Sunday, October 22, 2023

The Jungle Grows


Yesterday was full of typical Saturday activities. I did two loads of laundry, stripped the bed and took the sheets and towels to the laundromat, and vacuumed.

Then I watered all the plants, and somehow that turned into rearranging the plants near the back door and finally bringing the avocado inside for the winter. In some ways it wasn't the best time for this job, because the avocado has been sitting outside during Storm Babet, and the pot and soil were completely saturated. It's already a heavy plant and I think it weighed about 20 pounds more than usual!



I know I say this every year, but this may seriously be the last time I bring it indoors. Moving it almost killed me. Next winter I may let nature take its course.

But anyway, for now, it's inside. It looks a bit lopsided because one of the branches broke off when it fell over last week, and it has developed a slight curve in its trunk, I think because it was leaning toward the light in the yard. The yucca, as you can see, has been shifted to the right next to our gigantic fiddle-leaf fig.

I sent this pic to Dave and said, "Behold the jungle!" He said, "It looks like the jungle has killed Olga."

And even though I'm constantly complaining about having too many plants, I found another adoptee yesterday.


When I walked Olga in the morning I came across this rubber tree in a skip (or dumpster, as we say in America). I brought it home, removed the dead stalk and all those completely unnecessary bamboo stakes, and repotted it with fresh soil. We'll see how it does. Rubber trees are usually pretty durable so I'll be surprised if it doesn't survive. See that price tag on the pot? Someone paid £85 for this plant -- roughly $103. Insanity!

So, anyway, now we're closer to being ready for winter. I still have to deal with all the dahlias, lifting the tubers and moving them into the shed, but we have a few weeks before that task. The plants still have green (but faded and scraggly) leaves, so I'll wait until they die back a bit more.

We had more rain yesterday, but the weather faired later in the day and today is supposed to be sunny, as I understand it. And then we're in for this:


Ah, well. I guess there's a reason this "green and pleasant land" is so green. And look at those temperatures. That avocado could have stayed outside well into November!

(Top: A leaf found on Olga's walk yesterday morning.)

28 comments:

  1. Rubber trees are tough. "no-one" has one that has survived being neglected for over twenty years now. It isn't very tall but it is alive. Whenever I visit I chuck a half bucket of water into the pot.

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  2. I love the jungle and all the windows in that room. Poor Olga. Watching you do all that work exhausted her. And of course you brought home another plant. Whoever paid 85 pounds for the rubber tree was probably upset as the watched each pricy leaf fall off and just couldn't look at their losses anymore.

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  3. At Little Phoebe's nursery school she has recently graduated to The Little Kingdom. Her first placement was in The Jungle Room with the other tiny tots. Your lounge reminded me of that. It must be difficult to watch television through all that greenery.

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  4. Olga cannot even be bothered by the moving of the jungle!

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  5. Definitely looking like a jungle, so much so, that I didn't even notice Olga until I read Dave's comment.

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  6. That room is such a glory with all the light and the green plants. And of course you had to bring home the rubber plant. I remember in Roseland we had one in the house and my little brother kept cutting the leaves off.
    It did not thrive.
    Granddaddy finally planted it down by the river. I wonder how long it survived.

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  7. Tell Dave your weather looks like Michigan. Except warmer. We've had rain after rain after rain. Tomorrow they are threatening sun but right now very cloudy and only 40. Hopefully it will warm up!

    I love your indoor garden and all the light in your home. Lack of natural light is about the only thing I don't like in my own house. Plants die or look so sad. Yours thrive. Have you ever thought about making a small platform with wheels and a rope or handle so you can pull the plant in as far as possible and just have to lift up steps. The platform could have sides like a box with one hinged so you could put the plant "inside" and close it up and it would be less likely to topple on a bumpier terrain like grass. You might even be able to make it so it folds or collapses so easier to store but thinking that through is beyond my pay grade. It's stuff like this that keeps me up at night.

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  8. not much difference in your temperature range from high to low. we usually have at least a 15 - 20 degree difference. I love that room with those windows and french doors and all your plants.

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  9. I love all the plants and how beautiful it makes the room look. Olga is sleeping in the sweet jungle of home.

