DAPHNE'S HOUSE PLANTS

Good Afternoon to you,

A couple of months ago, I was watching BBC Gardener's World and my ears pricked up when I heard Monty Don say, that houseplants were coming back into fashion.

Now this surprised me, because I had not realised that houseplants had gone out of fashion, never mind coming back into fashion.

Houseplants for me, have always been an integral part of my home.  I cannot remember a time when I have not grown indoor plants.  Admittedly, the style of houseplant  which I grow has changed over the years, as I no longer grow rubber plants, spider plants or cheese plants, but I do grow plants which suit my smaller home.

For instance,

whilst this Clivia is new to my home, the plant itself is not new to me.  

When I lived in Cyprus, my friend gave me a Clivia as a birthday present. It was in full bloom when I received it, and the plant loved the temperature in my home.  It bloomed, just once a year, and always on my birthday, which was really lovely.  I have since heard from Pamela, one of my Instagram friends, that a Clivia will flower at Christmas and also Spring time.... which will be lovely.  Maybe I will be lucky and this Clivia will flower once again on my birthday.... wouldn't that be nice.

If you have been reading Ivy, Phyllis and Me! for a while, then you will know how much I love growing orchids.

.... many people think that orchids are a difficult plant to grow, so they avoid them.... and this is such a shame, because by following a few simple rules your orchids will bloom over and over again. I have orchids  blooming in my conservatory that I have been growing for years. When each orchid has finished blooming they are transferred to my kitchen window sill. The orchids are then cut  back, where they will rest, it is then the turn of the orchids on my kitchen window sill to be transferred to the conservatory to spend their time in the spotlight.

I have added as my Featured post this week, the post I wrote a few years ago, on how to care for orchids.  I think once you read the post, you will be surprised to find how easy orchids are to grow and enjoy in your home.

Another plant which I find easy to grow, is the Weeping Fig.... it just needs plenty of light.  I have grown these for years and I have never thought they were difficult.  This Weeping Fig is a plaited standard, and to look after it all I do is make sure it is watered once a week during wintertime, but it does need more water in the summer time. I dust the leaves with a cloth and every now and again I spray the leaves with a fine mist of water. When Spring arrives I start to feed it. The plant does benefit from being placed by a window and turned every now and again to make sure the leaves do not grow towards the light, but other than that I think you will be surprised how easy they are.  Maybe buy a small plant and see how you get on.

.... and I am thrilled to pieces with how this Parlour Palm has settled.  I bought 4 tiny plants for the princely sum of £1 each. I repotted them and cared for them until each one reached a good size, I then potted them on to the next size of pot.  When they were large enough I planted two Parlour Palms into two large pots and I am thrilled to say they are growing so well as they love the warmth of the conservatory.  Admittedly their growth will slow during the winter time, but next year they will put on another spurt and in a few years time I am hoping I will have two large Parlour Palms.  If you were to buy a full grown Parlour Palm I know they can run into over £100 for a large one, so why not buy small, nurture the plants and save yourself a lot of money.

Another favourite indoor plant is this Peace Lily.  Although I grow this one on my windowsill, it is quite happy, because this window does not receive any direct sunshine.... plenty of light.... but no sunshine to scorch the leaves.  I have grown Peace Lilies in the corner of a room and as long as the plant is given some direct light, it will survive quite happily.  You will also be treated to some lovely white flowers which will bloom two or three times a year.  An easy plant to care for and one which will reward you with lush green leaves.

A very old favourite and one which my mother Phyllis has grown for years.... a Christmas flowering Cactus. Actually I am sure this is a cutting taken from my mother's plant. I have to be honest and say, 10 or 11 months of the year, this flowering cactus does look rather boring, but during the run up to Christmas the flowers begin to form and before you know it you have buds all over the plant and when the buds burst into bloom, the plant looks spectacular.  I normally stand this plant in my porthole window, but I could not get a decent photograph to show you, so I moved it onto this shelf. It has now been returned to the window, where it sits quite happily.

.... and I could not leave you without sharing this touch of whimsy.... don't you just love Baby Groot. Whenever I look at him he always brings a smile to my face.  

Baby Groot was part of my birthday present earlier in the year and unbeknown  to me, Baby Groot arrived before my birthday with George being given strict instructions as to the type of plant he had to buy from the garden centre.... and I think he did an admirable job as he found the perfect plant.  To care for the air plant, all I have to do, is pop the air plant into rain water once a week and it is happy.

