told people that I paint flowers, the troubled question emerges, “But won’t it hurt them?” Normally I’m talking about painting a picture of a flower though I did work for awhile for a company that preserved bridal bouquets, which did call for painting on the flowers. (If you feel your lip curling at the thought; be assured that we did it very tastefully). But oops! Somehow I did actually get purple paint on this red hibiscus. And no, it didn’t hurt it.

Making the Best of What’s Left

I was recently away for over three weeks to be by my dad’s hospital bedside and then say goodbye. It was a very difficult time but there were good things as well, like being with family I hadn’t seen in a long time. While I was away, my husband did as well as a non-gardener could—probably saturating the plants. However, when he joined me at my family home for a week, the garden had to fend for itself. That was sad but I really needed him to be with me; he was grieving as well. The culmination of a week without water in outlandishly hot days caused a lot of death in my garden. More death was hard to come home to but I cut away the dead stuff—three bags-full and found that a lot of life remained. My garden would normally be burgeoning this time of year but though it’s diminished there are still signs of hope. I had to strip all the leaves from one plant but I could tell it was still alive; now tiny new leaves are poking out up and down the stems.

The Persian Shield and one of the Parrot Leaf plants didn’t fare well at all but I was pleased to find replacement plants at a greatly reduced price at the local garden center. A big box garden center had fuchsia and white-trimmed petunias and a large pot of trailing purple verbena. Though the petunias and verbenas each looked like one large plant in their large pots, I found that they were instead, several smaller plants intertwined, which worked better for planting them in the decimated hanging baskets. I spent most of yesterday moving pots around and sweeping dead plant leaves; it looked like autumn there were so many. The physical exertion distracted me from my grieving and might even help keep me healthy. But I was sore. Now I have more space and comfort to sit in the garden and write to you.

I had been planning to paint my pots in bright hues of red violet, blue violet, yellow orange and yellow green. I think I’ll do that soon—more color is a good thing; it soothes my soul. Stay tuned.

Hot & Cool

Last weekend, we got up early to beat the heat and take my coupons to the local greenhouse; the garden had a couple of open spaces that needed filling. My intent was to buy some of their small, brilliantly colored pots but someone else apparently had the same idea first so I looked once again to the flowers and foliage for color. I found something I had never seen before, a fringed, magenta/orange (together as though pooled in watercolor) coneflower! It looks like a Gerbera Daisy but the petals bend down in coneflower style. It was so cool, I couldn’t pass up the Hot Papaya Echinacea! Today, I repotted it to give it room to grow; as a perennial it should be around for a long time. The colors and shape go perfectly with my purple Angel Face Angelonia, red, orange and yellow-green Tropicana Cana and purple-leaved Persian Shield. As for the plain terra cotta pots? I may just pull out my paint brushes and paint them myself. The more color, the merrier.

Seat Upgrade

The rooster plant* is doing well in a southwesterly window; it’s even getting a few more yellow spots on its leaves and one has a long, fine point. However, like other tropical plants they need a lot of humidity. I mist the leaves with water daily but the small terra cotta pot I planted it in last summer dries out too quickly.


Today it gets to upgrade to a larger less-porous pot that will better hold in moisture, and give it room to grow.

The morning sun was most welcome after yesterday’s gray rain but it was only here for a short “visit.”


*So far, I've been unable to find the official name of the plant though I think it’s in the croton family. It’s an offspring of one of my friend G’s plants; her daughter called it a rooster plant and so it is. If you know its “given” name I’d like to hear from you.

Hand-Me-Down

Hand-me-downs (passing outgrown clothing to the next youngest sibling) have gotten a bad reputation over the years as undesirable and second-rate (not necessarily accurate) but in the garden they can be a boon to smaller plants. Yesterday’s repotting of the Areca Palm freed up the ceramic pot it was sitting in (as a jardinière) for my little Chinese Evergreen. The plant is an offspring of my friend G’s mature one; I had never seen one this small.

The small terra cotta pot I in which, I originally planted it tended to dry out too quickly. The non-porous ceramic pot will hold moisture better but it has to have a layer of gravel or broken pottery in the bottom for drainage. One of my garden books says it grows well even in water alone—with a little charcoal*.

Since Chinese Evergreens do well in low light, this one was a natural for my studio. Everywhere else the sun has returned in abundance.