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  10. You're living in a conservatory. That light, and the view of more green, it's hard to believe you're in a big city. with all the indoor plants, your humidity must be high. And your air clean,too.

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  11. I love your jungle! I wish we had somewhere to keep one other than the master bathtub. I mean, the bathroom looks lovely in the winter, but it would be nice to have the green in other parts of the house.

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  12. All that green will be cheerful in the depths of winter!

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  13. Your jungle looks great! You can tell that a couple of nature loving gardeners live there.

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  14. Well, don't cry about your forecast. Mine's the same but it's snow for the next seven days! I got all my winter stuff done yesterday.

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  15. Oops! They've just changed the forecast. We only get snow for two days.

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  16. When the first big cold snap hits, you'll be glad you've already wrestled the avocado inside. The leaf is beautiful. I love seeing the ones you share, so keep it up!

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  17. Your forecast is very similar to what we had in Seattle, it would go on for weeks at a time. That's one of the many reasons we don't live there anymore. The jungle looks good, I'm surprised the yucca is happy there.

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  18. In the jungle, the mighty jungle, Olga sleeps tonight....

    (Aweemawet...)

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  19. your house looks alive with greenery. do you follow hilton carter on instagram. he is a plant guy, i think you'd enjoy him. your house right now is reminiscent of his.

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  20. Agreed with you on Rachel's blog but she deleted

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  21. If you don't mind, please check out "Va. voters focused on education, but less on trans students, poll finds" on my blog, www.emilysvirtualrocket.blogspot.com. There are many newsworthy transgender sites as well. Thank you for your time. Emily Shorette

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  22. That's a beautiful leaf and LOTS of plants. I don't do well with indoor ones but that's a perfect place for them because of the light. We say that about WA too; that's why it's so green here.

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  23. That's a really nice room! Tickles me that Olga scorns her dog bed for the couch. :)

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  24. Your forecast looks quite depressing. Head to Spain.

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  25. River: Yes, they are notoriously hardy! We used to have a HUGE one outside our house in Florida.

    Mitchell: I just can't imagine who would spend that kind of money on a houseplant.

    YP: We use hedge trimmers to maintain an uninterrupted line of sight. :)

    Bob: Yeah, she was uninterested in the whole process.

    Ed: Ha! Maybe her spots keep her well-camouflaged. :)

    Ms Moon: I bet it's still there! We had one outside our house in Florida that got huge until my mother had it cut down because it was undermining the foundation.

    Jeanie: That's a good idea, to have some sort of method for moving our big plants. I never really envisioned that they'd get this large! We don't even own a wheelbarrow!

    Ellen: Yeah, it's true, at this time of year it all tends to be pretty moderate.

    Robin: She does seem to like the security of the enveloping leaves!

    Boud: It is as closed to a conservatory as we've got. I do love our little oasis.

    Bug: One thing about British houses -- they're often built with big windows to maximize sunlight.

    Jennifer: Indeed! I love it when we get snow and I can peer through the tropical leaves at the wintery landscape outside.

    Sharon: Or a plant hoarder! (Which is probably more truthful.)

    Red: Oh, yeah, snow is worse! But at least you're not getting as much as you first thought.

    Kelly: Well, that's true. I do start to develop a little bit of anxiety when I know frost is possible.

    Allison: That yucca does well. I'm not sure it's the same variety as the ones we see in the American southwest.

    Debby: Ha!

    37P: I've heard of him but I'm never on Instagram much. I'll have to look for his stuff.

    Traveller: Thanks! I was surprised to see her blog down, though she does this every now and then. Surely she was prepared for contrary opinions, posting on such a sensitive issue.

    Emily: Ummmm....ok?

    Margaret: That room really IS ideal for houseplants.

    Jim: I know! Why did we even buy that stupid bed? LOL!

    Andrew: I'll just stay focused on our California trip in February!

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  26. PS to Traveller: I see she's back today!

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  27. What A Living Room - Wish You Were Hosting This Halloween - Be Well

    Cheers

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  28. You can prune the rubber tree way back and it will grow a bit "bushier". Don't know if it would be better to wait until Spring but you can research it!! Love the look of the room.

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