Houseplant Garden

New Blog - And This One's A Keeper!!

2010-03-11T21:51:00.000Z

Not really sure if anyone reads this or not but if you do, don't. I'm moving because I'm getting married and with my new life will come a new start in everything including my blog. No more plant blogs, or cake blogs, just a me blog. I dare say there will be plants and there will be cakes but it will not be exclusive.

I'd love to see you there.

http://mrsluciawright.blogspot.com/

Ow Ow Ow!

2009-09-22T16:25:00.001+01:00

A few years ago I had my navel pierced and have never had any bother with it. I followed the instructions the woman gave me regarding keeping it clean. She also told me it would ‘grow out’ at some point and faster on me than on most due to how thin I was. That isn’t a problem for me now since I’ve gained a good couple of stone in the last couple of years (something I’m happy about as I have pretty much always been underweight). Today I had to have an MRI at the hospital (nothing to worry about). Due to the fact it’s made of a very strong magnet I had to remove all my jewellery. For me this meant removing my belly bar and for longer than the usual few seconds I take it out for to change it on the rare occasions that I actually do change it. Technically it shouldn’t have been a huge problem. I’ve had it for ages and therefore it should stay open for at least a couple of days (or at least that’s what I thought). I got home after the scan and attempted to put it back in.

OW OW OW!!

It would not go in for love nor money. There was blood, there was pain but there was no way on earth it was going back in. And so I gave up for a while and threw some antiseptic cream on my ‘wound’ and sat, feeling sorry for myself with a coffee. A little while later I decided to give it another go and this time I thought I’d go at it at a different angle. This seemed to work, though not without some more bleeding but I’m pleased to say it’s now back in place on my slightly flabby and untoned tummy.

I go away for a few days tomorrow with JJ and in preparation I have girlied up right nice and painted my nails. I can wear nail polish at work but I doubt I’d get away with these colours!

View Full Album

We’re off out now to go and see my mum and dad for dinner. See you in a week.

I Fell Asleep

2009-09-21T16:51:00.001+01:00

I was browsing eBay to find something nice and the next thing I realised I was waking up feeling overly hot and heavy-headed. I had fallen asleep with my laptop on my lap (just like it says on the tin) and the central heating on. Couple this with the fact that I was sitting next to the radiator and my situation soon explained itself. Still, I got up and continued my quest and now…

Bake some low fat low sugar blueberry muffins to take with us to JJ’s parents (his mum is on a diet)
~~Buy myself something nice off eBay.~~
Go out and try to find some Autumn leaves to take pictures of.
Post about all of these things.

…item 2 is off the list in the form of this lovely cardigan.

I’m sick of wearing fleeces in the winter as I don’t find them especially feminine and I thought this would do the trick and keep me warm. Hopefully it won’t take too long to be delivered and I’ll be able to take it with me on my upcoming travels.

Tomorrow I will make the muffins, I got all the ingredients sorted earlier. I also got some Southern Comfort, a treat I have not enjoyed for many a year. The taste takes me back to a time when, in an effort to be artistic or something, I would have a glass of Southern Comfort and ginger ale of an evening whist reading something poignant or more often and watching a few episodes of the most brilliant show ever written, The Office.

I’m actually making myself sound as if I had or have some sort of drinking problem, and given the fact that I was working as a checkout operator in a supermarket at the time I suppose that’s highly likely but regardless, The Office and Southern Comfort were a great combination. Interestingly, the place I work now is actually very reminiscent of the series and in case you were wondering, it’s just as funny when you live it!!

R & R

2009-09-21T14:08:00.001+01:00

The 2 weeks I have been waiting for all year are finally here! It’s my 2 weeks off. No unwanted early mornings, no having to go out in the rain and no having to be polite to people I’d much rather scream at for TWO WHOLE WEEKS!!

Tomorrow I have no plans, nor do I have any today but on Wednesday we’re going to go and see JJ’s parents for a short visit and I’m really looking forward to it. After that with any luck we might be going to see another friend who lives by the coast but that’s not definite yet. In the mean time I have nothing to do other than enjoy the fact I have nothing to do. It’s bliss quite frankly. Right now I’m laying in bed (I should point out that I’ve been out this morning to pay rent and also been shopping for food and have since gone back to bed). And so I’ve set myself some little things to do (nothing strenuous in fact they’re more treats than tasks).

Bake some low fat low sugar blueberry muffins to take with us to JJ’s parents (his mum is on a diet)
Buy myself something nice off eBay.
Go out and try to find some Autumn leaves to take pictures of.
Post about all of these things.

Not necessarily in that order, I will get these all done by Wednesday morning.

For now I’m happy to lay in my nice warm bed while JJ sleeps (of course) and get to work on item 2 on my list.

Testing 1 2 3…

2009-09-15T18:38:00.001+01:00

I’ve heard it said that in a lifetime the average person will only use ten percent of their brain. In my case I’d say it’s probably more like five percent but that’s beside the point. The point is I’m blogging with Windows Live Writer, a program I didn’t even realise I had on my computer until a moment ago and it makes me wonder quite how much of this computer I don’t use!

Anyway, that’s it really. It started off sounding quite like this was going to be a very profound post but as it turns out…it wasn’t.

Treasure Hunting

2009-09-06T19:12:00.005+01:00

We went to the car boot sale today in search of treasure. Considering the number of people that had stalls there, I was a little disappointed with what we eventually came home with. What we got was great I just wish we'd found more. Some of it we keep, some we sell. Today I'd say it was definitely half and half.

It was pretty busy but mostly baby clothes and toys. We went round the whole thing twice to make sure we didn't miss anything.

Here's JJ hunting around for a bargain.

So, in the end we found a few bits and here are my favourites.

This lovely little plant pot holder that I've used to put my cutting in (still not got a clue what that cutting is). I love the colour of it and I think it looks really nice with the plant and it was just fifty pence.

This top from New Look. I might not get a lot of wear out of it this year but it will be great next year. Never been worn and just £2.00

Finally, this lovely silk purse/makeup bag/jewellery pouch. We've decided to put this one on eBay as I really don't need it. It was only £1.00 so I don't think we'll have any problems getting our money back.

After the car boot sale we came home and have spent the afternoon doing housework and watching The Dukes of Hazzard (original one). I love a bit of good, mindless entertainment.

And with that I kiss goodbye to yet another weekend and start counting down to the next one.

xx sweet dreams everyone xx

Bathroom Plants

2009-09-06T17:43:00.004+01:00

I had a bit of a tidy up of the plants in the bathroom and a bit of a shuffle around. The African Violets are now all tidied and spread out a bit since the seem to be growing faster than their pots can hold them.

I've potted up the cutting the gardener at work gave me and have decided to call her Jade since her colour is a very dark green and she's sat next to my jade plant Hugo.

Let's just hope she grows roots now.

The Poshest Wee Of My Life

2009-09-05T16:40:00.000+01:00

Saturday was nice. It didn't start out that way as we were awakened by the sound of the postman dropping the electricity bill through the letterbox and it was considerably higher than the last one. We soon overcame this little annoyance however and decided to take a trip out on the train to Stamford to rummage through the charity shops. We like looking for bargains both for ourselves and to sell on eBay.