*Crockett's Indoor Garden;(Little,Brown & Company)26

Room to Grow

About a year ago, I decided that I needed some of God’s creation in my studio to inspire my creativity so plants were the obvious solution since I have neither the room nor necessary commitment for an aquarium. The trouble is, and this makes for many difficulties, though my studio window faces south, the deep overhang makes for little natural light. Since I’m very fond of palms and I knew that Areca Palms were fairly easy to grow, I bought a tiny one for my worktable. My friend G. who has a deep green thumb started has with a tiny one and has grown it as tall as I am (average height)! Despite the low light and my latent discovery that they like “high light”, my little palm has at least doubled in size over the past year or so.


Between its increasing size and occasional dried out branches, I decided that it’s time to move the Areca out of its flimsy three inch plastic pot to a nicely designed red-violet non-porous five and one half inch pot. The extra two and one half inches suit it well and the red-violet color will look a lot better in my studio.

The Areca palm is also known as “Yellow Palm” and needs to be kept “thoroughly moist at all times”*, which is why a non-porous pot will work the best for it in the dry indoor air. The Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Houseplants also says that it’s a slow grower, adding only eight inches per year even in the best circumstances—a plus in indoor close-quarters. Slow growth also keeps the cost of repotting to a minimum as well as the weight of carrying it when it comes to moving time.

It rained so hard this morning that the rain uncharacteristically drenched my newspapered potting set up—but fortunately I got it done without my getting wet. And now the sun is peeking through.

True Purpose

It feels so good outdoors today, I didn’t want to come back in. I made the most of the occasion by sweeping up the balcony a bit—any excuse to be out there will do since I’m getting cabin fever with all the Christmas preparations; this is always an exacting task since the “floorboards” have space between and I don’t want to send any potting soil below. The pineapple sage and leftover basil stalks are still fragrant as I brush against them.

Inspired by Gayla Trail’s Grow Great Grub Organic Food from Small Spaces, in which she insists that “grub” (food) can be grown in the smallest of spaces—even a windowsill, I eyed my set of flower-decorated garden pots. I’ve lovingly carried these pots around since I was given them as a parting gift by my co-workers at my first “real” job; I was moving on to greater things. The pots however, have become a place to collect odd things that need recycling but I don’t know where to put them back into the cycle (light bulbs?).


I read a lot about “re-purposing” these days and I enjoy giving things additional purposes (often to keep them out of the landfill) but there’s nothing like getting back to an object’s (or a person’s!) original and true purpose. So I read the list of food plants that will grow in a “slightly shady” window, matching it with my supply of lettuce (two kinds), parsley and chives seeds. I emptied the pots, washed them thoroughly and added a thin layer of gravel for drainage, added soil then seeds, watered them and set them on the window sill. I’ll have to remember to water and drain them in the sink since the hole plugs are long gone and the holder doesn’t allow for saucers (I could put the whole thing in a saucer but it wouldn’t look as good). The “rooster plant” that reigns in this window has to move over; I’ll have to move them all out of the window at night to make way for the blinds. The seeds take about two weeks to sprout; I’ll keep you posted.

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. Colossians 1:15,16 NIV

Watch the Glow

This morning’s sunrise was so lovely that we had to pause our rushing long enough to savor the pink and gold glow. Later as I sat in front of the morning windows the sun slowly brightened then faded and brightened again, as though on a dimmer switch. As I sat writing, the occasional bursts of warmth felt good, besides I was getting my vitamin D. The sun wasn’t present for long or often so I didn’t expect my hands to get sunburned! Aloe vera, another good plant, soothed.

Checking through the plants, I discovered that though some were wet others were dry, though I watered them yesterday. Plants, especially those in containers, can vary in their watering needs according to the size of the container, what the container is made of (porous or non-porous), or its location in relation to a window or a heating vent. One side of a pot can be wet while the other side is dry; the entire pot has to be evenly watered or half the plant(s) can die so it’s best to check each one individually.

Morning Sun

I love seeing the morning sun shine in; I even made a sitting area by the windows so I could drink it in and naturally, the plants came to join me there.

I’m hunting through thrift shops for small ceramic pots for my really small indoor plants since the terra cotta ones dry out much too quickly when they’re that small. If I don’t find any, I’ll go back to the blue and yellow box store—or maybe the orange one. I need good quality, color (the “right” colors of course) and a low price.

