Living with Plants

I can't imagine living in a home without plants. It always surprises me when I hear ladies (or men) say, "I have a brown thumb", or  "I kill all my plants." With the number of fine books on the subject and a gazillion internet sites devoted to plant culture, there really is no reason not to have a few simple plants in our homes.

Plants do as much to clean impurities from the air of our homes as any air filter.  I used to have over 30 LARGE plants in my home, as well as a quite large African violet collection.  I have cut back considerably, but I'm sure some folks would still call it over-kill.

There is a ceiling height "pass through" between my dining room and kitchen. It houses two Heart leaf Philodendrons and a solid green spider.  All three of these plants were started from cuttings I obtained from friends.  

I like the look of weathered clay pots but it's not always practical because of the weight. These three pots are plastic clay colored (cheap, cheap, cheap) that that have been smeared with acrylic paint and wiped down.  I even added a bit of green here and there for the look of moss. 

In the corner below these three lovelies is a plant I've had for about 20 years. When it gets too big I just chop the top off.

I have a Golden Pothos hanging between the kitchen and dining room to cut down of the size of the opening.  And yes, that's a flamingo sitting on the match stick blind.  I use the blind to keep the sun beating through the sky light from frying what's left of my brain.  A bit of whimsy is fun...  He used to sit on the other section and after knocking him down with the mop handle and breaking his poor little neck (at least three times), I moved him to the other section.

In the corner of the dining room on a pedestal is yet another fun plant. I purchased this and really didn't expect it to live more than a year. That was two years ago.  

That black object hanging on the wall is a photo backdrop.  It's a great place to take ebay and Etsy pictures during the day.  I couldn't find my black cloth so that is actually one of my skirts push pinned to the wall.  Classy!

This hanging plant is always getting whacked back and the extra goes into little jars or vases and stuffed here and there.  Here is some on the bookshelves in the living room.

The bedroom sports more Golden Pothos started from the hanging plant.  The poor guy is in desperate need of a new pot but I've been too busy. 

Also in the bedroom is a ficus that I purchased as a 6" baby. I don't usually have a box under the little antique dresser. I had to unpack a trunk to get at some Christmas stuff and stuffed the top section under the dresser. I promise when you come for coffee you won't see it.  ;-)

And finally - the geraniums.  I usually bring in 4 pots of outside geraniums in the fall.  These will bloom all winter and brighten the house. In the early spring I will start cutting them back and root the cuttings for my garden. Last year I started about 150 or so geraniums for the yard.   Much as I enjoy the flowers during the winter, by spring I'm happy to see them head back outside!

Back to work...

Have a wonderful day...