Happy Houseplants

I am not going to be the crazy old woman with a hundred cats. You won't find out I've been eating Purina and forgetting to change the litter. When I lose control of my life the first responders will walk into a crazy overgrown jungle where they find that a plant has eaten me as my houseplants have taken over. The story starts the same. A nice woman who took in the first few because they were cute and the next batch just to be nice and she was slowly overwhelmed as the numbers just multiplied. Don't get me wrong this isn't my plan. I strive to keep the ecosystem around here just right. I prune and cut back and share clippings with friends. I love my plants. It’s just that sometimes I wonder what I've gotten myself into. I might be in over my head. Last week I snuck a pothos into the house. I didn't tell Brian about it, because he wants me to try and cut back. I don't think he'll really notice, its just one more "devils ivy", only a six inch pot...someone was gonna throw it way. My grandfather doted on his plants. He would stand over them and talk and care for them with these gentle movements. He had African Violets under lights in the basement. There were rootings in jars on every windowsill. My mother has a houseful too; there are green leaves peeking out everywhere you look. Her house has a warm tropical feel on the coldest days. I remember being able to finally accept my good friend's new beau once I saw him attending to his plants at their new place. I suddenly thought, "Maybe he isn't so bad." I really think that it says a lot about a person, the way they treat old people, babies, animals and plants. I consider it negligent to let any of the four lack water or nutrition. It is especially mean to deprive any of them of sunlight and fresh air. Which is why having a large collection is a big commitment. I'm prone to guilt and worry. Houseplants really have to be nurtured. I poke and prod and snip and water. I fertilize and adjust the lighting. I am vigilantly on guard for bugs and drooping leaves or dropping ones. I even quarantine new comers. I talk and give energy work when necessary. So being a successful houseplant collector means having a lot of plants. This is why I am getting overwhelmed. I have found myself putting away knickknacks and family pictures so that I have room for a geranium or the little cactus my Mom gave me. Every branch that I trimmed from my Schefflera rooted in water. Who'd of thought all ten would? Where will I plant them? The jade plant I rescued from my brother doubled in the size in a week, I have to get potting soil and put the bridal veil in a different pot so I can move that one over....