And so we got up and went out before the weather had a chance to change it's mind and rain on our parade, making our way as quickly as we could to the train station. When we got there the queue for tickets was not appealing and so I used the automated ticket machine and then headed over to find out what platform we needed to be on. Unfortunately the ticket machine had failed to mention that there were no trains to Stamford that day due to repair works being carried out and instead replacement bus services were in operation.

The bus actually arrived in Stamford sooner than the train would have (don't ask me how) which was really good news and so we had longer to look round for exciting treasure that somebody else no longer wanted. I found myself a lovely Per Una jumper (peach) which will be really cosy when the winter gets here. JJ found a book that he thought I'd like (and he was right) and so he bought that for me too. We found a few little bits and bobs for eBay too.

After a good few hours of roaming the streets we felt the need for a sit down and in my case a cup of tea and so we went into a lovely little cafe called 'The Rained Off Cafe'

Once we were feeling a little more revived we went to feed the ducks before coming home. What we didn't count on was the ducks all seemingly on a hunger strike as not one of them seemed interested in any of our meager offerings. All was not lost however as several pigeons seemed happy to take up our offer of a good meal.

So it wasn't a complete wash out.

Finally it was time for us to go and catch the bus home. We went back to the train station to wait for the bus (weird no?) and it was at this point we both realised that not only were the trains not running to Stamford but the station was closed as well. This wasn't a problem in itself but we were counting on using the public toilets before getting the bus home. Fortunately we still had a little time before the bus arrived and so we went on a high speed search to find some public facilities. It was at this point that JJ spotted this...

Ok I thought, why not. The plan was to get a drink at the bar and then use and abuse the lav. And so we walked in to what turned out to be a courtyard!!

It was at this point I started thinking 'I'm getting a bit out of my depth here'. But on we went. The bar was surreal. I didn't dare take any pictures in there as it was filled with posh people wearing matching tweed jackets and speaking in funny voices. I have never drank a glass of coke so fast in my life. Three gulps and it was gone. Once I'd had the drink I could use the loo and leave. And so we were faced with the next mission.. finding the loo's.

What I discovered turned out the be the poshest, most elaborate and over the top ladies room I have EVER seen!!

And so, I had the poshest wee of my life and it made me feel a bit like the queen.

That is all!

What A Difference A Day Makes

2009-09-04T06:50:00.002+01:00

I woke yesterday feeling hungover. This was strange since I'd not had a drink for at least a month so I put it down to general tiredness from 2 of the most appalling weeks at work it had ever been my misfortune to suffer. On top of this the weather was very wet, windy and rainy when I woke up. It quickly changed throughout the day, then changed again and again and again. From rain to sun and back and forth until not a single creature wasn't feeling some tinge of confusion.

That confusion was compounded for me during dinner last night. JJ and I were sat eating our gammon and mash when all of a sudden there was a mighty knock on the door. I got up to go and see who it was and to my surprise it was our friend Dennis with a very bewildered looking taxi driver! Dennis is both deaf and blind and apparently, two weeks ago, we had arranged for him to come over that evening. The usual arrangement when this happens is JJ goes down to meet him from the taxi and then one of the support workers from where he lives meets him at the other end on his return. This time however we had no idea he was coming.

On top of this we'd made plans for some other friends of ours to come round. Fortunately they both know Dennis (one of them works with him too) so it wasn't the end of the world, just a bit odd. Once the shock had worn off it was a very nice evening involving ginger cake, ginger wine and plenty of cups of tea.

Today is brighter...

The sun is shining, the sky is blue. I don't feel quite so tired and it is the last day on my 'Job from hell' as the woman I'm covering for is back next week and normality can resume. Tomorrow is Saturday and still, at this precise moment in time no firm plans are made so I'm penciling in a lie-in with a cup of tea followed by a mystery tour somewhere weather permitting.

And with that I must away as I should have been getting ready for work for the last half hour and instead I've been blogging.

Have a super day everyone!

Is It The Weekend Yet?

2009-09-02T06:57:00.004+01:00

Yesterday was one of those days that I would quite happily forget about. It should be buried deep in the recesses of everyone's mind as the trauma of remembering it might make me NEVER go to work again. With that in mind I won't dwell on it second longer save to say that it was a poo-like day at work.

As I was watering my plants yesterday I noticed Winston the Umbrella plant is indeed getting a new leaf as I suspected. I won't post pictures yet but I'm planning on taking one each day and seeing how fast it grows.

As for today it's bleak and gray, I have zero energy and am currently sitting in bed chanting five more minutes. I WILL get up soon (five more minutes). Thank goodness it's a short week this week. It's usually the way where I work that the short weeks feel the longest due to the amount of crap we have to squeeze in.

The weekend shouldn't take too long to arrive and for the first time in a long time we have nothing planned which is good. I dare say by the time it gets here something will be booked in but for now I'm looking forward to the prospect of a lazy one. That said, I have been enjoying our trips to the car boot sale on Sundays as you never know what you're going to find there. We tend to try and find stock for our little eBay empire but often end up with more junk for the flat and I'd quite like to go this weekend but I've a feeling it might rain so we'll wait and see.

Oh well, I think my five minutes are up. Time to haul myself out of bed. Have good days people.

The Last Day of August

2009-08-31T21:28:00.005+01:00

I have no energy. It's been a nice day but not a strenuous one so I can't really figure out why I feel so drained. It could be emotional fatigue as I went to the cinema with JJ and Lisa today to see The Final Destination in 3D. Those sorts of films are not my cup of tea at the best of times so with things seemingly being launched towards my face at deadly speed was quite harrowing. All in all the film was so bad it was good. I wouldn't go to see it again but I don't regret going (although the 3D glasses seem to have given me a headache). I think I may have also had a little too much coffee over the course of the day as I feel a bit jittery.

Tomorrow is the start of September. As of tomorrow there are only 7 months until I become Mrs JJ!! I'm so excited at the thought and have decided to start blogging a bit more about the wedding stuff. Most of the organisation is done for the moment and I can't do any more until we're a little further down the track. All I can do is sit around getting more and more excited. I have my dress, which is beautiful and perfect and fits like a glove which means I need to try to stay exactly as I am for the next 7 months. No diets but equally not too many cakes! Yikes. More on Wedding stuff soon.

Back to work tomorrow after the BANK HOLIDAY. *cringe* Not looking forward to the huge task that awaits me but you never know, perhaps we'll have a miracle power cut or something and have to stay closed.

Sweet dreams everyone.

Beauty Where I Live

2009-08-31T08:51:00.002+01:00

It was a lovely day yesterday. We went to see the show I mentioned in yesterdays post and the concert was amazing and enjoyed by us all. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take pictures as cameras weren't allowed. Fortunately before we left that morning I had a bit of time to wander around the area I live in and take some pictures in the sunshine while it lasted. Summer is leaving us and it feels more and more like autumn with every day that passes.

I've been meaning to take a picture of this tree since the Spring. I pass it every morning on my way to work and every evening on my way home but am always in too much of a rush, be it to get to work or home from the madness of work, to stop and take a picture. I'm not sure what sort of tree it is but I think it's lovely.

This little spider caught my attention while I was walking around.

A tree before all the leaves change colour and fall. The sky is a really different blue this week. Last week it was summery, now it looks colder and more distant.

