Growing Plants Can Be A Source of Satisfaction No Mattter Where You Live

I’m a big fan of house plants and I’ve been growing them for a few years now. No matter where we lived, it was important to me that we have some plants indoors, and when possible plants outside, as well. I find it very enjoyable and satisfying to have a lot of greenery in the home, caring for the plants, and watching them grow. I’m sure a good part of that has to do with feeling like I’m bringing the outdoors inside. Mostly I’ve had non-flowering plants in the house, such as spider plants, snake plants, pothos, and wandering jews, but we got a gift of hyacinths once that made the whole house smell wonderful and I’ve had african violets as well.

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kentsimmons.uwinnipeg.ca

One of the really interesting aspects of horticulture is the discovery of unusual root systems when transplanting. I was amazed to see the spider plant’s roots, some of which are actually like long balloons filled with water. Knowing this makes me feel better; if I haven't watered them in a while or the soil feels dry, at least I know they have their own water bottles with them.

The previous two homes we lived in both had yards and we tried our hands at gardening. The first time we bought a variety of tomato plants and I worked hard clearing the land, with a shovel, to make space for them. I think we had about 8 plants and enjoyed having fresh tomatoes to eat. There is nothing as good as home grown tomatoes; the ones from the supermarket don’t even come close.

The second house with a yard that we lived in had been planted many years earlier, by a previous occupant, with many perennials. We enjoyed watching a variety of plants and flowers bloom during the course of the spring and summer. All different kinds of flowers popped up at successive times, so even when some faded, there was a new crop of another type. We had tiger lilies, and miniature roses, tulips, a mimosa tree (which was not native to the area, really needing a warmer climate) bloomed for a short time, with its lovely pink fronds that fell off too quickly, and many others whose names I’ve forgotten or never knew. It was so wonderful sitting in the backyard and enjoying the flowers. I always felt grateful to the person who cared for the garden, once upon a time.

One season we decided to plant our own vegetables. We worked very hard clearing out a small plot of land near the back porch. We bought a variety of plants including peppers, tomatoes, squash, rosemary, thyme, and more. Unfortunately, despite all our hard work, we were not very successful. That year not only did we had an especially wet spring and summer which was not conducive to good plant growth, but discovered that we had a groundhog problem as well.

 We valiantly tried several methods of keeping him away from our plants. To our dismay, there was not much he wasn't fond of! After trying some natural animal repellants, we finally decided to get fencing. I don’t think it was the right type, but I don’t think there was much that we could have done to keep him out, anyway. He just dug deeper, or found the one weak spot in the fence. Eventually, we gave up.

In our new home, a couple of continents over from our last one, we have a wonderful terrace for plants outside our huge picture window in the living room. The weather here is quite warm, even in the winter, so all kinds of plants grow here year-round; I bought my tomato, pepper, cucumber, and eggplant from the nursery in October! My success has been mixed to this point. I was really enjoyed watching how our cucumbers, which grow on vines were putting out little tendrils which found the nearest post to wrap around and continue their climb. The pepper never did well and the tomatoes were not as plentiful as they should have been and a ferocious wind ultimately decimated my cucumbers. I still have one eggplant plant and chives growing as well as chrysanthemums, spider plants, and a succulent with pretty little flowers, which I’ve been propagating lately. For now, I’m going to concentrate on plants that grow easily with minimal care.

Moving isn’t always easy, but being able to have plants growing all around and has helped make the transition easier, quickly turning my apartment into my home.