Okay, I'm a plant person. We've established that earlier in this blog. I talk to plants and trees. Sometimes they talk back to me. I form personal connections with certain plants over time, often instantly.
There are some types of plants that I seem to connect with over and over. I'm sure other plant people can relate. Those are the ones that easily survive, and thrive, over the long term in my care. My house plants tend to be rescues, with the occasional impulse purchase from the store. The current selection in my home consists primarily of various hybrids of Dracaena or Ficus. There are two recent African Violet additions as well, but they are still in the experimental phase, and not yet part of the regulars.
When I do buy plants, what I've discovered is that what I intend to purchase is often quite different from what I actually end up purchasing. In theory a certain plant may sound ideal for my home. But in person, it may be quite different. One example that comes to mind is of a varietal that I researched thoroughly ahead of time. At the store, I found a good specimen, but couldn't bring myself to buy it. It very clearly gave off a "leave me alone" vibe, while a completely different type nearby was practically waving its little fronds and jumping up and down, silently shouting, "Pick me, pick me!" What to do? Well, listen to the plants of course!
And that's how my last Dracaena purchase came about. I didn't even realize what it was until I got it home and settled in. It fits perfectly, looks like it was here forever, and is happy and thriving next to a large Janet Craig rescued from a family member's old office building. When in doubt, listen to the plants!
Nice writing.
ReplyDeleteI feel you. I cried when we had to throw away some plants because we had bonded. They are medicine from God! I sometimes would get mad at vegans because they talk about killing animals but cruely sometimes kill plants and their conscience is cool because plants are different than mammals. But really no they're not all that different if you've bonded with your plants and they've bonded with you it is nothing short of sublime. Too bad more cannot feel this. Nice note:)
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