Where It All Began.
believe that the start of a new calendar year is a good time to take a trip into my past. To view the paths that I have walked and the choices made. In the context of this column, I decided to take a look at how my interest in plants began. In future columns, I will discuss how this hobby expanded into a wider interest in food and the food production system.
I began to collect plants because I wanted to improve my photographic skills. Inside, I didn't have to worry about wind and rain spoiling my shot or for the perfect light. I controlled the lighting and that made all the difference. Three plants formed that first, very casual garden; a spider plant, an Easter cactus and an aloe vera. All 3 were healthy and growing well, but they seemed lonely, incomplete. In addition, they were unable to meet my photographic needs.
I wasn't paying any attention to design considerations when I placed them on a low, square table that sat in the alcove window in my living room. It was handy and while it worked well for a time, the rapid growth of my garden has made significant changes necessary.
This window faces east and the light and warmth are generous. The windows are well sealed and, in the summer can burn a plant that is left too close. In winter they can help a lily bloom. The plants did well.
Friends were soon bringing me plants that they were having trouble with to see what I could do. As the plants recovered, I had to consider where to place them as my friends did not want them back. This task became more complex as people began to give us plants for Christmas and birthdays and we inherited plants when people moved. The plants that I inherited came with a variety of containers from cut-in-half two-litre pop bottles to bright pink plastic self-watering containers. Repotting allowed me to choose suitable containers. The first decision that faced me was which rooms should the plants inhabit.
I decided to concentrate on the living room because my monstera and sansevieria had laid claim to this room and they needed company. Both these plants could thrive at the far end of the room away from the window, but they needed a considerable presence at the other end of the room for balance.
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