The shadows are longer now too. Won't be long until the clocks go back and the nights draw in. As much as I feel sad each year when the summer puts on it's coat and goes away, I feel equally excited at the prospect of winter's arrival with it's cozy nights and sunggly jumpers. Scarfs, gloves and hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Not much longer now.

Umbrella Plant News

2009-08-31T08:33:00.002+01:00

Winston has what I suspect is the beginnings of a new leaf. I know that it might not seem very exciting but when you look at these plants as closely has I have been it becomes exciting.

At first I thought this was some sap or mould or something gross, like a fly had died there.

I left well enough alone though and a couple of weeks later you can see that it does indeed seem to be showing promise of some growth.

I love little miracles like this. Sometimes we're so busy we perhaps don't notice how magical and amazing our world is. All this is happening before our eyes but too slowly for us to see.

Sometimes it's nice to slow down and see the little pictures that make up the big one.

Spider Plant News

2009-08-31T08:05:00.006+01:00

Bernard has a runner!! I knew it was only a matter of time given how huge he's become.

As you can see he's looking very healthy and I'm hoping to be able to propagate some babies soon.

Sitting next to Bernard is a new Spider Plant I got on a recent trip to B & Q. There were four plants in one pot so I split them up and have 2 in the kitchen and 2 in the living room.

The one that I've put next to Bernard I have called Bernadette and amazingly, that one has also got a runner on it so I'm really pleased.

In case anyone was wondering, the two in the kitchen are Rosie and Jim, and the one in the living room is to be known from this day forward as Carl (I have no idea why).

Sunday

2009-08-30T08:42:00.003+01:00

We're having a day out today. JJ, Jimmy, Lisa and I are going to Leicester for the MJ51 Michael Jackson tribute dance show. I think it'll be really good and I'm excited about going. Hopfully I'll be able to take a few pictures though I'm not sure what the rules are about that so it's a case of wait and see.

Yesterday was a good day. We went to a car boot sale round the corner from our flat which wasn't as good as I'd hoped but it made a nice change. From there we went to town and wandered round all the charity shops looking for exciting things to put on eBay. We didn't find a great deal but it was nice just spending time together. At 12 we had to go and meet Jimmy since he was staying over at ours so we met him and then came home and watched a film (JJ translated or interpreted or relayed it for Jimmy). Then I cooked a roast dinner which confused me a bit because that's normally a Sunday dinner but obviously we're out today. We didn't really do a lot in the evening, just had an early night and now we're ready for today's adventure.

The sun is shining and I've feeling it's going to be a great day.

Oh, and is it me or is there a strong hint of Autumn in the air?

New Glasses

2009-08-27T18:19:00.002+01:00

Today I picked up my new glasses.

Here are my OLD glasses.

And here are my new ones...

And here are my other new ones...

And here is the pretty little case for me to keep them in (yay)

"I'm sure they were fashionable when you got them"

2009-08-22T06:52:00.006+01:00

I had an appointment at the optitians yesterday, the result of long winded series of events that began with a really bad pain in my eye on Saturday at the Lemur Day. The pain went away for a bit on Sunday but then on Monday it was back with a vengence. It made me want to cry but I muddled through. Then on Tuesday it was still there and I started to get a bit annoyed with it and a bit concered about the cause of it so I told my boss I was off to the opticians as there was no way I could work in such pain. Anyway, the first opticians told me they had no appointments and that was that. So I went to Specsavers (God bless em) and they too informed me that there was no appointments but that my best bet would be to make an appointment for later and go to the walk in centre as they often refer cases of pain to there for a doctors opinion. So I decided to make the opticians appointment for the Friday (yesterday) as it was my day off.

So it was off to the Walk-In centre for me. When I got there, clutching me eye I had to sit and wait to see the nurse. She did a sight test and asked me some questions and...that was it!! She said that I needed to go to the eye clinic and promptly made me an appointment for 3pm that day. Well, I was sure work would not be pleased at the prospect of me buggering off twice in one day but by now it was hurting that much I didn't really care and said thank you to the nurse and went back to work to give them the good news.

I had 4 hours until my appointment and work was really hard since I had to try to smile at customers and not look like some bizarre pirate. Somehow I managed to get through the day and walk back to the hospital to see the eye doctor. He had a look at my eye and gave me some rather excellent anesthetic drops that made it feel very strange when I blinked. It was then that he informed me that what I actually had was a very healthy eye with a migraine in it!!?
I really didn't know you could get migraine JUST in your eye but apparently you can. It finally wore off on Wednesday afternoon.

This brings us back to yesterday when I had my appointment for the opticians. I'd not had a sight test for 3 years so I was overdue and decided to keep the appointment. It's all gone very high tech in there, you have your eye exam in a room the size of a cupboard using gizmos and gadgets. Very cool.

The examination concluded that my sight has deteriorated ever so slightly over 3 years. Not enough to be a concern but enough for them to say I need new glasses. (Of course). At first I was a bit annoyed because nobody likes forking out loads of money of course but after I started trying on a few pairs I realised how much I dislike my existing pair now. The lady helping me choose new pairs said

"I'm sure they were fashionable when you got them 3 years ago but... "

and then she trailed off. Hmmm

So now I have to wait 7 working days bah!!! I'll be going along to collect them on Friday next week (two pairs, one normal one prescription sun glasses).

I hate waiting for stuff. I'm the most impatient person imaginable when it comes to waiting for stuff but on this occasion I have no choice.

Have a good Saturday everyone. I'm off to work.

Photos!

2009-08-20T21:30:00.005+01:00

Ok so it's time for a catchup with the plants.

Firstly, Bernard is doing really really well. I'm really hoping that he puts out some runners soon as I really want to get some cuttings and fill the flat with Bernards.

Desmond the Rubber Plant is also doing really well. So he's had 2 new leaves and has 2 more on the way.

The African Violets are all doing well too. No sign of the flowers stopping any time soon.

The Prayer Plants, Ezekiel and Jeremiah are looking pretty much the same as far as I can tell. I've had lots of new leaves from the smaller leafed one but it doesn't seem to be getting much bigger.

Hugo the Money Plant, one of my oldest and most hardy of plants is going from strength to strength. I've taken SO many cuttings and it just makes him stronger.

As for the cuttings...

I can't work out if they're growing or not. I don't think they've taken root but they're certainly not dying or even close to it.

I think that will do for updates for now. I have 4 new plants but I'll tell you about those tomorrow. I'm off to bed.

Mans Best Friends

2009-08-20T17:47:00.003+01:00

I didn't have time to take any pictures but the strangest thing just happened. I was walking home from the bus stop after work and as I came up near my flat two cute dogs came bounding over to me (staffies) and jumped up at me for cuddles. Neither of them had collars on so I had idea where they were from. Since they were on a road and it was a hot day I decided to bring them in and give them water. I sorted that out and then went out to look for their owner leaving them with JJ. As luck would have it I picked the right direction to go looking in and found their owner almost instantly. So I told him to come and get them from our flat and he told me they'd been out playing in the garden and got out. He wasn't much of a conversationalist but I managed to get out of him their names, Daisy and Benson (I assume after the cigarettes).

So they've gone now but it sure was nice to meet those guys!!

Some People Should Be Put In A Farm...

