Flourish Part Deux

May 3, 2023creelight3720 Leave a comment

Spring is my favorite time of year! I love seeing all the vibrant green colors of the trees and the pretty wildflower blooms as I drive through the city and walk in my neighborhood. Our weather here in Central Texas has been a roller coaster ride of warm and cool over the past couple of months, but the warm seems to be more consistent.

I’ve blogged in previous posts about my love for plants in Flourish Part I. In the past two years, my obsession with plants has exploded.

Me in my home office with real live plants in the background.

While in Washington D.C. a couple of weeks ago, I told my colleagues I have about 80 plants (indoors and outdoors) and they couldn’t believe it. When I returned home from that trip, I counted my plants, and the total is actually 98. WHOAH!!!

I was asked questions like, “How long does it take to water them?” And “what kinds of plants”? They were impressed with the details I’ve learned, such as how in nature some orchids grow on rocks and that they require less than water than people think to survive.

I don’t really think about the time because it’s a hobby and self-care activity for me. I tend to them all the time in one way or another as they have different needs. I don’t water them all on the same schedule either because, again, they have different needs, so I water some more frequently than others. It also depends on the type of pot they’re in. Some points like clay pots dry out faster.

Here are a few outdoor plants I tended to over the weekend.

I love my new Fuschia Bougainvillea. She’s so pretty!

Some tropicals potted together and a variegated myrtle (black pot) I rescued!

I finally got around to getting my sunflowers started. They are becoming one of my favorites

Last summer’s sunflowers were so pretty!

I love the purple and pink blooms. I’ve been wanting another Oxalis plant for at least 2 years (since I had the last one).

Some old and newer plants I’ve been tending to.

She’s survived two winters thus far and continues to bloom. I forgot the name of this variety.

My spider plant is still recovering from last summer’s heat, but she’s doing much better, especially since I moved her location. I see some white blooms on her. My fern and porciana are also making a comeback. My peace lily (red clay pot next to fern) used to be inside, but she’s not been doing well for over a year. I thought the warm air in the shade would do her some good.

Last but not least, my beautiful hydrangeas in the front entrance are making a comeback.

I love to be rewarded with beautiful blooms and bright green leaves from all my nurturing!

That’s it for now. There will be a Part 3 to this series!

Flourish Part I

February 4, 2023creelight3720 4 Comments

I’ve become quite a plant enthusiast. I’ve loved tending to plants and flowers for years and since we’ve been in our new home, my love has amplified as evidenced by my more than 70+ plants inside and outside the home. I’ve lost count of how many, especially after I started propagating (starting new plants from existing plants).

My one Spider Queen has become so luscious since I brought her home and potted her in the cobalt blue ceramic pot. Buying plants can be an expensive habit until I learned I can produce more of my own. I’m weening over 20 spider baby plants from her.

More spider babies and one spider grandbaby. All of my outdoor plants took a beating from the heat in 2022.

Spider 🕷 babies in my office window for the winter.

I enjoy surrounding myself with beauty. My birth sign is a Taurus after all, which is an earth sign and we tend to love beautiful, grounded, and natural surroundings and luxuries. I call myself a Plant Mom (also the Plant Lady) because truly caring for plants entails regularly watering, feeding, pruning, potting and repotting, learning their temperaments, and adjusting based on their preferences. I don’t mind moving my plants around to ensure they’re getting what they need: bright light, low light, humidity, outdoor air, less draft, etc.

This same Monstera from the previous photos is so happy. She loves to show me how happy she is. I had to move her siblings elsewhere because she demanded all the space.

Tending to my plants and witnessing their growth is so rewarding. It’s also a meditative practice that calms me down during my day. It is a practice of patience, nurture, and care.

My lucky bamboo is magnificent. She has a new pot and home away from the window.

Every room in our home has plants except for my kids’ rooms. They don’t care much about plants, surprise surprise! Plants not only improve air quality, but they also bring a sense of peace and calmness to our home.

Gorgeous orchids in my bathroom. These new blooms will last for 6-8 weeks once fully bloomed. Cannoli caught taking a sip of my bath water. My baths are always luxurious.

I’ve brought plants back to life from the brink of death.

After 2021/2022’s winter, this plant baby was down to one leaf. I didn’t bring her in from the cold soon enough. I almost lost hope, but I was patient. She does better in a shaded area outside in the warmer months. As soon as it got warmer in spring 2022, I let her out and look at how beautiful she is. Now she is in a sunny window indoors until it gets warmer again.

Despite whatever is going on in the world, I want to flourish in 2023 just like my beautiful plants. Tending to them is tending to myself- nurturing, pruning, and loving. 🪴

Here’s to doing and being surrounded by more of what I love in 2023! I hope the same for you.

That green thumb

July 12, 2021creelight3720 Leave a comment

I’m not sure when I realized I had a green thumb but I knew it was something special having tended to an Aloe Vera plant older than my ‘soon to be’ 16-year old daughter. My green thumb has been greener than usual lately since we’ve moved into our new house. I have plants and flowers everywhere. I don’t want to live without them. It takes me some time to water them all every 2 weeks, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. This post is dedicated to my greenery.