When I am travelling one of my biggest worries is what will happen to my plants. I want to tell you six secrets about plants.
1 Plants are simple - and easy to please.
I won't go so far as to call them stupid. But they are simple. Easily pleased. You don't need to buy them alcoholic drinks. Just give them a glass of water and they are really pleased. They perk up. They are grateful. They thrive. Just plain old tap water.
2 Plants are simple. Honest souls.
They don't lie. If they need water they sag. They flag and droop. They look miserable. Their leaves flop and drop. Feed them a little water and they straighten up. They look proud and pleased. Just like a dog wags its tail when you offer it a drink.
3 Plants are simple. Survive on very little.
They don't need much to survive. Some plants are survivors. When you deprive them of food and water they play dead. Their flowers fall off. But so long as their roots are living they will recover.
4 Plants are simple. They don't say much.
If you want a good chat, they will listen. They don't interrupt. However, like most people, their favourite subject is themselves.
Talk to them. Say, 'How are you doing?' Which country do you come from? How do you like our weather?
Do you like my house? Are you thirsty? Have some water. It's no trouble.
Are you too hot - shall I give you a blanket to protect you from the frost? Too cold? Is this corner draughty for you?
Would you like to move to a bigger pot? You don't need to buy them fancy pots. You don't need anything. stand up straight, dear. I'll give you a little stick and tie you to it to help you stand up straight.Are you drowning in water? You want to go to the toilet - you have a wet nappy - all smelly - let me make a hole in the pot and let out the surplus water.
5 Check up on your plant's background.
Be suspicious of foreign plants. Actually most of them are quite civilised and will thrive. But do a few background checks. Read the label. Their mothers (the shop) will tell you a lot. If you have no label, no information from their friends or previous owners (who gave you a cutting), do your own research. The internet tells you everything you need to know. Is the plant poisonous to you or children or cats. Can you eat or drink any part of it?
6 Plants are friendly.
Plants are like cats. They will often fend for themselves if you put them outdoors. Frankly, you may think the plant is your personal friend, but it likes anybody who feeds it.
7 Be Kind to plants.
Plants give you pleasure day after day. It's mean to let them die if you are on holiday or in hospital or are sick or terminally ill. Give your favourite plant as a loan to somebody else until you feel better and can claim it back. If it's a plant which makes cuttings, give cuttings to all your friends. Then, if you ever move house or are away and lose your original plant, you can get back a clone from the cutting. Worst case scenario, after you are dead your plant will live on in the home of your friend or family member or acquaintance and the new owner will remember you (and your generosity) every time they look at the plant.
8 People are a mix of stupid and clever.
Put labels on your plants. Write large and on a coloured pretty card. Give the plant's name and what it likes (shade or sun) how much it drinks and how often.If you give your plant to a family, chances are that even if one person is to busy, another will look after it.
9 Don't fret about dead plants
You can usually buy or borrow or take a cutting of another.
10 Always say hello and goodbye to plants
That way you can keep them happy and check on them and remember to water them.
11 Plants aren't fussy
They will live in broken crockery, on saucers with a chip turned away so nobody can see it. They grow in gardens in odd corner.
12 Every country has a few 'bad apples' - Clean up.
Watch out for weeds that breed. You might want to turn an old house or cemetery into a jungle so it is forgotten and lies undistributed for centuries hidden by plants. But some plants seed and breed and you will consider them weeds.
13 Make Big Problems Small Ones
A plant grown too large can often be cut down into a matching pair, mother and baby, or an avenue.
As with any other problem you have three choices:
a) Spring Clean. Blitz - new year and spring clean. Once a year throw out what's dead; and buy in new.
b) Daily Routine.
Just check everything for one minute a day so it's never a burden, easy to remember, and takes little time.
c) Delegate.
Find out what to do but don't do it yourself. Employ somebody else (friend, family member, maid, friend, gardener, and check what they are doing, praise them, thank them, tell them they have green fingers.
14 Money Talks
If all else fails, invest in a watering system. Every garden centre will have suggestions. If they don't, you can cut up a plastic bottle and make a small hole at the bottom to drip feed and a large hole at the top to fill.
15 Free Advice
If your plants won't talk to you, visit a gardening club, or chat to anybody who owns or looks after a grand garden. Start by praising the garden. Then ask how they manage it.Ask where you can buy or order one of their plants. They will probably tell you. They might even give you a cutting. If nobody is around, take a photo, and while you are there or later search the internet for a match.
16 Persuade People to Water Plants
I made a mistake. I never taught my toddler son to water plants. Now he is in his thirties it is a long battle to get him to water plants when I am away. If I get grandchildren I will train them to water plants and people. I will say, give your visitors a glass of water. Now give the plant some water. (Only if it wants the water.)
17 Invest in Self-Watering Or Hardy Plants
If you are out at work all day, or away weeks at a time, you need somebody to look after your children, animals, and plants. Some plants will last longer without attention. Buy plants which need little attention.