2009-08-20T06:53:00.002+01:00

Today I will not be wearing any make up. The reason? I'm too tired and that's tired with a capital T and too with a capital OO. I went to the cinema last night with JJ since it was Orange Wednesday. We both have Orange phones and so we decided to see 2 films. G.I. Joe and Harry Potter 6. Harry Potter was amazing (as always) but G.I. Joe was WAY too drawn out for my liking. It was like, how many action shots can we cram into a relatively short film (it was actually an hour shorter than H.P. but felt about an hour longer - weird).

So after the cinema JJ and I were messing about waiting for our taxi to arrive and gathering outside near the front entrance a swarm of Chavs were slowly gathering in their Chav Mobiles. First there was a car of chavettes or as I believe the clinical term to be Sows. Next pulled up 2 males. For some reason, chav men always put me in the mind of Staffordshire Bull Terriors. I think that's why they are the chosen breed of dog for a lot of these people, pheramones.

Finally, another car pulls up containg a mixture of both sexes of chav and it was at this point that one of the little *%*^@*'s decides to try and pelt JJ and me with an egg. Fortunately for us, years of drug abuse, coupled with a low IQ (most likely caused from one to many blows to the head as a child from chav parents) meant that they had the aim of a blind sedated sheep in a straightjacket. The egg missed us for a direct hit but we got some splashback. Luckily our taxi arrived not long after and we were able to escape before I lost all sense of reason and bit one of them in their face.

Ahh happy days.

Cutting it!

2009-08-19T07:34:00.003+01:00

Still haven't got round to doing the photo post that I still definitely intend to do. It's not that I've been busy as such, just that I have no energy left by the time I get home from work and end up slumped in a beanbag until I drag my lazy arse into bed. I'm off on Friday though so I'll make sure I get snappy in the morning before I have a chance to wear myself out.

I've been given a cutting by the gardener at work because I got chatting to him about my plants and he took a shine to me so I have a huge leafy thing that he says should root in about 2 months. He's said I should wait for it to get roots in water before planting it in soil but everything I've learned from books/websites tells me that the roots grown in water are more brittle and may drop off when planting it in soil anyway and so I think I'm going to pot it up with rooting hormone on Friday and hope for the best.

Right, time for another day at the exhaustion factory. TTFN

Christmas Lemurs

2009-08-16T18:15:00.004+01:00

The weekend has been truly amazing. On Saturday I finally got to experience my Christmas present from JJ. A day at the zoo, during which I got to go into the Lemur enclosure and give tthem their dinner. It was a day I'll never forget and always be grateful for. I was so happy during my time in the cage, covered in fruit being pulled about by greedy little hands. They are and will always be my favourite animal. Normally, their diet at the zoo is veg and so when people come along for the 'Contact Session' the person feeding them (on this occasion ME) gives them fruit and they go a bit mental for it. As you can see from the picture they were all pretty eager to get their share of the fruit. Their favourite seemed to be grapes because while there were grapes in the bucket the wouldn't accept anything else, I'd offer them melon, banana and apple and they'd hand it back to me and wait for a grape! Hilarious!! There was also sweetcorn and carrot in the bucket but they really weren't interested in that until all the yummy fruit was gone.

There were obvious pack leaders in the group that were more forthcoming in their dining habits and others, one in particular, that were visibly smaller and lower down in the ranks. They just sort of hovered at the back and waited patiently. I was leaning over to give the littlest lemur a grape at one point and one of the greedy fat ones grabbed my hand and pulled it towards his mouth. Words can't do justice to how cute they were.

When I came out of the cage after all the food had been devoured I felt so happy for what I'd just experienced I just burst into happy tears. I think it is safe to say that it was the most amazing Christmas present of my life.

I'm here I'm here... sorry

2009-08-15T09:30:00.003+01:00

Been a long time again. This seems to be a trend for me and blogs. Today I am going to feed Lemurs at Hamerton Zoo. I'm very VERY excited about it as Lemurs are my absolute favourite animals and this will be the closest I've ever been to them. I get to go in the enclosure with them and feed them fruit. It will be an amazing experience I'm sure. I'm very lucky as this was a present (a Christmas present actually) from my beloved JJ.

As for the plant news I intend to do a bit of a photo session later on as I've had a bit of a move around and there are a couple of new additions, plus the sad loss of a couple of plants. I've decided I want to get a Sweetheart Vine to stand in the corner of the living room.

Everything In General (not a plant in sight)

2009-07-16T06:49:00.003+01:00

I've decided that writing about plants, though fun, is slightly restrictive when it comes to blogging and so, with that in mind I'm opening it up to whatever I want to write about. Of course plants will still feature heavily on here but there'll be other stuff too. General life happenings will now be listed under the tag GLH.

With that in mind I wanted to share my latest piece of creativity for anyone reading that hasn't already see it.

And so I give you, Mon and Ewe...

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Thanks for watching

2009-06-30T09:22:00.003+01:00

I've taken even more cuttings from Hugo the Money Plant. At the rate I'm going the poor thing will end up as a stump. It was annoying me that he looked lopsided and so I got to work with the scissors and I think he'll thank me for it in the long run. Plus I have five more cuttings to put up making a total of nine. If they take root I'll have an army of them!!

The hot weather means I'm watering all of my plants more frequently and they all seem to be growing well for it. The only one that seems to be struggling is Tom the tomato plant. He has flowers and is about three feet tall and taking over the bathroom, but is constantly looking sorry for himself. Not sure what will happen there but he is my first tomato plant and I had no idea what I was doing. Next year I may get a few and read up on the best way to keep them.

Anyway, time to go out now. I'll do a picture update later in the week off all the guys.

A Day Off

2009-06-30T08:58:00.003+01:00

No work for me to day. Joy and rapture, I get to work another Saturday but, again, compensation comes in the form of a day off in the week. Not much planned today as not much cash to do it with. We might go to see My Sister's Keeper at the cinema. It was one of those books I always intended to read but didn't and now the film is out, I might as well see it instead (FOR SHAME)!

Got to go to the post office first to send off a load of eBay stuff (there goes the money and *sigh*).

Have a great day everyone.

One Year Ago Today..

2009-06-24T18:08:00.005+01:00

JJ and I got engaged in Disneyland Paris! I can't believe it's been a year already and in less than ten months I'll be his wife. To celebrate we went for a meal at Pizza Hut... nothing extravagant but then neither are we. While I sat and ate I noticed out the window a certain little favourite haunt of mine (hehehe).

And so after our lovely meal JJ and I walked across to Homebase and I picked out this nice little Dragon Tree that I've called Dennis.

After we got Dennis we took him with us to the cinema to see Transformers 2 which was pretty amazing by anyone's standard.

And now we're home. Exhausted after a fun day and toasty from the sunshine. Back to work tomorrow but a nice day off to break up the monotony really does go a long way.

My Day Off

2009-06-24T09:30:00.002+01:00

By way of compensation for the horrors of working on a Saturday (and to comply with basic standards of human rights) I have a day off today. At some point I will be going to the post office to send off lots of ebay stuff, and a visit to my parents house is somewhere on the list too, plus a trip to the cinema to see possibly 2 films since it's Orange Wednesday! Next to the cinema is Homebase (evil laugh). I have a plan (perhaps even a plot). When we get to the cinema I'm going to nip over to Homebase and buy a new plant *bwahahahaha*

I wonder what I'll get!

