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Learning by Doing-The Story Continues

© Diana Pederson

Last week I began sharing things that indoor gardening has taught me about creativity. Let's continue this train of thought by considering adaptations I've made for growing some of the fussier plants.

Upstairs in my bedroom, I have a converted baby changing table. A friend hung a shoplight over it for me. The top shelf holds my African violet collection (all 16 of them) and an indoor water fountain. I tuck some other plants in around them — especially those that like lots of humidity. I am finally having good luck getting African violets to rebloom for me. Picking up plants at the local Builder's Square for $.97 each is a good deal even if they don't last long. Imagine the joy of having them rebloom repeatedly for several months. Apparently, increased humidity with the fountain, and the move upstairs where it is consistently warmer is what they needed for optimal growth. Since they bloomed so nicely, I've recently added some inexpensive violets from a garden center. This year I might even expand into other members of this family.

This past spring, my brother sold a house he rented out. The last tenant decided not to take all his furniture. I've wanted a good sturdy "shelf" between the back of my davenport and my picture window for a long time. Why? To hold plants, of course. My brother was quite willing to donate this dresser to the cause. Although I wouldn't want it displayed because of the condition of the drawers, it does make a great plant stand and provides some storage space for little used items. The top is great for holding pots of sansevierias, a terrarium with some cryptanthus, and a few haworthias that prefer northern light during the summer. Looking over there just now, I think I could manage a couple more 12 inch wide bowls of shade loving house plants — guess it's time for a trip to Frank's Nursery — I wonder if they have house plants on sale today? You definitely can't beat the price of this plant stand — FREE.

I've been starting outdoor plants from seed for ten winters. The past two or three years, my basement garden (lit with shoplights) has leaned more towards pelargoniums and various cacti and succulents. In August, my father "raised the sandbox" off the basement floor so I can enjoy that gardening location again. (It was too painful to be on my hands and knees last winter — therefore it became little more than a holding spot — waiting for summer.) If I decide to give up trying to grow from seeds, I see this 4'x5' sandbox as a wonderful South African desert scene with lots of euphorbias, haworthias, gasterias, and some scented pelargoniums being trained into tree form. Maybe I'll even start planting directly in the sand box (after adding some peat and fertilizer) instead of leaving plants in pots. Let's see, how many plants would this area hold? Time to check the catalogs.

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