So if you do not grow houseplants, maybe give it a go... it is lovely to have that touch of greenery around the home and not only do the plants look lovey,  they are also very good for filtering the air.

I would love to know which houseplants you have had success with, as maybe the houseplants which you grow are totally different to mine.

Take care and I will catch up with you next Saturday.

As Always,

WHEN DAPHNE ADDED A LITTLE SPRING COLOUR TO HER HOME

Good Morning to you,

The year before last, a dear friend gifted George and I, a wonderful array of jams, marmalade and chutney. They have long since been eaten and enjoyed. The marmalade was spread on thick slices of toast, the jams used inside a Swiss Roll and a Victoria Sponge and the chutney perked up many a ham sandwich. All that remained of the gift was a gorgeous little basket, which I could not bear to throw away.... well you know how I do love to hold on to things.... just in case.

The basket had been waiting patiently to be brought back into the light for almost 14 months and that day finally arrived, when yesterday, George and I decided to visit our local garden centre.  We wanted to buy some compost and bark for another project we were doing and quite honestly, that is all we wanted to buy.

.... but you know what it is like, when you are faced with row upon row of gorgeous spring flowers.  The temptation rises and before you know it, the 'flower fairy' has heard your call and added a few pots of beautiful spring flowers into the trolley.  You hardly notice it happening, as it all occurs during a moments breath.

When you see what I bought, you will understand why the 'flower fairy' heeded my call. 

Aren't these Primula Belarina just perfect. Yes the bright, gaudy versions are fine, actually these are the colours which George prefers,  but I much prefer the delicate pale yellow colour. Can you see why I was tempted?

The plants had been chosen,

and the little basket, which finally saw the light of day once again, was ready and waiting. I checked the depth of the basket and it was perfect.

The first thing I needed to do, was to place a layer of plastic inside the basket.  Once arranged, I held it in place with pegs. This was to prevent the weight of the soil dragging the plastic downwards, allowing water to seep through the basket.  Ordinarily I would use clear plastic, but when I took my first photograph, the clear plastic could hardly be seen, so I changed it for this more visible, white plastic. I then placed one handle of the basket at 10 o'clock and the other at 2 o'clock to allow easy access to the basket. I didn't want to lay the handles flat, because when pulled back into their original position, they might have broken some of the primula leaves.

I then mixed 2 parts multi purpose compost with 1 part of small bark chippings.  I then mixed the two together. How brilliant was it, that this mix, was bought for another project, but there was ample remaining, for this little project.

I placed a third of the compost and bark mixture into the bottom of the basket.  I would suggest that you check the sizes of your pots, as you might need to add more or less soil than I did.  

I carefully removed the plants from their plastic containers and checked the roots.  As you can see, mine were root bound, so my lovely assistant, George, teased the roots, whilst I took the photograph.

Then it was time for the exciting part, I began, by placing the first primula into the centre of the basket and then I added the other two plants either side.  I did find it was a tight squeeze for the final plant, so I had to coax the plant into position.

I then filled the spaces around the plants with soil, gently firming as I went along.

As I had a good supply of bark, I sprinkled some over the soil, firstly as decoration and secondly to help keep the moisture in the soil.

Finally I cut away the excess plastic and using an old screwdriver (yes I did ask George) gently tucked in any overlapping plastic so that it was hidden from view.

The plants were then watered, with just a small amount of water. The handles were brought upright and I placed the basket near a window to enjoy the natural light.

As far as watering is concerned, I use a small watering can and water sparingly.  I test the soil with my finger tip and if it is dry, then I will water.  As there are no drainage holes it is essential that the plants are not over watered, as plants do not like their roots sitting in water.

Normally, I would buy plants which are in bud, but I thought you would enjoy a pretty flower rather than a bud and to be honest, I am really enjoying them as well, as they look lovely in the conservatory.  When they have finished flowering and the warmer spring weather arrives, I will plant them in the garden and next year they will reward me with more flowers. 

What do you think?  Was it worth saving the basket? I wonder are you the same as me, do you save things.... just in case?  

I love the basket of primula and I am now going to send a photograph to our friend to show him what became of the basket. I think he will be surprised at  how long I kept the basket.

Before I leave you, I have to apologise, because it seems the recipe for the Olive Oil cake, which I posted on my recipe page, has not materialised.  When I wrote the recipe last week, I pressed the publish button, and I thought that was it, but something has obviously gone wrong.  I promise to investigate and if I cannot find the answer to the problem, I have decided I will add the recipe to the original blog post.

Ooooh technology.

Take care and I will catch up with you next Thursday.

As Always,