Prayer Group

2009-06-23T20:50:00.006+01:00

For no other reason than I thought it might be interesting to show you the comparison, here is a picture of my two Prayer Plants Jeremiah and Ezekiel side by side.

Jeremiah, the smaller leafed plant is a Calathea Zebrina and the larger leafed plant is Ezekiel a Calathea Corona.

Both of these plants require high humidity to thrive so I've been making sure I mist the leaves at least once a day. They also require indirect sunlight with partial shade so the coffee table in the living room has proven to be a good spot to keep them as that room is lit for most of the day but it is far enough from the window to offer adequate respite from the harshness of the midday sun.

The more I'm learning about these plants, the more I'm enjoying them and this little hobby of mine. I'm wondering if a career change might not be entirely out of the question. :-D

I've Been Tagged!

2009-06-23T18:09:00.003+01:00

Wow - I got tagged! Thanks very much to Carol for tagging me. Here are the rules

1 Mention the person/s that tagged you
2 Complete the list of 8’s
3 Tag 8 other bloggers

So, as I mentioned I was tagged by a lovely lady with a lovely blog, Carol from New Mummy Her blog is really interesting even if you don't have children and I always read with enthrallment so hop on over and take a look.

Here are my 8’s

8 Things I’m Looking Forward To

1 Going wedding dress shopping with my mum.
2 Getting married to my Fiance JJ in April 2010.
3 Going on my honeymoon with JJ to Disneyland Paris.
4 The weekend (always the weekend).
5 My dinner tonight - REALLY HUNGRY.
6 My Spider-plant Bernard throwing off shoots because I'm planning on potting up the babies.
7 Going to see Madness in concert in Nottingham.
8 Having two weeks off of work, though sadly not until September.

8 Things I Did Yesterday

1 Bought a new puppet from ebay.
2 Ate too much cheese
3 Went to work
4 Blogged
5 Had a bath
6 Spoke to two of my friends on the phone that I had not spoken to in too long.
7 Ate some of the rice crispy cakes JJ had made
8 Watched Monk.

8 Things I Wish I Could Do

1 Fly.
2 Be a stand up comedienne.
3 Drive, but without having to go through the expense of LEARNING to drive.
4 Stop the idiots in town from approaching me with clipboards asking me if I want to switch my gas supplier.
5 Eat as much chocolate as my heart desired without having to worry about my weight or health.
6 Speak another language.
7 Attract more followers to my blog.
8 End world hunger.

8 Favourite Fruits

1 Chocolate covered strawberries
2 Chocolate covered banana
3 Grapes
4 Pineapple
5 Lychees
6 Cherries
7 Ripe pears
8 Cantaloupe Melon

8 Places I Would Love To Travel To

1 California
2 Holland
3 St Lucia
4 Texas
5 Cornwall (been before but constantly want to return)
6 Italy
7 Cadbury world
8 The Alton Towers Hotel

8 Places I Have Lived

1 Kent
2 Peterborough
3,4,5,6,7,8 to be decided

8 (4 - Sorry) Blogs I’m Tagging

1 Ramblings of a sideways thinker

2 Cancer Banter

3 Housplant Care Tips

4 Eclectic Showrooms

So there you go!!

Saintpaulia

2009-06-22T07:30:00.003+01:00

I had planned on waiting a week before potting on my 2 new Saintpaulia's (African Violets) but they seem to have both recovered after the trauma of their move. With that in mind I'm thinking of doing it tonight after work or, at the very latest, Wednesday because I have the day off. The reason behind this is simple and has very little to do with the health of the plants. I just find it really annoying that their all in different sized pots!

I'm going to leave the Prayer Plant in Ezekiel in his current pot until next year as you should only pot them on ever 2 years and only if it's necessary. At the moment he looks very healthy and so, unless that changes, I will leave well enough alone.

I'm off to work now after popping over to my parents house to feed the plants and water the cats... no, wait, water the plants and feed the cats. Yeah, that's more like it.

Have a good day everyone.

A Day Out

2009-06-21T16:43:00.003+01:00

Yesterday JJ and I went for a day out to the East of England Showground for the Country Show. It was lovely. We visited the Womens Institute tent and admired the displays that a lot of people had obviously worked hard to put together.

This was my favourite of their displays.

And we visited the Orchid Tent. I have never seen so many flowers in the same place. It was breathtaking. I've not got any Orchids myself yet but seeing the beautiful displays yesterday has made me seriously consider getting one.

The highlight of the day for me though, has to be this...

Words cannot describe how deliciously tasty these strawberries and marshmallows, coated in Belgian Chocolate were. It was out of this world and needless to say, it didn't last long enough.

Winston 2 Has A New Shoot!

2009-06-21T16:18:00.002+01:00

Winston the Umbrella Plant has finally decided to start moving and shaking! He has the teeniest tiniest little leaf forming. It looks like a hamsters paw and is SO CUTE!!

Prayers-a-Plenty

2009-06-21T14:36:00.004+01:00

You may remember Jeremiah. He's still doing very well and is a very healthy and happy little plant.

Well, today when I was at B&Q I found a little (or rather big) friend for him.

This is Ezekiel. He's from the same family as Jeremiah but a different variation. I think they look lovely next to each other. Hopefully they will encourage the other to grow.

2009-06-21T14:34:00.002+01:00

Ivy has been poorly for a long time and it seems that no matter what I've done she just keeps dying and it's spread so much I've decided that rather than risk whatever is making her ill spreading to the other plants it was time for Ivy to go and so, I've replaced her with Ivy!

Fingers crossed that this one does better.

Violet and Pals!

2009-06-21T14:20:00.003+01:00

Violet is doing really well! She's got loads of flowers and is going from strength to strength. With that in mind I decided I wanted to get some friends for her. Her last two friends died in tragic circumstances. I didn't pot them on in time and they died from a combination of lack of nutrients and me breaking the plant from the root when I eventually did try to pot them on. I've learned from that mistake and haven't lost another plant in this fashion since.

And so, here are Patsy and Cornelia.

Cornelia is looking a little worse for wear as I walked back from B&Q with her today in the hot summer sun and I think she suffered for it but I'm confident it won't do her any long term harm.

Debbie Daniels

2009-06-21T14:14:00.001+01:00

This is Debbie Daniels! She was a gift from my friend Clare and is a succulent of some variety. She seems to be liking it so far by the window in the kitchen (unlike a couple of the succulents in the living room that seem to be getting sicker by the day despite my best efforts.

Long Time No Post

2009-06-21T13:10:00.002+01:00

Bernard has been doing so well lately that it's become evident he's outgrown his pot! Growth spurt doesn't even begin to cover it.

As you can see his roots were growing through the bottom of the pot and so it was time for a move. One root in particular was startlingly big! Not really sure I like that but who am I to interfere in the natural bodily functions of a plant?

He seems to love it by the window so I've left him there but now he's in a 5" pot.

Hugo-a-go-go

2009-06-06T14:25:00.003+01:00

Hugo keeps on growing at an astounding rate. I'm really impressed with how he's picked up. It shows how much of a difference feeding makes. I can't believe he managed to live so long pretty much just on water. Anyway, he's thriving now and so I've taken another two cuttings that I'll be potting up later today. For now I've dipped them in rooting hormone powder and left them to dry out.

