PLANTS!

I was irresistibly inspired to add some plants to our home yesterday.. the weather was so great, it made me feel alive and want to be surrounded by other live things. There are plants literally everywhere here, and not just clovers and weedy grasses.. there are giant lavender and rosemary bushes in every other yard and business sidewalk planting area, there are huge jade plants growing beneath trees in the sidewalk, there are many different kinds of trees on every block, leaves and flowers I've never seen before, palms and banana plants, dozens of flowering vines, and of course the succulents.. so many varieties of succulents like the giant ones growing in yards and spilling over retention walls, in little pots by themselves or in big community pots, in cafes, kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, hallways, windowsills... everywhere!

I walked into our neighbor's apartment yesterday to find their cat, who's been keeping me company lately, and saw the impressive collection of plants populating their home. It was enough to tip me over the edge, so I put my shoes on and walked over to my new favorite place in the city, Paxton Gate.

I'd already been there the day before because I managed to glue one of our open-air orchid pots together, and I thought a nice air plant would do well in it. I got one for the pot, and picked up another and chose a little stick nest for it.

Tillandsias gather nutrients from the air with the grey-green fuzz on their leaves. Their "roots" are only structural and keep them stabilized once they've found a home. They just need to be soaked once a week in water to feed them if they don't live outside. Once a tillandsia flowers, the main plant starts to die off as the flowers wilt, and new baby plants start growing off of it.


I should explain that Paxton Gate is a really neat collection of natural specimens -- plants, shells, eggs, rocks, skeletons, taxidermied things, insect cases, books of illustrations, and other cool gift stuff. They keep a compelling mix of plants like the tillandsias, orchids, bromeliads, succulents, ferns, indoor trees, carnivorous plants, and bonsai. If you know me at all, you can imagine the look I get on my face when I'm poking around here.. it's so cool!

When I went to get the tillandsias, I only had to pop into the front door, take a hard right and focus on the air plant display, then move ten feet to the register and out the door again. I escaped safely, with only my intended quarry in hand (well, I did get an extra one, but it's so awesome!). Yesterday, however, I entered with that dangerous, heady mix of inspiration, ecstasy due to perfect weather, and relaxed abandon. Having fully studied the air plants the day before, I strolled to the back of the store to their plant room and outdoor garden. I quickly found about eighteen plants I wanted to bring home, but I knew I could neither afford them all nor carry them all home.... So I narrowed it down to my favorite four (two in each hand works, right?) and found pots for each of them. Luckily, their prices were reasonable so I didn't have to leave feeling too ashamed! Here's the run-down of the exciting plants I chose:

The Tank Bromeliad:
















This little guy is really amazing. It sits in a shallow dish, and is attached to a rock which soaks up some water. Water is mainly kept in its 'tank' at the top of the plant, where flowers bloom once it reaches maturity. You've probably seen these at a botanic garden or at the zoo in tropical rooms. They can become pretty large!



The Shade Plants:
















Yes, there is a little bit of shade in our apartment.. I guess the area I placed them in isn't even fully shaded, because they get morning light for about an hour. But at least it's shielded from the intense afternoon light, which gives me a sunburn if I sit at the table too long!

The fern-like plant isn't a fern or a palm; it's a Cycad, which is native to eastern Mexico. It's also known as a Cardboard Plant, I'm guessing because its leaves are stiff, and at the suggestion feel kind of like thick paper stock. I like this one so much because of its base.. it reminds me of a giant prehistoric fern! And the big soft leafy plant is just that.. big, soft, and leafy! I love it!


The New Crassula:





















I found a nice Crassula succulent (at the back), which just looks really cool to me. It's similar to a jade, and the more sunlight it gets, the more red the edges of its leaves become. I think it looks like a coral.. I was really excited to find this one!

For now it's with the other succulents but they love the hot sun and little water.. so I might move it to a less intense location sooner than later.






















We're also fostering a beautiful ficus which belongs to our generous neighbors Sascha and Elizabeth (the same ones who have the cat and the plant collection). The ficus was inhabiting the hallway by a window, and it was looking a little under-loved so I took it outside for a trim and a shower. I was bringing it back inside when they commented that they'd been in a period of neglecting it (oops, I didn't know it was theirs!) and that the hallway was brighter without it. I offered to keep it in our place, and they were happy to oblige. Yay! Now we can partially hide the ugly lamp base! Oh, and help partition our big room containing four spaces....

It seems like all I can do is imagine what plants I could put into our empty corners and various surfaces. A big fern on top of the fridge, a pot of succulents at the top of the stairs, some ferns in the bathroom, orchids in the bedroom, a vine on the big dining room lamp, hanging pots from the random hooks in the ceiling, teeny pots of succulents on the bookshelves.... Luckily if we ever do achieve such a full house, the plants here don't require a lot of attention!