A Tribute to My Cousin

Last year about this time we traveled to New England. The purpose was to celebrate the life of my oldest cousin. She suddenly passed away the year before following surgery after a cancer diagnosis. It was all very unexpected. We were looking forward to resuming visits - aside from the zoom calls she scheduled once a month - once the pandemic subsided. That never happened. Since there wasn’t a funeral the family decided a get together would be in order. After the event everyone was given a plant - the kind she liked to have growing in her home. It was a sweet gesture. The plant survived the trip home and was transplanted in to a little container where it joined the other greenery above the TV. At the time I also made a photo keepsake of the plant and the person it represented. Every time I look at it I think of Judi. She was always so positive and encouraged all of the cousins and was proud of all of the accomplishments. And she was especially kind to my parents. Now it’s been a year since we got Judi’s plant and it has done well. It’s been a year now - another reminder to celebrate her life. 

Cousin Memorial in New England

Last year we heard that our oldest cousin unexpectedly passed away after dealing with a new cancer diagnosis. She has just started chemotherapy and apparently died from a pulmonary embolism at home. I had just spoken to her at great length the day before. It was quite a shock. At the time there was no mention of funeral arrangements due to Covid. After a while it was determined that a get together memorial this summer would be nice. In the mean time, her husband, daughter and grand daughter set up a fund at Tufts University where she attended college. Two weeks ago we took a road trip to New England. Another cousin had called and asked if we would like to stay in her inherited family’s side by side home that she has since renovated and rents - she happened to be in between renters on one side. So we agreed and were happy to be on our way. We hadn’t been out of the state for three years and were anxious to get back to a routine of sorts even thought the reason for the travel was not exactly a happy one. But at least we would have the opportunity to see some familiar faces. We hadn’t been to New England since my parents surprise fiftieth wedding anniversary in 1998 - which happened to be at my cousin’s house. She was my mom’s flower girl. We had a lovely time visiting with everyone at the memorial “picnic.” On the way out we were given a plant in Judi’s memory. It now sits above the tv along with the other plants. Now I’ll think of her even more every time I look at it. 

The Miniature Rose

He did it again! It’s not something that happens all of the time. We bought a miniature rose plant two years ago. We thought it would add a bit of color to all of the greenery sitting on the plant console table. The blooms lasted for a while. Then we cut it back and it returned the favor again. My husband took this little plant on like no other. He tended to it like no other. He would move it back and forth from the console table to the sunny window during the winter. He got two more blooming times from it. Then we decided it was time to get a real console table in the dining room and the plants were scattered throughout the house. The miniature rose plant ended up on the balcony with a full western sun. The plant bloomed again in the spring. We cut it back another time - and wouldn’t you know - it budded for a sixth time and now is in full bloom. Even with the exceptionally hot summer the plant survived under the tender loving care it received. It looks healthier than ever. I’m not sure how much longer it will survive, but it’s been rewarding us with buds and blooms for quite a while. When you have so few plants you really pay attention to their health and well being. And how pretty they are! 

Rose Flowering House Plant from Giant

Finally! We found a flowering house plant that we have been looking for for over two weeks. We usually have luck with Giant, but they didn’t have anything. Then we decided to drive to American Plant. They didn’t have anything either. Then we took a ride to Ginkgo’s in our old Capitol Hill neighborhood - nothing. We checked out the plant and flower shop just down the street from us. Disappointed again - although we found out we could come here for just one or two flowers whenever we are in the mood rather than get a bouquet. We checked another Giant in Vienna - they had a few African violets, but they didn’t look so hot. Then we drove out to Wolftrap nursery - forget it. Then I checked the internet to find out if flowering house plants are just plain out of season. It didn’t seem to be the case. When we went grocery shopping this week we thought we would take another look at the plant supply. And there they were - the little rose plants that we know won’t last very long but will add some color to the plant stand that is primarily green. My husband liked the purply pink color - I would have preferred the white. There was also a red one. The plants looked fresh so we got the purply one. The fading green plant was removed and replaced with this one. There are rocks on the bottom of the pot and the water can drain. The trick is to keep the soil moist but not wet. I’ve never mastered this process and the rose buds start to fade. Unfortunately these roses require a lot of sun and that defeats the purpose of having something on the plant stand. So every day we put it on the west facing window sill and hope it does well. Then in the evening it goes back to where it belongs. Maybe we will have better luck this time - but I have my doubts. 

