Well, as Lisa at Greenbow guessed, December's tardy orchid is still blooming for me a month later. But I got an even better surprise this month: The first bloom ever on my Schlumbergera!
About four years ago, while I was in the midst of moving into this house, some older friends of mine at work retired. When they packed up their office, they gave me their huge spider plant as well as cuttings from their Christmas cactus--which itself was a passalong from Julie's great aunt.
One of my volleyball teammates gave me the beautiful cast iron birdbath, which I quickly determined was too pretty for the birds, as a housewarming gift around the same time. And then I had some shells, and a few unique rocks... and so it goes.
See the gray pot on the floor with the scalloped edge? That's another birdbath, one that I discovered is not frostproof despite its claims to the contrary. So some funky sedums, colorful hens & chicks, and a few other succulents were added this fall, and I think I might add some string of pearls plants to the broken edge this spring as well. I can't wait to bring it outside.
Sometimes I think that I should have called my blog "The Repurposed Garden," considering all of things I have pressed into service over the years, in roles that they were never meant to play. But I like to think that they are all a bit happier this way... that it's better for a sculptural birdbath to be reused as a planter than chipped into a bed of rock mulch. That it seems more fitting that the sturdy pine bedframes I trashpicked a couple of days ago will stand proudly as trellising, rather than being reduced to splinters in a trash compactor.
I believe that there is an inherent beauty in usefulness. Sometimes I think that's what winter is all about--a time when the obvious beauty is stripped away and we are mostly left with other things to admire: utility... history... and the friendship behind a very pretty passalong plant or two.
Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
About four years ago, while I was in the midst of moving into this house, some older friends of mine at work retired. When they packed up their office, they gave me their huge spider plant as well as cuttings from their Christmas cactus--which itself was a passalong from Julie's great aunt.One of my volleyball teammates gave me the beautiful cast iron birdbath, which I quickly determined was too pretty for the birds, as a housewarming gift around the same time. And then I had some shells, and a few unique rocks... and so it goes.
See the gray pot on the floor with the scalloped edge? That's another birdbath, one that I discovered is not frostproof despite its claims to the contrary. So some funky sedums, colorful hens & chicks, and a few other succulents were added this fall, and I think I might add some string of pearls plants to the broken edge this spring as well. I can't wait to bring it outside.
Sometimes I think that I should have called my blog "The Repurposed Garden," considering all of things I have pressed into service over the years, in roles that they were never meant to play. But I like to think that they are all a bit happier this way... that it's better for a sculptural birdbath to be reused as a planter than chipped into a bed of rock mulch. That it seems more fitting that the sturdy pine bedframes I trashpicked a couple of days ago will stand proudly as trellising, rather than being reduced to splinters in a trash compactor.
I believe that there is an inherent beauty in usefulness. Sometimes I think that's what winter is all about--a time when the obvious beauty is stripped away and we are mostly left with other things to admire: utility... history... and the friendship behind a very pretty passalong plant or two.
Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
No comments:
Post a Comment