Did I say six secrets? Like a plant, my blog grew.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
1 Plants are simple - and easy to please.
I won't go so far as to call them stupid. But they are simple. Easily pleased. You don't need to buy them alcoholic drinks. Just give them a glass of water and they are really pleased. They perk up. They are grateful. They thrive. Just plain old tap water.
2 Plants are simple. Honest souls.
They don't lie. If they need water they sag. They flag and droop. They look miserable. Their leaves flop and drop. Feed them a little water and they straighten up. They look proud and pleased. Just like a dog wags its tail when you offer it a drink.
3 Plants are simple. Survive on very little.
They don't need much to survive. Some plants are survivors. When you deprive them of food and water they play dead. Their flowers fall off. But so long as their roots are living they will recover.
4 Plants are simple. They don't say much.
If you want a good chat, they will listen. They don't interrupt. However, like most people, their favourite subject is themselves.
Talk to them. Say, 'How are you doing?' Which country do you come from? How do you like our weather?
Do you like my house? Are you thirsty? Have some water. It's no trouble.
Are you too hot - shall I give you a blanket to protect you from the frost? Too cold? Is this corner draughty for you?
Would you like to move to a bigger pot? You don't need to buy them fancy pots. You don't need anything. stand up straight, dear. I'll give you a little stick and tie you to it to help you stand up straight.Are you drowning in water? You want to go to the toilet - you have a wet nappy - all smelly - let me make a hole in the pot and let out the surplus water.
5 Check up on your plant's background.
Be suspicious of foreign plants. Actually most of them are quite civilised and will thrive. But do a few background checks. Read the label. Their mothers (the shop) will tell you a lot. If you have no label, no information from their friends or previous owners (who gave you a cutting), do your own research. The internet tells you everything you need to know. Is the plant poisonous to you or children or cats. Can you eat or drink any part of it?
6 Plants are friendly.
Plants are like cats. They will often fend for themselves if you put them outdoors. Frankly, you may think the plant is your personal friend, but it likes anybody who feeds it.
7 Be Kind to plants.
Plants give you pleasure day after day. It's mean to let them die if you are on holiday or in hospital or are sick or terminally ill. Give your favourite plant as a loan to somebody else until you feel better and can claim it back. If it's a plant which makes cuttings, give cuttings to all your friends. Then, if you ever move house or are away and lose your original plant, you can get back a clone from the cutting. Worst case scenario, after you are dead your plant will live on in the home of your friend or family member or acquaintance and the new owner will remember you (and your generosity) every time they look at the plant.
8 People are a mix of stupid and clever.
Put labels on your plants. Write large and on a coloured pretty card. Give the plant's name and what it likes (shade or sun) how much it drinks and how often.If you give your plant to a family, chances are that even if one person is to busy, another will look after it.
9 Don't fret about dead plants
You can usually buy or borrow or take a cutting of another.
10 Always say hello and goodbye to plants
That way you can keep them happy and check on them and remember to water them.
11 Plants aren't fussy
They will live in broken crockery, on saucers with a chip turned away so nobody can see it. They grow in gardens in odd corner.
12 Every country has a few 'bad apples' - Clean up.
Watch out for weeds that breed. You might want to turn an old house or cemetery into a jungle so it is forgotten and lies undistributed for centuries hidden by plants. But some plants seed and breed and you will consider them weeds.
13 Make Big Problems Small Ones
A plant grown too large can often be cut down into a matching pair, mother and baby, or an avenue.
As with any other problem you have three choices:
a) Spring Clean. Blitz - new year and spring clean. Once a year throw out what's dead; and buy in new.
b) Daily Routine.
Just check everything for one minute a day so it's never a burden, easy to remember, and takes little time.
c) Delegate.
Find out what to do but don't do it yourself. Employ somebody else (friend, family member, maid, friend, gardener, and check what they are doing, praise them, thank them, tell them they have green fingers.
14 Money Talks
If all else fails, invest in a watering system. Every garden centre will have suggestions. If they don't, you can cut up a plastic bottle and make a small hole at the bottom to drip feed and a large hole at the top to fill.
15 Free Advice
If your plants won't talk to you, visit a gardening club, or chat to anybody who owns or looks after a grand garden. Start by praising the garden. Then ask how they manage it.Ask where you can buy or order one of their plants. They will probably tell you. They might even give you a cutting. If nobody is around, take a photo, and while you are there or later search the internet for a match.
16 Persuade People to Water Plants
I made a mistake. I never taught my toddler son to water plants. Now he is in his thirties it is a long battle to get him to water plants when I am away. If I get grandchildren I will train them to water plants and people. I will say, give your visitors a glass of water. Now give the plant some water. (Only if it wants the water.)
17 Invest in Self-Watering Or Hardy Plants
If you are out at work all day, or away weeks at a time, you need somebody to look after your children, animals, and plants. Some plants will last longer without attention. Buy plants which need little attention.
Did I say six secrets? Like a plant, my blog grew.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
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