The afternoon temperature is forecast to be 70 degrees—I need to arrange my time and activities to sit in the garden to soak up the warm sun there while I still can. The stores and radio stations are already leading up to Christmas, “its right around the corner.”

Just Getting Used to the World

My avocado plant is much happier indoors where it’s evenly warm though an avocado tree that has seen more than a hundred winters outside the Alamo—many with temperatures in the ‘teens, and ice, at last encounter, still branches broadly. But this young avocado is just getting used to the world.

Its temporary perch crowds and gives only moderate sunlight so I’ll be discovering a better spot soon. I’ll have to watch it closely to keep it from drying out (brown- spotted leaves are the price to pay) or I’ll have to transplant it to a plastic or glazed pot. I’d rather not disturb it unless it’s necessary, so I may be able to hold in some moisture by putting it in a jardinière (Wow, my spell-check recognized the word and automatically added the French accent. A jardinière is a decorative glazed pot in which to place a plainly-potted plant).

The painting in the photo is my mixed media painting, The Kingdom of Light based on Colossians 1:13,14.

Cracked Pots

“You have more success with your container gardening than I do,” my friend C. said. Sometimes. At times I have more success than other times but I just keep going—my only option would be to not garden at all. Unthinkable.

One thing that helps me succeed is my almost exclusive use of terra cotta pots outdoors because they have good drainage and can “breathe,” though they must be watered often in the heat of summer. Of course they eventually break down after years in the elements. The other night I picked up this pot of peppermint to put it under the table to protect it from the cold; the problem is, I picked it up by the rim. Oops, the rim stayed in my hand but the pot didn’t; I had some soil to sweep up. Perhaps I can glue it back but if I do the pot will have to be empty and clean—so I’ll wait ‘til next season. I’ve had it for many years so I’m not worried; I definitely got my money’s worth.

Plastic pots break down too—and fade in the sun. While broken pieces of terra cotta pots can be used for garden decoration or drainage in the bottom of another pot, broken down plastic pots can only be thrown out (not a good idea for the landfill!) or in some areas, recycled. However, plastic pots (or glazed pottery ones) can be preferable for indoor gardening since the dry air of homes from the furnace or air conditioning can dry out the plants more quickly than you expect.

The new growth on the peppermint plant has fuchsia stems!

Well Enough?

A couple months ago, a neighbor gave me some of her plant multiplications. When I brought them home my goal was to get them in soil or water as quickly as possible. This once-broken lavender bowl seemed to suit the prayer plant well; the plant has even sprouted a baby of its own. It’s been very happy here in its sunny window but today was the day for re-potting. Why mess with a good thing? The leaves overcome the shallow bowl, brushing against the shelf. Plants—and people, do better when given space for deeper roots.



I had recently gotten a good deal on a red-violet pot at the large blue and yellow box store that turned out to be just right for the prayer plant. When I removed the plant from its shallow bowl to repot it, I discovered that the root ball was also shallow. Now, in its new pot, not only can the roots go deep, it can hold its leaves up high and they’re less likely to get damaged.

When pots, such as this one, don’t have holes always put some broken pottery, gravel, etc. at the bottom of the pot (before you put the plant and soil in) for drainage.

After two weeks we finally got some rain last night with more to come today; it had been forecast for every single day this week. And I’m still in revival.

An Automatic Choice

I always look for Victoria Blue Salvia for my garden. Some years I don’t have to buy it since it is a biennial and returns the next season. Its small spiked purple flowers consistently bloom once it gets started. Though it’s called “blue”, there are very few truly blue flowers in nature.

This year, I planted the Victoria Blue’s in several pots—I got stuck once again with buying a whole pack (of 6) that I didn’t need. (The two big home improvement stores sold only 9-packs and large single pots. I don’t want or need that many. I’d rather buy one or two smaller plants that will grow into their places. With the return to downtown/center city living and the increase in multi-family communities, small gardens are the “in thing”—garden centers take note.) Location mattered. The ones in my long Italian terra cotta pots languish while the ones in the larger, deeper pot are flourishing to the point of overcoming their neighbors.


While the salvias’ arching lean is artistic, they were mashing and shading the heliotrope next to them. This heliotrope (the first one I bought) had enough trouble getting started, having severely dehydrated while riding home from the farmer’s market in the heat of the back window. Over the weekend I got a green plastic-coated heavy wire stake with a partial ring to prop up the Victoria Blue. (You can barely see it in the lower left of the picture) Though it now has an unnatural lean away from the sun, it will straighten its course when the sun returns.

