From my houseplant world:
My schefflera – which I’ve had for years – lives on the sideboard in the living room. I’m used to it dropping some leaves once a year, but this year it dropped nearly every leaf on the plant. I thought it was dying. I cut a few branches back and I removed the dead leaves on a daily basis.
Well, there’s hope.
From one of the branches I cut back.
And from the other. There are also wee little babies appearing everywhere. I’m fascinated by the whole thing. It looks like the schefflera will have another life.
And my monstera has also been losing leaves. Frankly, it looks kind of like a monster! BUT…a new leaf has appeared. And last year, we had no new leaves.
A good sign!
And then there’s my mom and dad’s snake plant – over 40 years old and it keeps on going! Dependable as the day is long.
Lots of rain and storms yesterday, but today looks like it will be lovely. I have officially reached the “I no longer do any upkeep on the garden beds” stage of the summer. It happens every year in mid to late August. They’re kind of wild looking and there are blooms everywhere, so I’m happy. The coneflowers are still there, but they’re fading. And some zinnias are beginning to bloom, which makes me smile.
The Beacon Hill: I’ve reached the stage where I’m not sure what to do next. The basics are installed in the rooms, except the bathroom. Baseboards need to be added. But a lot of what needs to be done needs to be done on a budget. The rooms need furniture and rugs and accessories and all of that takes money. So I’ve had to slow things down as I search for pieces and decide what to invest in.
I also have to pick a paint color for the exterior. I have a definite idea, but I’m too lazy to go to the hardware store at the moment.
Stay safe.
Happy Friday.
glad your indoor and outdoor plants are doing well or as expected, and some surprising you in good ways. glad you have them.
i relate very much to “i’ve reached the stage where i don’t know what to do next”. for me it’s about some necessary and hard tasks, and creative goals (children’s picture books). it’s supposed to be extra-hot and humid here this weekend and early next week … a good time to stay inside and work on things. or not. :) best wishes and prayers for us all!
happy, safe days for all, too!
kathy
It got humid here today. Surprisingly!
Stay safe, Kathy.
Good news on the schefflera. Houseplants are funny, finicky creatures…yes, I anthropomorphize them. It’s like he was reborn.
I had to invest in grow lights for both my monstera, and rubber tree plant. That really helped a lot, especially since I had to cut off the top of my monstera…it was morphing into something else. Now…it has successfully resurrected itself. Like I said…they are finicky creatures.
I was taking a close look at my pine garden yesterday. Pine trees, hostas, hydrangeas and other shade loving plants live there. It’s looking rather weedy…but, I stopped caring. Especially since our beloved crane couple, now with their offspring in tow, are constantly going into the bed in search of grubs or other insects. So lots of pine needles and mulch are being thrown around in their search for food. Daily sweeping of the mulch is required on the sidewalk. And I have to brush off the debris from my plants as well. We have no choice but to laugh about the whole situation. Gotta love the cranes!
Enjoy your day! ;)
I anthropomorphize everything!
My rubber tree plant is doing well but I was this close to cutting down the monstera. We’ll see what happens.
Stay safe, Donnamae.
Good Morning Claudia! Houseplant woes… *sigh* I have been experiencing drastic plant failure this year and this Never happens to my houseplants! I attribute some of it to chronic neglect…. (shameful of me) but also to the fact that lately I need to keep my window blinds closed most of the day due to the excessive heat buildup in the house. The hot days are so much more numerous and so much hotter than they used to be… with no breaks. We don’t have air conditioning downstairs (never needed it!) and my shades are the translucent type on the south facing windows so light gets in…. but maybe not enough. I have usually put houseplants out on my north-facing porch for the summer, but cut back on that because they come back in the fall with aphids or white-flies and that is trouble all winter. But a couple of regulars that have always died back a bit but renewed on their own (a maidenhair fern I’ve had for forty years) and a variegated ivy that gets too exuberant and then gets cut back every so often…. even an old stalwart geranium… all were dying and I mean Dying. At the very last minute I did drastic re-potting and they are showing signs of growth so I am encouraged. But I fear I did lose the hibiscus I have had since my older son was born… also over forty years…. . It has taken a toll on my sense of “what to do” with dealing with the climate changes….. yeah, we have to adapt…. but yikes! What to do? I am glad to hear your plants are recovering!
As for the Beacon Hill… it is looking beautiful, and while some of the “major creative effort might be over…. at least you can still tweak it and dream about it…. I know you will search and find fantastic creative deals to fill the gaps in the decor… and that’s all part of the fun!
I think I need to repot the shefflera but I dare not do it while babies are popping up. I don’t want to stress them.
Thanks so much, Betsy.
Stay safe.
I saw your video. Popped up for me, ??? Wished you’d panned out for us one last time to see the entire house. A thing of beauty!
We’ve had storm after storm. Had one in the night a couple nights ago, the thunder felt like it was right over our house.
The people setting these fires need to be jailed for life!! I cant believe it.
My dad is showing his age so much. A sister told me he has alzheimers. He doesnt. Shouldn’t complain, but he is incredibly headstrong, so i go along with all his plans, etc. Irritating. Ill etrike up the hill and see what we’re doing today.
Stay safe everybody. Stay cool
I can’t pan out. It’s a very small space. I posted a picture of the entire house the other day.
Thanks, Irene.
Stay safe.