I've had flowers on my mind today. I saw Caitlin's post about wisteria and I love how everything is beginning to come into bloom! The wisteria, tulips, dogwoods, irises and even the bradford pears are all opening and in color. It's gorgeous.
I love flowers and so Matthew has bought me live flowers in the past so that I could grow my own flowers to enjoy. Unfortunately, I've had a really tough time to keeping them alive and it always made me feel terrible, but luckily he didn't give up hope on me. He bought me this beautiful purple miniature orchid and I gave myself no hope of keeping it alive. This one however came with little directions, and this has helped a lot I think. I keep it in the kitchen window with the blinds cracked, so that it can get sunlight. I periodically check to see how damp the ground is. It's all working! I've kept an orchid alive for over a month now. I'm quite proud, especially considering I'd had such a hard time with seemingly easier plants like a mum and a tulip.
Also this morning Matthew showed me a new game on the Playstation 3 called Flower. It's so wonderfully relaxing! There's no losing or dying or starting over. It starts out with a little wilting flower in a New York apartment and as you get closer it takes you into this meadow, perhaps where the flower came from and a little petal floats off in a burst of wind so starts the adventure. You just float around gathering other petals from the flowers and as you gain more and reach new flowers more of the meadow blooms and the skies clear. It's just peaceful and relaxing. I'm enjoying it! In my past video game experiences, I tend to get really stressed whenever my character dies or the game tells me "you fail", but this is peaceful and happy and there are only good consequences.
So that's me and my flower power connection today. The photos are of my orchid in it's window, and of one of the wreaths from the wedding that we hung on our front door.
Matt & Jess
There is so much for me to love about this post! Caitlin shoutout! Flowers!
ReplyDeleteI entirely know what you mean about video games. Malcolm has been playing Crysis 2, which just came out, where the character you play has to run around New York City, saving it from aliens that have invaded and unleashed a terrible disease that has wiped out huge swaths of the population. It kept bothering me just watching him play it because it was so realistic and in a city I identify with as being American. Hit really close to home. Gets me anxious.
But as for feeling guilty for killing the tulip and mum- you shouldn't really feel bad. Tulips die back after their flower has bloomed. They aren't repeat bloomers- so you didn't do anything wrong there. The best bet is to cut the stem off and leave the leaves until they start to look crummy too, then dig up the bulb, let it dry out, and replant it the following winter- which is a lot of work, and also not always super successful for bulbs indoors.
And mums die back a lot too after their big seasonal bloom- I have one that I bought around Thanksgiving that looks terrible now- but it will probably come back around October.
Plus it doesn't help that plants you buy in florists or the grocery store tend to be really hopped up on fertilizers- it causes growth that the plant probably can't sustain in the tiny pots they are in, and with an underdeveloped root system. So you're off the hook! It's best to go with plants that actually do well indoors with minimal light and minimal air circulation. Like orchids. Good luck!
Sorry to write so much!
No I'm glad that you did. It's very encouraging. Once we move, the place we're looking at has a sunroom, so when I get more plants, I'll definitely be seeking your advice. Glad you enjoyed the post.
ReplyDeleteOh and by the way, I definitely did see bluebonnets! I saw more this weekend! It's a wonderful reminder of home. Glad you like the new background. I do too!