Whenever that will be… We’re forecast to have heavy rain all week from Tropical Storm/Depression Lee. The humidity is bathtub high; the plants love humidity and they’ve got it. I’m not as big a fan though the birds don’t seem to mind. I could barely see the brown birds down the electric line loudly chirping their “call and response” but they looked like thrashers. A distant response answered their call.

Pressed Down, Shaken Together & Overflowing

A friend asked if I grow herbs. Always. They’re easy enough and I enjoy them on my avocado sandwiches. I grow basil, chives, pineapple sage (this year I found some!) and oregano. When I mentioned oregano, my friend exclaimed, “Oh, that can sure take over!” The picture here of my Golden Oregano confirms its abundance. In a pot, however, that exuberance is “contained”.

Mexican Petunias can also turn up most anywhere if planted in a flowerbed. I don’t know if it spreads underground or by prolific seeding. My potted one has better manners--yet another benefit of container gardening.

A Change in the Air

Today is one of those “golden” days when the temperature is cooler and a light breeze stirs. The slant of the sun has changed ever so slightly and sunset paints its colors half an hour earlier. I could stay in the garden all day in this weather, especially if I had a computer that could operate outdoors!

And it’s a good thing since Monday always calls for extra attention to the garden after a weekend of only hurried watering. There are dead leaves to trim and spent flowers to deadhead, vines to reroute. Often, as today, I have weekend plant purchases to repot; the garden centers’ small flimsy plastic pots cause the plants to dry out too quickly in my setting.

Happily, I finally found one of my all-time favorites, peppermint. I’ve been searching all season but all were either gangly or too expensive or both. Now, I finally have a nicely branching plant at a good price but after its sojourn in the dimly-lit parking garage entrance to Trader Joe’s, it’s stretching for every bit of sun it can get. To keep it branching, I think I need to make some tea. I grew up in “ice-tea” country and often enjoyed a sprig of mint in a tall glass but a brief trip to North Africa intrigued me with hot mint tea. Either way, I enjoy it’s fragrance as I brush against it so I put it within easy reach My iced tea sprigs often do double duty; when the tea is gone I often put the mint in a flower arrangement where it then roots and can later be planted—the ultimate “reuse”.

This particular peppermint plant doesn’t have a variety name but last year’s Kentucky Colonel Mint of “mint julep” fame proved too strong a flavor for my tastes, so I passed that one by.

I’ve seen no sign of the “giant” grasshopper since I last sent him flying. The birds like the weather too!

Time for a Haircut

My yellow-green sweet potato vine is thriving—all over the place. I’ve taken cuttings before to root in clear vases of water indoors but it’s time for more. I’ve enjoyed the beauty of the cuttings indoors so much that I’ve been reluctant to pot them outdoors. Encouraged by new cuttings on the way, I finally moved one to a large pot out front. By the look of the long loop of roots, I waited longer than is ideal. (The roots are pink!) It takes a little while for a plant with water roots to adapt to soil but with care, a plant this vigorous has no problem. In fact they’re so vigorous that they need a big pot since they grow a good-sized tuber or sweet potato (non-edible) underground. The pot therefore gets heavier as the tuber and its vine grows.

The best time to see the hummingbird, I’ve discovered, is morning but today as the temperature climbed I came face to face with him or her over the geranium.

Last night our gullies were again washed—this time with a bang!

Plan B

What a humid day! Last evening a blanket of gray clouds pressed down the oppressive heat. They were so heavy with moisture that I knew they’d have give it up. They did.

And that’s the problem—not the rain, we’re glad for it. It’s just that our gullies have been washed several times lately and uncharacteristically, the rain has inundated my garden. Usually welcome, the rain waterlogged my pot of hydrangea stem cuttings, causing several of them to rot—even though they were in a terra cotta pot.

So today I was able to rescue three cuttings and followed the rules more closely, putting them in a small plastic pot with a lighter “sterile” seed-starting medium. They’re now out of the way of downpours but I’ll have to watch closely that they don’t dry out. Many plant cuttings can be “just stuck in the dirt” and they will grow but apparently not these. I did add more rooting powder.

If you look closely at the picture on the right you can see tiny bits of new growth! We’ll see how it goes.

It’s yet another two-red-hibiscus-day and yes, the grasshopper was back. But not for long, I sent him flying--further this time.