I just got back from a trip to one-of-the-states-in-the-middle to visit The Husband's family for Christmas. I don't fit in with his family very well and the bed they put me in is a twin bed with a mattress that hasn't been replaced since sometime in the early 80s so I don't sleep well, either.
My mother in law has ONE houseplant. ONE.
BUT. About half an hour from my in-laws lies the land of PATSP, Kingdom of Mr. Subjunctive himself. He and I have been Internet Friends for years and on this trip I finally got to meet him for the first time IRL.
Fortunately he didn't turn out to be a very patient serial killer who lures unsuspecting plant aficionados to their dooms with offers of houseplants. [And neither did I]
I thought I was houseplant obsessed but I've got nothin' on Mr. S. Wow. I could tell we had the right house when I drove up and couldn't see inside for the wall of green. Very cool.
Mr. Subjunctive lives in a cute little house with his significant other and Sheba, a sweet dog who decided The Husband and I were great because whenever I feel fur under my hand I automatically start petting.
He has has plants everywhere. Where there isn't enough natural light there are artificial lights to support the plants. I wonder about his power bill.
Best of all I have some new ideas for my place. I don't think I'll ever get as many plants as he has but I could use some more space for a few more plants [and so it begins...].
AND he very kindly sent me home with a few, small, plants. Meet the newest additions to my jungle [sorry for the poor quality of the images, the plants are all in my shower after getting a post-flight watering and the lighting isn't great]:
Aeschaynanthus longicolis
Bilbergia borracho [the only one with any noticeable damage from going through TSA screening and then being stuffed under an airline seat - two badly bent leaves. It should recover]
Bilbergia nutans
Columnia orientsomethinga [I con't really translate my handwriting and couldn't find this one on the interweb with a quick, pre-coffee search this morning. I'm sure I'll get a comment with the correct spelling soon, right, Mr. Subjunctive?]
Euphorbia leuconeura
Also known as the Madagascar jewel
Leuchtenbergia principis
Syngonium wendlandii
And, not from Mr. Subjunctive but found in a hardware store in The Husband's hometown, a nice variegated Hoya. They also had a variegated Peace Lily [Spathophyllum] that was just too big to try and carry on a plane. I'm not a big fan of most Spathophyllum but this would have been nice for the leaves. I do like the jumbo sized Spathophyllum but I just don't have room for one.
It was nice to meet an Internet Friend in person. Mr. Subjunctive is a genuinely nice guy with a nice dog, good taste in plants, movies, and music. As I was leaving I commented on how nice it was to meet someone like me, most people aren't like me and sometime that makes me feel like an outsider. He suggested it was in part because I am intelligent. I think that's part of it but it's also that I am willing to be myself, no matter what anyone else thinks. Thanks, Mr. Subjunctive, for the hospitality, for the plants, and for just being a nice guy.
Now to send The Husband to the hardware store to pick up some supplies...
Now I'm curious about your mother-in-law's one houseplant. (What is it? How long has it been there? Is it doing well? Etc.) Not everybody can be an indoor plant person.
ReplyDeleteSpelling corrections:
Aeschynanthus longicaulis
Billbergia 'Borracho'
Columnea orientandina
It was nice to meet you (and your husband) as well; I only wish the Anthuriums and Schlumbergeras had been putting on a better show -- you were a little too early for the former and too late for the latter. As impressive as the sea of foliage might be, it could have been more colorful.
And yes, the power bill is . . . significant. The husband estimated about a year ago that the lights by themselves were costing us about $110 per month. I haven't checked his math on that, and kind of hope that it's not that extreme, but it's probably in the ballpark.