Beyond Corsages

I was having such a good time in my art studio this morning that I didn’t want to leave so I’m running a bit late in posting today.

When I was a child I thought that the orchid corsages that all the ladies loved to wear for Mother’s Day and weddings were ugly. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would like yellow green or brownish pink flowers. Now that I’ve gotten to know some of the vast orchid family (the largest genus of flowers on earth), I’m smitten by them. From the yellow green and, brownish pink cymbidiums to the floaty white and fuchsia phalaenopsis or moth orchid, I can’t get enough. I love to paint them—especially the wildly colorful ruffled cattleyas in orange, magenta, red, photographing them at a local university greenhouse.

I attempt growing phalaenopsis—with hope, and I do well with growing their leaves once the flowers are spent. Alas, it’s orchid bloom season but my phalaenopsis isn’t blooming though it did make a new plant. I’m afraid to separate the two but maybe one day I will; I keep hoping the new one will bloom though if it did the flower stalk would come out upside-down. Maybe I can find some fertilizer* that’s not too chemically.

*My botany professor also insisted that, “fertilizer is not plant food—it’s fertilizer!”

No Bells

On mornings like this when I’m having trouble getting started—the nature of Mondays, gardening along with some lively music helps get me started.

While checking over the outdoor plants (brrr) I found that even the die-hard Million Bells were no longer blooming. However, I did find some new growth. In January. Outdoors.

Even the regular petunias in the same hanging basket have new growth. I’m having to rethink my whole concept of petunias; I’ve always considered them to be annuals to dig up at the end of the season and start over. None have given me any reason before to think otherwise. Yes, this winter has been milder than usual but we’ve also had some very hard freezes—and yet they’re eager to grow. It’s almost as though the petunias knew I was about to give up on them since they were so overtaken with bugs (the Million Bells in the same pot were untouched) early on last summer… I know, I know, as my botany professor said, “Plants don’t think!”

What’s This?

While tending the garden today I spotted this seedling coming up in a spider plant pot! It’s not unusual to find stray “weed” seedlings in outdoor pots, those brought by wind or wing but I potted the spider plantlets indoors with potting soil straight out of the bag. What is it? I looked more closely before I automatically plucked it out (I’m really pretty patient about letting things grow until I can see what they are). It’s a bell pepper seedling but I didn’t plant it! There are no birds or winds in here. We eat a lot of bell peppers for their fresh flavor, vitamins and color and the seeds do turn up in strange places but this is far from the kitchen. Who knows? However it got there, it seems I have a head start on spring planting!

We’re so thankful that not only is the sun back but the “rough weather” including tornadoes forecast for last night never developed because of a rain system to the south. Praise the Lord! Rain without trouble—a good thing.

Pushing the Envelope

Though a number of leaves have fallen—the pot dries out very quickly, this year’s Persian Shield has done better, longer than previous ones. Here in the U.S. Southern Piedmont the handsome purple plant is sold as an annual. For some reason they’re getting harder to find and can be a little expensive, so it’s good to be able to save money by overwintering it indoors. It looks a bit straggly now but in the spring I’ll prune it back—a little at a time since it tends to be slow to grow new branches and Lord willing, it will be even more handsome than before.


In looking on the internet I’ve found that the Persian Shield isn’t at all from Persia (Iran) but Burma (Myanmar). The common name likely comes instead from the shape of the leaves and maybe the metallic look (though I’ve been unable to locate any information on the internet about such ancient shields).

Apparently I’ve been “pushing the envelope” with these plants since they are classified as “tender perennials” and need to be brought in “when temperatures drop below 60 degrees F”, and I’ve found that they can stand up to a couple of freezes. I also read that I should let them dry out between waterings indoors—not unless I want them to completely wilt (http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/persian-shield.html)! The best thing is to follow the guidelines for plant care to a point, and then sees what works best in your setting.

*That’s an orchid cactus behind the Persian Shield.

Harmony

What an amazing sight! This morning as many as four male blue jays perched in the same tree—and they weren’t fighting! Another amazing thing is that I think this is my first bird picture (though through the window); I was actually able to push the button on my camera before they flew (well three of them anyway)!

