Houseplants

It’s been so hot around here lately... August, had finally forced me to bring my houseplants in again.  August is a fire-spiting monster here in our high desert and although I was hoping for a longer season outside, and a period of strengthening and growth for my plants, one by one they had to be hauled back inside... 

Thus far, they seem to be doing good, and I think they appreciate the cooler temperatures of the inside of the house; particularly the ones which naturally grow on the forest floor or underlying layer of vegetation where is cooler; such as my Maranta, or Prayer Plant, and my beautiful Monstera deliciosa. I can hardly wait for these two “Delicious Monsters” of a plant to grow to their gigantic sizes.

Unfortunately, our living room is the darkest room of our house.  It faces north, and right outside those windows sits our covered porch.  Its roof provide good shade to the area, but it also prevents sunshine from streaming in.  And because the curtains of grapevines covering the front of the porch get fuller and lusher during summer time, the living room gets even less light and it feels dark and cozy like a cave. 

Every time I think of those beautiful days of the south, and the amount of light our small living room at our little white cottage used to get, I then want to move to another house; or open up a hole on the roof, or bring the sun down and sit on it…

Somehow thought, that’s the area where I have relocated most of my largest houseplants to…  and I worry that they may not do good without the needed light.  Did you know that enough sun will also keep the stem of your plants from rotting? 

Light—like a plant, my own soul craves light.  Lots of it!  I always have.    

I’m hoping they’ll adapt where I have placed them, because if they don’t that means I’d have to move them back to that area by the kitchen where they used to be, all strung against the windows where they do get plenty of sunshine… 

I don’t want to do that again; however.  For I like the cleaner, clearer look of the space now with less plants in it, and I love the way my plants are now distributed throughout the house, instead of all being clumped up in one place… so I’ll wait a little longer and see how they adapt.

I have two humidifiers that I am constantly moving around so that all my plants can have the right levels of humidity they need and I also keep a growing light on all day, particularly under my Philodendron Xanadu. 

I love this plant.  It is old and big and I love how it looks sitting here in our living room.  Philodendron Xanadu tolerates low light conditions but the plant will be much less dens with long stems and smaller and sadder leaves. So if you want yours to really dance, place it an area with lots of bright natural light…  

Hopefully, she’ll like it here… but I know this corner is so dark.

I also love, love my Prayer Plant.  When it gets dark in the evening, the leaves of this plant start to move around and raise themselves up. Then they fold themselves shut, just like praying hands. It's nice to take a moment before bedtime then, just to pause and think about what you are grateful for today!

I also brought in one of my angels
And I'm loving how he looks sitting here so much!

My house looks like a little jungle...

and I just love it!

I decided to transplant my huge asparagus fern the other day for an easier handling in winter, and now I have three of them instead of one...

This one is growing up on the wall...

and this one down onto my kitchen plates...

Another fern... this one is growing on a pebble tray for extra humidity...

I love this little candle lamp I found this weekend at one of our local thrift stores...  love the soft light emanating from the little leaf-shape windows and I love how it looks sitting among my plants on this cute mosaic table by one of the window.

Instead of placing a candle inside, I inserted a string of Christmas lights and I love all the little lights now shining through!  It looks so romantic in the evening when the sun comes down and the house stays lighted up only by little fairy lights...

I also decided to add some more white to this area to enhance light.  So I found my old sit covers and this is how my living room is looking like now... I like it!

It’s been said that the clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.  Well, I want my home to be that sanctuary where I can fly to the Universe from the very center of it!  So ‘thank you’ dear plants, for always making so happy!