American Plant House Plant

We haven’t been there since we bought the six annuals for our tiny balcony garden. And they continue to do quite well in spite of the excessive heat and humidity. But, after two years, a couple of our house plants have seen better days. So after our morning walk we drove over to American Plant to check out their plant selection. We want a flowering houseplant of some kind since everything else is already so green. Even if the plant only lasts a month or two it’s still cheaper than buying cut flowers. The wall vases have been filled with bamboo and cut greens from the house plants. We passed by the water plants on the way in - we used to buy them for our beta fish and he loved them! We saw a lot of succulents, cactus, and green plants - not any flowering at all except for the orchids - which I’ve never had a lot of luck with. So we ended up not getting anything and will either find something at the grocery store or perhaps we might take a drive in to DC to Gingko gardens. Having a flowering plant is so cheerful. Let’s hope our next trip is more successful. 

The Bromeliad Surprise

There was a message that there was a flower delivery for us in the lobby of our condo. We had no idea what it could be, or who it was from, except that my mom passed away recently. When I went to retrieve it I wasn’t surprised at all that it was from our friends Mike and Ben. I worked with Mike at the Library of  Congress for ten years. What was funny about it is that Mike was from Florida, like me, and he went to Florida State, like me. Towards the end of my work life, we had coffee every morning. He visited with us at our condo on Capitol Hill and we got to know him and his family. When we were driving to Florida last week, Mike was texting us every day asking how we were doing and generally following us on the journey with my mom. So yesterday we received a bromeliad plant from Mike and Ben. The story behind it was even better. They have a bromeliad plant that they call Ben’s mom’s plant because they got it in 2009 when she passed away. So every time it blooms it reminds them of her. So we found a special place for the plant and hope it will last for a very long time. It was such a thoughtful gesture. We are so lucky to know Mike and Ben. 

A Tiny Plant Tale

When we moved in to our second tiny 500 square foot studio apartment almost seven years ago, we got a small green plant that was placed in a tiny pot on a high shelf right above the lamp. It thrived and produced a fresh bunch of tiny leaves on long streaming stems throughout the year. When we left on vacation, my husband figured out a way to make sure it would never be in need of water or light. Last year, he decided to move the plant to a location on the opposite side of the room in to a glass container that hung on the wall. Yes, it was sunny, but it didn't have the warm heat of the lamp beneath it that it was quite accustomed to. I told him it looked like it was unhappy because it stopped producing new stems that shot up in the air and kept growing until it got so top heavy, it fell forward and joined the rest of the bunch. He was finally convinced I was right and moved the tiny thing back to its original spot. After several days of losing many of the leaves, it is starting to flourish again. This I know because the long stem has once again sprouted and keeps reaching for the ceiling. That's what I call the power of observation, and my husband is thrilled I noticed - especially since we don't have many plants in our tiny space. 

Helen Olivia in Alexandria Artichoke Bouquet

Private Gardener in Milwaukee was our go to place for anything plant and flower related. They planned and installed our front yard garden; we always went there for unique and interesting bouquets; and they helped me surprise my husband on his fiftieth birthday by setting a beautiful table complete with goldfish in flower vases. Here in DC, we have a wall hanging vase that we try to keep updated with varieties of things based on the season.  It becomes a Christmas tree with lights in December, and when our garden has flowers, it's a wonderful container to show them off. This time of year is between all of that so we thought Helen Olivia in Alexandria might have something unique and long lasting. We were thinking a branch rather than a flower would be nice - an inspiration we saw at Vaso's Kitchen the last time we were there. In Milwaukee, I could pretty much cut things from all the trees, bushes, and plants on the one acre lot. Here, I don't have that option. What we found was an artichoke branch - not quite what we were looking for different. So we selected some leaves to display with it and hoped for the best. I think we could have used some color rather than all greens, but it was worth the experiment. The wrapping in itself made the bouquet exquisite. It's been a while since we have been there. The staff were busily preparing for an event and the place looked and smelled wonderful. Just going there changes your mood on a cold winter day. If nothing else, that in itself was worth the trip.