stellar_muddle | Entries tagged with plants

Not quite the shopping I had planned, but all good progress :)

Got distracted by S&T inviting me to join them in visiting a big gardening store. There was a slight detour to Trash Palace (haven't been there in ages), then some stuff was dropped off and then there was much plantage. S&T got a definite fruit plant fix, though fruit salad at their place may involve some interesting guessing in future given some of the types they got.

I stuck slightly more to smaller more immediate results plants: spinach and sugar snaps (I'll happily eat those) and a jasmine, since the smell of Mum and Dad's one on Thurs evening was gorgeous... Resisted cacti, though Dad, if you are having fun thinking of something to give me for Christmas...
Was funny seeing Phalaenopsis on sale at $45 each, especially after having seen Dad's large lineup on the counter between the kitchen and dining area... Not really tempted by those though.

Headed home, then decided that too late to head into town, but that Moore Wilsons was still a go. No cardamon (rather curious), no almond oil (not really suprising, but I was going to check - will have to be Common Sense Organics for that). Citric acid though. And strawberries. $2.50 punnets and they were ones full of little strawberries. Not the ginormous no flavour ones, but nice little sweet juicy strawberries. Torn between stuffing my face and drying them for later. Bit of both maybe.

Then there was a bit of gardening - clearing the back bed against the wall and planting out the spinach, jasmine and sugar snaps.

But worked out what to get dad for Christmas, so that is sorted:)

All good.

House sitting for parents while they are off up north geologising.
This mainly involves cat sitting and plant sitting.

The cat sitting is relatively easy: remember to feed them and see how their focus on you changes now you are the one providing the food - far more insistent in the late afternoon/early evening when they get fed for the night.

The plant sitting is more entertaining...
Luckily this just entails remembering to water them once for this trip. 3 rooms worth - the random kitchen/lounge assortment, the conservatory, and the glasshouse.* The kitchen/lounge and conservatory were done this evening (wont really be around tomorrow) and the glasshouse will be done late tomorrow or early Thurs.

Dad goes for cacti and orchids. Think leaves, occasional flowers and LOTS of spikes. The sorts of plants that they used to use on Star Trek to imply exotic climates/planets etc only more so. The TV ones always seemed slightly less exotic when you have one of them sitting on the TV... and another on the fridge... and 1/3 of the lounge was taken up with more of them. Some of the spiked tentacles, balls and things are straight out of Lovecraft's worst nightmare but you do find the most delightful flowers in the oddest of places.

What this mainly means is not much water on each, but great fun in trying to get the water to the right plant - there is this aiming for a mass of greenery (or brownery for the more dodgy ones) and hoping there is a pot underneath such that you aren't watering the floor. There are plant pots on plant pots with other plants in sideways. There are prickly things to the left, right, center and behind such that as you bend down to water the ones in front, the spiky one behind impacts nastily to nether regions (and it was only some sort of palm??). Beware what you brush against while attempting to get the back ones - there can even be spikes hidden by leaves. And the occasional pot that looks like it is only soil and rocks, but you really can't tell for certain. And some ones where ferns are taking over and you are not certain if there was something else there to begin with.

But there is a HUGE Jade plant, and massive elephants foot (spiky leaves in a ball the diameter of my outstretched arms), and some of those multi-coloured spliced cacti, and others attempting to cover the ceiling and escape through the roof, and the most gorgeous red trumpet flower about the size of my hand...

Ok, so I may have slight weakness for the occasional plant, especially given the types of cacti that can thrive on benevolent neglect. Not quite on the same scale though...

*There is an entire cacti lineup round the balcony, but they are outside and hence get to fend for themselves. Ditto on the ones in the semi-glasshouse under the kitchen... and the orchids intimately entangled with various trees and tree ferns around the place.