Recently Mr.McGregor's Daughter invited us to participate in the 2010 Houseplant Census. Now that was all done and dusted in the squeeze of a lemon for me. I have never had much joy with houseplants so I quickly tallied my count as five i.e. two orchids, one African violet and two amaryllises. I am getting quite excited about the latter as they are cybister hybrid. I have never grown these before so I can't wait for the for flowers to show but that is another story. What I forgot to do was to include 'The Thing' in my count. Shame on me for this is the most obliging houseplant that I have ever grown. In a nutshell it spends the summer months outside and comes indoors for the winter. A bit like me. During the summer it seems to be quite happy doing its own thing although it does need some shade. In the winter it survives on the south facing kitchen windowsill. Occasionally it is treated to a short spray of tepid water. It is a bit of a thrill seeker at times, getting caught up in the blinds when I open them and taking a fairground ride to the very top. It has survived these journeys unmangled so far I am pleased to report.
'The Thing' came to me via my Mum - she got her piece from a friend in Italy who holidays in Argentina and who bought a plant home with her. If anybody can put a name to it I would be delighted to be able to refer to this perfect houseplant with due respect. On the subject of naming plants if you have not had a peek at Teza's and Friends Garden Forum do pop in. February's debate is all about what lingo to use when describing plants. I don't think that 'The Thing' would object whether I addressed it either in botanical Latin or by it's common name. Anything has to be preferable to the 'The Thing'!
No comments:
Post a Comment