Conversing With Plants

The other day I decided to count all my plants and discovered I have thirty five of them. They all have their own separate unique personalities. Some of them I have had for quite a long duration and consider them as old friends.

In the summer they like to live out on the front porch or our back deck basking in the sun's rays. Location is very important as some of them do not do well in the direct sun. It is not wise to fertilize house plants between November and March because they tend to rest in dormancy and don't really grow that much.

I consider having plants in the house to be naturally therapeutic. They like to listen to music and mine tend to like listening to Reggae, a little Nora Jones, Van Morrison or Neil Young, swaying and fluttering, on Sunday mornings while waiting for their hydration. Some people have been known to talk to their plants which is fine until one of them talks back to you. However, it is easy to know what they are thinking. At times they will tell you that they are being over watered if they start to turn yellow. They may be sitting in a soggy pool of water and that can cause a problem for some of them. They may also tell you they are not pleased with their location by turning yellow from not getting enough light. They may be pleading for a bit of fertilization depending on the time of year. When their leaves start to turn brown it can mean they are not being given enough water or they are getting too much sun. During the winter it is natural for some of them to shed their leaves, naked in their containers.

Many of them will tell you when they are placed too close to a cold window or a draft. In the winter this may require moving them elsewhere.Who knows maybe they are just asking for a change in scenery because they are bored. I do like to move them around once in awhile to see if they might thrive in a different location, or make new friends.

Watering plants, taking care of something helping it to grow is an exercise in mindfulness. Watering them slowly and listening to them gurgle or click. Touching their little leaves. Tangling with the cacti who like to bite, a little assertive in their personalities and letting you know who is boss.The jade plant very thick, tall and strong representing calm superiority. The scheffelera so very feminine displaying nature's ruffles. The rubber plant reaching out his wide thick leaves. The frilly asparagus fern with it's hidden thorns at a later age, sometimes growing small red berries as a surprise. The spider plant trying to reproduce its progeny by sprouting tiny tendrils.The burrow's tail appearing vaguely prehistoric. Dracena marginata competing with the yucca to see who can stand the tallest and proudest. Of course the mother in law's tongue asserting its maternal presence. My old time buddy kalanchoe who sometimes looks like it needs a rest from growing its bright flowers. My brown tuberous friend the begonia always so consistent with very little change through the seasons. The corn plant waving its long hand like leaves, lately telling me it is tired of winter, wanting spring.

Yes, soon the signs of the season's change will signal new growth and the cycle of life will once again make its presence known.