Happily, the sun is back and it’s supposed to warm up.

Remember Lazarus?

Remember Lazarus, the nearly dead spider plantlet I found and rescued last summer? I had noticed while watering that a stem (or “umbilical cord”) from the main plant had somehow dried up so I followed it to its end and found a shriveled gray-green, though more gray than green, plantlet. I planted it in soil and watered it—just in case…This picture shows a slightly improved version of its condition. As it began to revive, I named it Lazarus after the man Jesus raised from the dead after Lazarus was in the grave for four days.


The biblical Lazarus was a marvel everyone wanted to see (John 12:9). The people had seen Jesus raise others and they knew of the prophets Elijah and Elisha having raised people from the dead but those were “immediate” raisings--shortly after the person had died. This one though, was really big since, as the King James Version has Martha, Lazarus’ sister say, “He stinketh”. Not to be too indelicate but Jesus not only raised Lazarus from the dead but he rebuilt and restored that which was being destroyed by decomposition (John 11:39). The Lord’s specialty is rescuing the people he created from destruction. No matter how bad a person’s life “stinketh”, Jesus can clean it up (Hebrews 9:13) and make it new—transform it (Yes, he still literally raises dead people to this very day). He loves doing it because it gives glory to his Father—what motivation (John 14:12-14)!

Lazarus the spider plant, as it is now bears little resemblance to the gray, shriveled plantlet I found and rescued; now that it has life pouring into it again from soil and water—it’s like a new plant!

*You can copy and paste any of these Bible references (or any others) into the search box at http://www.biblegateway.com and the scripture will come up.

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.

Times 2

Finally! My prayer plant has needed a taller pot to hold its trailing branches a little higher--out of harm’s way, so at last today is the day for it to move to its new pot. “But didn’t you already do that?” Yes and no. Yes, I already potted the other prayer plant in a coordinating pot, the other plant that bloomed, produced seed and grew a baby plant. Hmmm…I guess that means it’s been happy in the new pot. Hopefully, this one will be happy in its new pot too.

I’m rearranging my art studio (again) to function better, so I have to keep it short today. See you Monday—“Lord willing.”

Trying Again

I checked one of my favorite garden books, Crockett’s Indoor Garden, to see if there was something I could do better in getting my avocado to branch; last time I cut it, it continued reaching for the ceiling--with only one branch. Alas, Mr. Crockett only said that that’s the way things are with avocadoes—they don’t want to branch and don’t make very good houseplants.

I’m not giving up that easily; I like my avocado plants. Somewhere along the way I’ve seen a huge, bushy avocado growing in a home, so I’m going to keep pruning--not that I’m looking for huge. Sooner or later it just might decide to branch out. Today is the day, as you can see in these “before and after” the haircut shots.

Allow Me to Introduce

I’ve long been taken with palm trees to the point that nearly every time I see one I excitedly point it out, “Palm Tree!” My sister rolls her eyes but then, she sees them all the time and we don’t have all that many in my area.

Palms often turn up in my art representing the Tree of Life. I have no way of knowing what kind of tree the Tree of Life is but I do know that palms are Biblically significant since they were carved on the columns of Solomon’s Temple and palm branches turned up in the Apostle John’s vision of heaven. Meanwhile, it makes a good symbol.


So of course, I had to have my own date palm and at last, I’d like to introduce to you my largest plant, the pigmy date palm. I’ve had it for three or four years and it has done well in the sunroom’s southwest-facing windows. One garden book called it a “heavy waterer” and said it needs a quart and a half of water a week! But…not all…at once…I found out the hard way. It can’t hold all that any more than a person can.

I got a good deal on it at a certain large home improvement store but I should have checked it more closely—mealy bugs have been a constant plague. Unfortunately, I now know what to look for. I can’t deal with chemical remedies so from time to time I painstakingly remove them with a warm wet paper towel. When that’s not enough or I don’t get there in time, I simply cut away the damaged branch. It’s continually growing new branches, even without fertilizer. Incidentally, the mealy bugs have never migrated to other plants.

Though it takes extra upkeep, I’m very glad I added the beautiful palm to my garden.