Two Heads Are Better Than One

2009-06-06T13:48:00.004+01:00

Here's Violet again. She changes so quickly which is why I seem to be posting pictures 10 times a day.

As you can see, she's looking lovelier all the time. I noticed today that one of the small buds actually has 3 heads on it. Every time I look at her she seems to be sprouting more and more flowers.

Tidy Up Time

2009-06-06T13:09:00.002+01:00

I decided that it was time Rod Jane and Freddy had a bit of a tidy up. They were looking a bit shabby and stragly and some of the flowers had turned brown. Add to this the pollen that had been settling on their leaves from the flowers and as you can imagine, a make over was urgently needed.

So I got out the pruning clippers and some damp cotton wool and got to work, removing the dead heads and wiping down the leaves.

Much better!

Flowers in the Window

2009-06-05T20:15:00.002+01:00

Violet has a flower. It's fully out now and there is another head on that stem plus five more stems with 2 buds on each just growing away! I'm very excited.

Desmond Comes Home...

2009-05-31T17:38:00.004+01:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like you all to met the newest addition to our family.. Desmond.

As with all Supermarket Plants he was a little dirty when I got him home. He needed potting on and a wipe down.

But once that little task was taken care of, as you'll see for yourself he came up a treat!

Desmond is 45cm tall and told me he's really glad he came to live here!

Another Fine Day

2009-05-31T07:58:00.003+01:00

I'm up nice an early today (considering it's Sunday!) so that JJ and I can get to the indoor boot fair in good time today. We're buying not selling (the absence of a boot makes sure of that). After we've been for a wander round and hopefully found something that qualifies as a bargain, we're of to my Mum and Dad's house for the day and a spot of dinner and to pick up my Rubber Plant (that for the moment shall remain nameless). I got a planter for him yesterday and have picked out a nice spot for him to sit. Not too sunny but in the light.

In other news, Violet continues to thrive.

Her big bud continues to grow and is looking like it will open any day now. I used to have 2 other African Violets but they died tragically during an horrific re-potting accident. Only Violet survived but I couldn't remember what colour her flowers were. Now I an see she's the pink one.

You can see in this picture how tiny the new buds are in comparison to the big one. I'd say the large bud is probably about 8mm in diameter and so the tiny ones really are tiny!

Right, I'm off out now so have a good day and I will be posting pictures of the rubber plant virtually as soon as I get home.

I'm So Excited...

2009-05-30T09:36:00.005+01:00

And I just can't hide it!! It's as if my dream were some sort of premonition because I just got a phone call from my Mum so she could tell me that..

SHE'S FOUND ME A RUBBER PLANT!!

She went into Sainsburys this morning and went to check the plant section and OMG they had one! Just one! Not two or three or twenty-nine. ONE. My one!

And so I'll be picking him up tomorrow when JJ and I go round to see her and my Dad for Sunday dinner. He's the height of a Sainsburys carrier bag and she says he has lots of leaves. Now I just need to think of a name and get him a pot to sit in and I'm all set to bring my new Plant-Baby home.

Thanks Mum xx

Reach For The Sky

2009-05-29T20:27:00.002+01:00

I measured Jeremiah today because he was looking particularly tall and I was curious to see if he'd had any kind of growth spurt since I first measured him.

He's gone from 30cm tall to 32cm tall which isn't as much as I'd thought but is still pretty impressive for less than a month's work!

Violet's Expecting...

2009-05-29T19:26:00.002+01:00

And she's expecting a lot more than the bud in the post I made a few days ago...

As you can see from the pictures below there are some more tiny buds forming. I've counted four and you can see two of them in these pictures. I've never really paid that much attention to her in the past with regards to the flowers, they sort of just appeared over night. This time I'm enjoying the experience from the beginning and it's a lot more exciting than you'd think. I sort of feel like an expectant parent, especially due to the miniature scale of these new buds.

You can just about make out the existing bud (that is still to flower) and you can get an idea of the contrast in size between the newbies. I only discovered them this morning and they're a lot smaller than the first bud was when I discovered that so I should get an idea of how long it takes from start to finish to get flowers.

...and then I woke up and it was all a dream.

2009-05-29T07:10:00.003+01:00

Last night I finally found my Rubber Plant. It was at some point between 2am and 5am. I was in Sainsburys with JJ getting some shopping and just as I was about to go to the till with him I spotted it. It was a beautiful plant. Thick green leaves, strong and healthy. Then when I looked again it had changed shape and colour and was now a slightly lighter shade of green with pretty patterns. The leaves were still thick and robust but now were quite a lot of different sizes. Then I realised that it was in fact 2 different plants in the same pot! A Rubber Plant and something else. I was all set to go and pay until I noticed the price ticket which was a slightly OTT £23.99 and I had to think long and hard about how much I really wanted this plant.

After much deliberation and holding onto the pot while I decided (in case somebody more decisive than I decided they wanted it) I chose to purchase this rare beauty of a plant and take it home.

I never actually got it home because my phone alarm clock started playing the theme tune to Quantum Leap, alerting me to the fact that I needed to get up and get ready for work (a tragedy in itself) and more upsetting, I had dreamed up my plant and still don't have a Rubber Plant!!

Fortunately the pretty sunshine has taken away some of the disappointment of leaving my plant in dreamland.

The quest continues.

Ivys Affliction

2009-05-27T22:38:00.002+01:00

As you will see from the pictures below, Ivy is unwell. Her sister Ivy (confusingly) is fine and perfectly healthy. This Ivy however is suffering from some sort of illness causing many of her leaves to turn brown and shrivel!

This is the second time this has happened and I really can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. I've had a look online and I couldn't see anything other than the possibility of over-watering which can cause root-rot. That said, I am treating both Ivys the same and the other is flourishing.

I've pruned all the affected parts of the plant off again (for the second time) and will watch with interest and hope for the best but I'm not sure really.

She's looking healthy again for the time being but I'm thinking it might be a good idea to try and take a couple of cuttings soon in case the worst happens.

Fingers crossed for Ivy

A New Addition (3)

2009-05-25T20:50:00.003+01:00

Ok, so my smaller than expected plant holder really wasn't doing it for me anymore.

The peace lily's were too big for their pots and so were the other 2 foliage plants. Not only that but the POTS were too big for the pot holders so, all in all, I didn't really like it. And so today JJ and I took little detour on our way home from the cinema this afternoon. The main purpose of the journey was to find the elusive Rubber Plant (still nada) but while I was there I decided to go and check out the Succulents. There was a good selection although I had to really pick through them in order to find some that weren't all bashed up but with a little time I managed to find 5 of them...

The pots seemed to be a bit on the small side and so I got some 3 inch pots and had a bit of a re potting session. (In total I re potted 13 plants this afternoon).

And so, I give you The Jackson 5.. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael.

Don't they look pretty!

A New Addition (2)

2009-05-25T20:40:00.004+01:00

This is Harold, he's new. I got him yesterday from Saisnburys... a bargain at £2.99. He's a Dracaena like the ones that we have wear I work. I think he's from the same family as Marvin but he grows out of a funny stick thing. I'm not sure I fully understand the whole phenomenon but it looks really nice. I'm not sure what to expect really, as in, will the stick grow or just the greenery. Stay tuned and we'll find out.

