Gardening

As I write, I am seated in a cafe. I was pondering the question “about what should I write for this month’s IndieWeb Carnival entry?” The theme is gardening. I looked up in thought and saw a plant, then another plant. And, now I look, there is a third plant. This got me thinking about my houseplants; the plants I garden weekly.

I have cared for house plants for a year or two. I remember thinking they would help brighten up my workspace. That they did. Yet I didn’t know I would be in for so much of a journey as I was. What I thought would be plants that I would water regularly and would be in the space became, over time, a lot more; they became, in a way, the space.

I recall the first winter during which I owned my plants. I worried about them. Would the cold kill them? The plants went dormant, without much growth. Sometimes the leaves would wilt. Then spring came and the plants not only survived, but started to grow.

A barista came over to say hello and told me about the coffees they had today. Today I am drinking a coffee from Mexico. This will perhaps be the second coffee from Mexico I have tasted.

I remember last year my Monstera started to grow aerial roots. I wondered “do I need to repot them?” Aerial roots are not the most attractive sight in the world. I did some research and found that aerial roots are a sign of growth. I was proud. “My plants are growing?” I thought to myself. Wow! Over time, my plants grew, of which I now had two. My other plant was growing, too. There was a point that, seemingly every week or two, I would notice growth. I was excited.

James got distracted by eating breakfast. Onward with the post! In my defense, food is fuel. And coffee is fuel. And fuel is fuel. That third one is not pertinent here.

There was a period earlier this year when my peace lily was doing poorly. The leaves were dropping and, over a period of a few days, they started to look more drab. I was worried. Was the plant going to be okay? I had left it without water for a few days longer than usual, which likely caused the issue. Some leaves were lost. Some time passed and the plant started to grow again. The soil was peppered in new growths. The roots of the old were still there, but in the shadow of the new.

My plants sometimes come up in discussions with friends. The perforations – the divides in the leaves – on my Monstera were complimented. I had no idea what that meant until they explained. Then I became attentive to the perforations. I was excited that the plant was growing. I spoke about how the roots were compact, being a point of concern. They said the plant likes compact roots.

I now care for four plants. As has been the case with every new plant I have had, I am still learning how to care for the newest, which is in another room on the floor and in a position where it can bathe in the morning sunlight. The leaves started dropping. Watering helped. I haven’t learned how much water this plant likes, but, to use a phrase from coffee, I am “dialing in”.

Days pass when my plants are in the background; other days come when they are a topic of conversation. I garden: observe, water, trim, move pots as necessary into mthe requisite lighting conditions. My plants can be a challenge, but, above all, they are a delight.