I’ve taken advantage of the last few gorgeous sunny days here in the Pacific Northwest to put the garden to bed, pulling out the old and mulching heavily. Garlic and shallots are planted and that’s about all I’m going to do for overwintering crops this year.
I used to have many, many plants inside of my house, but truthfully there is enough work already for me to do inside and I’d rather be outside with God’s creation. Still, it is nice to have a bit of green here and there, and I’ll show you the extent of what I have. There isn’t a whole lot (by design!):
In my laundry/mud room I have a bonsai tree, and the same violets that I brought up from California with me 15 years ago. I don’t take very good care of either, letting them get bone dry regularly and then just sinking them both in pails of water to allow dry spots to bubble up for five minutes or so. Some folks may think I’m doing it all wrong, but hey…I still have purple flowers after 15 years.
Another plant I brought up with me all those years ago was a ficus tree a friend gave me when she moved to another state. We thought we had killed it in the hot transport but it came back. I thought I had killed it when I kept it outside for the winter but it came back. I’ve hacked it back, ignored watering it, had a cat pee in it, kept it in sunshine and in shade…and still it lives. It’s not my green thumb; it’s God’s little resurrection reminder.
In my kitchen I like to have fresh flowers all year long. It’s just one of those things that makes me happy. If nothing’s in my garden, I buy a few stems from the market. Next to my pretty flowers is the wall I tape up things I like, like poems, Bible verses, reminders, etc. I don’t stress about tape on my walls.
I mostly dislike dried plants in my house. They get dusty and fade and I don’t care to care for them. Lavender I like, however, and I can keep them for about two years. I cut them from my garden, and have little bundles in the bathroom and by my bedside.
And who says greenery needs to be green? I made this little candle holder from outside twigs, hotgluing them together and using some homemade (store-boughten) paper for the shade. It looks really pretty at night, a soft glow.
There are lots of ways to bring the outside in, but make sure you aren’t adding more work than you are willing to spend on the inside greeneries.
You can read more thoughts on bringing the green inside this week at other High Five Mom posts. Tell them I sent you!
I love your plants!And that handle holder looks wonderful. I love the rustic look of twigs (and dried lavender). So pretty!
how can you have the very same saintpaulia I first received 6 years ago and was the reason of my 'violet affection'?! It is still alive and now in my home it 'enjoys' the company of at least 10 other saintpaulias with different colours. I grow them by my own from leaves :-PKrystina
I love the fact that you have carried and kept plants in your move. I took a couple of cuttings from the house I just left and I'm hoping I can get them to grow in their new home.