A New Addition (1)

2009-05-25T20:17:00.004+01:00

This is Sid

Not 100% sure what he is but he's some sort of Cactus/Aloe/Succulent. I got him from Homebase on my endless and fruitless search for a Rubber Plant. He was half price for a quick sale as all of his bottom (leaves/branches?) had gone brown and withered. So I've pruned him and put him next to Spike for motivation. They seem quite happy together and Spike, certainly, is grateful of the company.

The Darling Buds of May

2009-05-25T19:49:00.002+01:00

I mentioned in my update about Violet that I was really hoping she would get some buds and flower again. Looks like my wish might be granted. She has a bud. Just a small one but a bud none the less. Hopefully more will follow soon.

She seems to like it in her nice new pot and looks very healthy. So no, I just need to be patient and let nature take it's course.

Bernard's Doing Well...

2009-05-25T19:20:00.005+01:00

My Spiderplant, Bernard, is going from strength to strength. You may remember that a little while ago when I started the blog he was looking a little ropey. Certainly a lot better than he had been looking but ropey none the less. Look at the picture below to see how much he's improved in such a short time.

Needless to say the plant food I've been giving him, and all of the others really does seem to be doing good things.

The Demise of the Avocado.

2009-05-25T18:43:00.003+01:00

The avocado is no more. Sadly during a routine window closing it was knocked over and dirt went everywhere, and the seed cracked. Oops. So maybe some other time I may attempt the avocado project but for now I will stick to the regular plants that (touch wood) seem to be thriving!

Jeremiah's New Shoots

2009-05-13T19:59:00.004+01:00

Jeremiah is clearly doing well and enjoying his new diet of yummy plant food because he's grown three new leaves in a week and is looking fab!

I love the way they grow all wrapped up like a cigar and then unfurl once they are mature and ready. It's really beautiful and dramatic, like a grand unveiling. Well done Jeremiah.

Ten Things I Didn't Know About Houseplants

2009-05-13T07:26:00.004+01:00

Since I decided to give houseplants another try I've been throwing a lot of effort into keeping them alive. As part of this effort I've been doing a fair bit of reading about random plants - knowledge is power and all that.

Here are 10 interesting facts I've discovered whilst reading.

1. Plants can dramatically improve air quality in the home.

2. When re potting plants you should only increase the post size by 1 inch (2.5cm) for small plants or 2 inches (5 cm) for large plants. Previously I'd thought the bigger the better but this is not true.

3. It is possible to rescue a plant that as been over-watered! (Details to follow).

4. It is also sometimes possible to rescue a plant that has been left for too long without water. (Again, details to follow).

5. There are a lot more poisonous houseplants out there than I realised! Aloe Vera, Croton, Dumb cane, English Ivy and Swiss-cheese plant to name a few.

6. You can propagate plants in so many different ways! Leaf cuttings, stem cuttings, seeds, layering and division are just some of them.

7. There is a technique known as air layering which is basically when you stimulate roots from further up the stem of a healthy plant. This is used when some of the lower leaves have fallen off and you're left with a bare stem. I wish I'd bothered to learn about this when I had a rubber plant years ago and it ended up with just a few leaves on the top.

8. There have been studies that show plants actually respond to different types of music and the sound of your voice. Maybe it's the frequency and the vibrations but they respond more positively to classical music and shy away from rock. (No joke!)

9. If you plant the crown of a pineapple it will take root and grow. It is a member of the Bromeliad family (perhaps the most well known) and some species of pineapple can grow up to 4 feet high and equal width. I will be growing my own pineapple crown at some point in the near future.

10. 'Pinching Back' or 'Pinching Out' a plant is basically a technique that involves the pinching (or trimming) of new shoots or buds on a plant to encourage further growth and resulting in a bushier plant.

Project One: Abbi the Avocado

2009-05-12T19:49:00.006+01:00

I went to the fridge this morning and found this avocado that had unfortunately gone way passed it's best before date. Where as once, I may have considered just throwing it in the bin and thinking no more about it, now my new found hobby compelled me to take a slightly different course of action.

I peeled the avocado and found it was not nearly as far gone as I first feared and so I used the flesh to make some witches potion to try and slow the aging process. Yum!

I was left with this lovely looking stone.

So I cleaned and dried the lovely looking stone and left it resting on the coffee table for me while I went to work. While I was at work I spent a large portion of time looking forward to coming back home to finish part A of Project One! (Another large portion of the day was spent getting my foot stamped on by a hyperactive boy from Latvia but that's really a different story).

And so, when I arrived home I planted Abbi and watered her and put her in a stylish little pot that looks like a sheep and now all I need to do is wait and wait and hope she grows.

You can be sure there will be photos the very second anything happens!

Slightly Worrying

2009-05-11T06:48:00.005+01:00

Last night, as I mentioned, I placed in my plant pots some 'One Month Feeding Tubes'. The idea is they slowly drip into the pots and continuously feed the plant for 30 days. I have woken today to find 3 of them (Hugo, Winston 2 and Tom) have completely emptied overnight. None of them are looking any worse for it so I'm hoping they were just very hungry but I do find it a little bit odd that it's just those 3. Maybe I'll come home tonight to find they've taken over the flat and got JJ tied up in the corner demanding more delicious Plant Drug.

It's given me a bit of an idea about how to keep them watered when we're away on our honeymoon next year though. I'm going to do some experiments in the coming months but basically, if I refill the containers with water and put about 4 in each pot, hopefully there will be enough water released into the pot to last them while we're away for a week so we'll see how that goes.

Tools

2009-05-10T18:04:00.004+01:00

After a bit of internet shopping and scouting around a few little shops in town I have compiled a small collection of tool to help me not kill my Plant-Babies.

My toolkit includes 2 spray bottles, a miniature rake, spade and shovel, 3 different sized secateurs, Baby Bio, some other plant food and a tin of leaf shine spray all neatly placed in a pretty basket that I found in Evolution.

There's something about having a tool kit that makes me feel like I know what I'm doing.

When I came home today, armed with the leaf shine spray and little tubes of 30 day plant food I went to town and cleaned some of the leafier plants, then sprayed them up right nice. I've given them all a tube of this food and look forward to seeing if it encourages them to grow at all. Here are some pictures of how they're doing.

Above is Bernard. Already I can see some improvement in him since the last photo which tells me he will be ok. It's the closest I've ever taken a plant to death without finishing it off! I'm so pleased I was able to save him.

This is Jeremiah showing off his shiny new leaves.

Winston 2 enjoying the sunshine.

This is Marvin, who I have now learned is a Dracaena looks much better for a bit of a shine up.

And finally Dotty, who is enjoying life much more since she moved closer to the window.

Green Fingers?

2009-05-09T17:40:00.000+01:00

The first time I decided I wanted houseplants I was living at home with Mum and Dad and the only place I had to display my ridiculously large collection was in a room with too much sunshine. I didn't take into account the complexities of their needs, nor did I learn what any of these complexities were. I wanted plants so I went to the garden centre and stocked up. Sadly a few of these plants lasted a matter of months, the rest bar one, was dead within a couple of years. Hugo was the sole survivor. Now I share a flat with my lovely Fiance so I have a lot more places to put these lovely little beings. They all have homes that they seem, for the time being, happy in and if any of them show even the slightest sign of wilting I'm all over them like an over-protective mother.

