It's been over a month and I haven't killed any plant. I shall now acquit myself of this self-given label of planter-killer. I posted my Green Dreams not so long ago where I mentioned getting self-watering plants and hinted about more plants.
And yes, there's another plant, maybe more, a lot more, not even self-watering... What have I gotten myself into?
Soon after getting the self-watering plants, which are very stubborn and know how to survive, my confidence was boosted to another level, and I quickly made a long procrastinated trip to the plant nursery. I was looking for indoor plants to brighten up my new space which is not so new anymore. It's been almost 4 months since I moved.
The nursery looks very small, but when I walked around the narrow dirt aisles, I noticed they had a good range of plants for such a tight space and a small town. One look around the plants told me that I needed to go straight to the place covered with a green net shade.
I could recognize Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum), Chinese fan palm (Livistona Chinensis) and Grand Devil's Claws (Pisonia Grandis). I had already got a small golden pothos in my self-watering set. I wasn't aesthetically interested in the other two.
But lo and behold... these gigantic pothos caught my eye like nothing else. I was looking for at least one large plant, and I couldn't find anything better. I immediately asked the nursery guy to reserve it for me for a later pick-up in another vehicle as it wouldn't fit in my car.
I don't know why I have always admired Araucaria. Probably because I have also seen my parents think highly of it. Before my trip to the nursery, I had this one plant in my mind to get, and the rest was just buy-if-it-looks-pretty. I had only heard its scientific name (Araucaria) since childhood, so I was a little surprised when I found out it has a pine in its name. Although it does look like a conifer it's not a true pine.
Since Christmas is around the corner, I couldn't help but notice that it looks like a Christmas tree. Although I don't celebrate the occasion and the festival is also not very common in Pakistan, I haven't seen a real one up close except once at an acquaintance's home as a child or maybe in a restaurant. The point is I never paid much attention until I got this plant and the Google tells me Araucaria Columnaris is a Christmas tree.
Another fun fact I came across while reading about this plant... All trees are under my scrutiny now. 😆
A 2017 study found that trees tend to have a tilt dependent on the hemisphere of their location, growing upright on the Equator but leaning south in the northern hemisphere and north in the southern hemisphere. source
I also got 3 pairs of Garden Crotons. All the pairs are of different sizes and colours. I almost killed one Croton. This plant needs bright but indirect sun. I moved it into a darker room due to some work being done in its original spot and soon its leaves started wilting. I put it outdoors in the shade and watered it. By evening, some of its leaves looked upright. I thought to leave it outside for another day only to completely forget shifting it into a more shady space as the sun was too bright and hot that day. Sadly, half of the leaves shedded down that day due to shock. I brought it indoors to a brighter room, and it's been a week, and it's still alive.
Another beautiful pair that I got was Song of India. This plant is native to islands near the Indian Ocean. The bright green and yellowish-white outlines make this a good choice for houseplants.
My son got 5 outdoor plants of roses that grow all year round. I have finally seen a bud emerging after a month.
All these plants needed new planters because the clay pots didn't look appealing. I wanted to get wicker baskets but they were all too expensive and other options weren't as good. So I thought to get my hands dirty on another DIY. I painted the large clay pot black and wiped clean the plastic ones. I got 2 plastic pots that looked like claypots from the local supermarket. I also got 4 plastic bins, painted them and wrapped some jute around them and voila, 4 new cheap yet chic planters in the home.
Can you spot the one that almost died? 🥲
If these plants survive another month, I might pay another visit to the nursery because there's no concept of too much green. 😉