The New Is Coming

Just as the year 2011 is finishing up, Oskar’s first bud has completed its cycle. And as the new year of 2012 is quickly approaching, the number two bud is beginning to unfold. I’m thinking that I don’t want to put Oskar back in the strong morning sun so the bud develops more slowly—so it will last longer.

At this time of the year I always like to assess the previous year, looking for a common thread and to remind myself, “Oh yeah, that’s what led up to that.” It’s also a great time to look ahead to the New Year to make plans all the while knowing that I have no idea what will happen next. However, I’d rather continue to “press on” to do the things I know I’m supposed to do, rather than float around at the mercy of circumstances.

I’ve spent nearly half of 2011 sharing my garden with you through this blog. I’ve enjoyed it; I hope you have too. I’d enjoy hearing from you either in the comment box or e-mail at leafyjournal@yahoo.com

Happy New Year!

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. 2 Corinthians 5:16-19

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. James 4:13,14

Mud Pies

Though my husband is a non-gardener he tells me that he really enjoys reading this blog each day, “It’s refreshing.” He does say that he grew things like “giant” corn stalks when he was young.

Today he reenters the gardening world with a creative gift from family, a tiny greenhouse of miniature flower pots to be planted with “fragrant herb” seeds.


Much like the set-up for Oskar’s growth, this kit has soil “pellets” that spring to life with the addition of lukewarm water. The little “soil muffins” grow and grow to be twice the size of the pots! There’s even soil left over. Mud pies. My husband declares it, “messy fun.”


Next come the nearly microscopic seeds, mint, marjoram and the tiniest ones yet—chamomile pressed into the fork—fluffed soil.


And finally, the clear plastic greenhouse gets closed up to hold in the moisture that helps seeds germinate; then it greets the world from a sunny window sill. The sun is burning off the frost outdoors and warms us indoors—inside and out.

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.

Better Late Than Never

Happy second day of Christmas! We once had a pastor who emphasized that Christmas isn’t just one day but twelve, and the relative freedom and relaxation that comes from not being so frenzied. There’s also less of a let-down he insisted. That resonated in my spirit.

Not only did we see periwinkles and a few azaleas blooming in the mild Christmas weather (50’s) but daffodils! The buds of the Bradford pear outside the window are also eager to burst forth. The really amazing bloom though is the bud I found on the “bronze-leafed plant”; this is the one that the plant vendor insisted, “Remember, it has to be really hot before it will bloom.” It was really hot last summer but no blooms and now it’s not and it’s beginning to bloom. Oh well, better late than never and I’m glad for flowers any time I can get them!

Maybe this winter won’t be too bad after all. I’ve always strongly disliked winter until I read in Psalms that God created the winter (Psalm 74:17). Since then, I’ve been asking the Lord to teach me how to appreciate winter. My friend the (small) garden center owner says that we need winter to “wipe out the bugs. Without it, they’d take over.” Amen to that!

Merry Christmas!

Oskar’s number one bud is in full bloom! Oskar has taken its place out of the sunlight (to preserve the blooms) as our Christmas centerpiece.

Since Christmas comes on the weekend and I only post on weekdays, I’ll wish you a Merry “Christmas Eve Eve” today. Though you may not have money for a lot of gifts or be able to be with family, Jesus’ birth is worth thoroughly celebrating and makes your life better whatever situation you’re in.

After I finished my lunch carrot the other day I spontaneously planted the top in a pot among the basil plant remains. My Brownie Scout manual had had pictures and instructions for growing greenery with kitchen scraps; why not? I had nothing to lose. Though what was originally planted is dying, new growth has already sprouted. It won’t make a new carrot but it just may make some lush green growth in these barren months—out of something ordinarily cast off. I see it as a sign of hope.

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Then he (Jesus) rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Luke 4:18-20 NIV

This is why he came; he came for you.

O Come Let Us Adore Him!