I talk to them daily, I have even been known to sing to them if nobody's looking. I wash their leaves and check each plant's watering needs every day to make sure none of them are too wet or too dry. I know which of them needs to have their foliage misted and which of them hate it when I do that!!

One of my proudest achievements is that I have managed to nurse Bernard (who at one point was just a wilted shriveled up wreck) back to full health and he is looking wonderful again! If I can get my African Violet (Violet) to flower again I will be so happy. I've put her in a new pot and already she's starting to look more vibrant.

It's funny, some of the little things I missed, like feeding them!!! Who knew? Now I'm armed with safely diluted Baby-Bio and whenever my babies are hungry they get the nourishment their tummies need.

Until recently I would not have said green fingers were something I possessed but with a little research and a lot of devotion I'd certainly say that they're turning that way... I can see this turning into quite the hobby!

Say A Little Prayer

2009-05-08T19:35:00.000+01:00

I am fascinated by the way my little Prayer Plant, Jeremiah, raises his leaves each night. The first one of these plants I had did not meet a happy end and no amount of praying could save him. I actually killed him because I thought there was something wrong with him causing him to do that weird thing with his leaves. I watered him excessively and when that didn't help I starved the poor thing to death fearing I'd over-watered him. It was only recently when I went into a shop and saw Jeremiah with a little label telling me what he was that the penny dropped! I'm an idiot!

So now, finally, I am able to appreciate this magical little plant for what it really is.

Sweet dreams Jeremiah

2009-05-07T19:35:00.000+01:00

My new plant stand arrived today and it was considerably smaller than I first imagined. I've had to improvise a bit and take a few more Hugo cuttings. Hopefully they'll take. I'm thinking about getting some little Cacti to sit in the top row and probably the bottom row once the existing plants outgrow their surroundings (which I don't imagine will take too long at the rate they're going). In the meantime I think it looks quite pretty and at least they all have a place to sit off the floor.

Bernard

2009-05-06T20:04:00.001+01:00

Bernard is a Spider Plant. To be honest he's seen better days and I very nearly killed him recently but, by some miracle of divine intervention I was able to save him and he's making an excellent recovery.

Ivy and Ivy

2009-05-06T20:01:00.000+01:00

This is Ivy and Ivy. They're Ivy.

Tom

2009-05-06T19:56:00.001+01:00

Tom is my Tomato Plant. Never grown a tomato before so really this is just an experiment but don't tell Tom.

Charlie

2009-05-06T19:50:00.001+01:00

Not a clue what this little dude is. I called him Charlie because I think he looks like a Charlie. He's 20cm tall and likes Chinese food.

Spike

2009-05-06T19:41:00.000+01:00

Spike is an Aloe Variegata. He's a cool calm and collected individual that likes to sit and observe the world. Not particularly fast to grow, he's very healthy and looks gorgeous.

Marvin

2009-05-06T19:32:00.001+01:00

I'm not really sure what Marvin is. He's a pretty coloured plant that looks like an over sized Spider Plant but there was no label on him when I bought him. All I know about Marvin is that he's pretty and I like him and he's 32cm tall.

(I have since learned that Marvin is a Dracaena)

Winston 2

2009-05-06T19:22:00.000+01:00

I suppose really, I should start by explaining what happened to Winston 1. Winston was my beautiful umbrella plant who I had for a couple of years. He was a great guy. I think he was around 80cm tall when his life was tragically cut short when he was transported over to where I live now from where I lived before. And so, I found Winston 2 who lives with me now. Hopefully one day he will be as big as his predecessor. For now he is 30cm tall and so far, doing very well.

Rodney

2009-05-06T19:16:00.000+01:00

Rodney is another Croton that has found his way into my life. I found him looking very sorry for himself in a shop. Suffering from lack of water and in need of some love. It would have been wrong of me to leave him there so now he lives with me. He is 18cm tall and his hobbies include painting and watching The Smurfs.

Dotty

2009-05-06T19:02:00.000+01:00

This guy is Dotty the Croton or Codiaeum Variegatum. She's lived here for about a month now when I decided I wanted rebuild my army of houseplants. She is currently 18cm tall and has lovely yellow and green leaves. I've never had one of these plants before and am praying I don't kill it. All going well so far.

Rod, Jane and Freddy

2009-05-06T18:22:00.000+01:00

Rod, Jane and Freddy are all Spathiphyllum Wallisii or Peace Lilies. They are new on the scene (arrived yesterday) and are currently all around 20cm tall. The last Peace Lily I had lasted around 2 years but never flowered after the initial flowers I bought it with died. I've done some research about their likes and dislikes and hopefully this time I wll have more success. These little guys will be living in a new plant stand that I will be having delivered any day now.

Violet

2009-05-06T18:12:00.000+01:00

Violet is a Saintpaulia or African Violet. I've had her for a couple of years now and she's recently moved into a new pot. She's a very healthy little plant and flowers every now and again. At the moment she's flowerless but I think now she has a bigger pot she'll soon get busy and give me some lovely flowers.

Jeremiah

2009-05-06T17:18:00.000+01:00

Jeremiah is my new Calatheas, or Prayer Plant. He is the second Prayer Plant I have had. The first one lived for about a year but sadly I didn't at the time realise what sort of plant he was. I was concerned by the fact that sometimes it appeared all his leaves had dropped and at others they stood to attention. I assumed I had under/over-watered it depending on the position of the leaves and ultimately, killed it by trying too hard. Purely by accident a couple of weeks ago I realised that this magical leaves thing is actually a part of the plant's charm and where the name comes from. Silly me. And so, I have aquirred a new Prayer Plant and called him Jeremiah. With any luck he will have a better life than his predecessor and continue to thrive.

He is currently about 30cms tall and has only arrived to live here today.

Hugo

2009-05-06T16:42:00.000+01:00

Hugo is my Crassula ovata, sometimes known as a Jade Plant or Money Plant. I got Hugo a good few years ago and he has been a resilient little friend to me ever since. He came from a garden centre an when I got him he was about 15cm tall. He's now 23cm tall so yay Hugo for the growth spurt. I've recently tried to take my first cutting from him and am currently waiting for that to take root. If this happens his little offspring will be known forever more as Hugo Junior.

He lives on the windowsill in the bathroom and enjoys spending summer days with the window open and the air blowing in. I've recently repotted Hugo into a pot a lot larger than he is used to and after doing some reading up, apparantly this is not normal repotting procedure for Jade Plants. Fingers crossed it won't do him any real damage. He's been in there for a good week or so and isn't showing any signs of ill effects.

To date he has never flowered but I suspect that is because he is far too manly for such activities. Fngers crossed that one day he will get in touch with his feminine side and flower but to be honest, I know of people that have had these plants for years and years with no flowers and then, 30 years down the line, BAM.

About This Blog

2009-05-06T08:13:00.000+01:00

Hello to anyone that is reading this. The purpose of this blog is simply for me to keep a record of my houseplants, to see how well they do, how quickly they grow, and any shaky spots they encounter throughout their lives.