Don’t blame the innkeeper for sending Mary and Joseph out to the stable for Jesus to be born; it was all a part of God’s plan. It’s only fitting that when the Creator of everything (the Ultimate Artist; Colossians 1:15-17) was born among his creation, that he would literally be born among his creation. Historians say that the “stable” was likely a cave where livestock were kept, in effect, outdoors. The Star shone above, in the sky he created and the animals he created slept nearby.

Where else could the shepherds, outdoorsmen that they were, get in to see and worship the baby Jesus, the “Savior…Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:8-11)?

Winter begins today with a forecast of 70 degrees! Maybe the globe is warming but whether it’s a normal cycle or caused by excessive fossil fuel use—excessive fossil fuel use definitely damages plenty; we need to take care of God’s creation, which includes us and our health.

Falling from the Sky

Clumps of matted and molted leaves woven through with pine needles and who knows what else fell from the sky accompanied by loud machine buzzing. A large shadow loomed above, just behind the cascade. We had been warned that the gutter cleaners were coming (at last), warned to move our cars and cover our patio furniture to protect them from “falling debris.” But “Chicken Little” need not have worried; the overhang edged by the non-functioning gutters extends well past my garden. As for cars under gutters—highly unlikely.

Not only were these gutter cleaners neat, their timing was impeccable since rain has been falling from the sky since; rain is forecast to be falling every remaining day of the week—even Christmas. But we can make it cozy indoors.

Oskar’s number one bud has burst forth in bloom! Since it’s cool and rainy, the flowers will last longer. If it were sunny, I would put an amaryllis in a cool spot away from direct sun to keep the flowers fresh. The same would be the need for any cut flower; never put cut flowers on top of the TV or any other hot spot if you want them to last.

Surprise!

This is what I love about gardening, the surprise of finding new growth—especially when it’s ahead of schedule. The seed packets say that the seeds will germinate in 14-21 days! But I only planted them at the end of last week and here they are sprouting all over the place and reaching for the sun!


Oskar’s bud has been beautifully unfolding over the weekend.
Saturday—the color begins to develop and two flowers are visible.



Sunday morning—the buds break free of their enclosure and surprise, there are four flowers!



Early this morning, the flowers take their final positions and begin opening!
Will they open in time for Christmas? Lord willing, yes! And into the second day of Christmas and more. The box said that Oskar would bloom in 8-10 weeks from planting. Oskar did have a head start in that it already had a bud but from that small beginning to now has only been 3 weeks!

Life in its beginnings--and endings can happen faster than you think. Be ready. Most of the time this kind of admonition causes people to think of death and it is very important to make sure you’re following Jesus before that time comes but I also mean for it to apply to answers to prayer. Popular sentiment says, “God does things in his time, not ours…” in effect we shouldn’t truly expect God to answer our prayers anytime before, maybe 20 or 40 years from now. King David, a “man after God’s own heart”, didn’t pray that way; he prayed for God to answer him “quickly!” (Psalm 70:1; Psalm 71:12; Psalm 141:1 and more)

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6 KJV)

If you pray casually, not expecting an answer any time soon, don’t be surprised at a delay but if you pray diligently (in agreement with Jesus’ teachings) there’s a strong possibility that God will answer you quickly (if not, keep on praying as did Jesus’ example of the widow bugging the unrighteous judge (Luke 18:1-8)! In this parable, Jesus promised quick action.

Multiplication

My airplane plant a.k.a. spider plant has been very productive in the warm months; it was time to let some of its babies grow on their own. I gathered up my empty plastic pots, washed them in hot soapy water and filled them with potting soil. Then I snipped off plantlets that most needed the nourishment of soil—and that fit the pots. I’ve been saving shallow clear plastic containers for saucers; buying them would be about 69 cents apiece! These new little plants will make good Christmas presents.


Though I potted ten or eleven plantlets, the daughter plant (daughter of my original plant) has plenty more in various stages of growth—a couple dozen.