Trigger's broom - the christmas episode

or the Schlumbergera 

This is probably the first plant I ever owned.  At the age of 11 I 'acquired' a small cutting from the mother-plant which stood on a windowsill in our tutor-room at school.  I stuck it in a glass of water and when the roots appeared I planted it up and every year since it has flowered at Christmas.  I found the idea of a plant that flowered at Christmas a strangely exciting concept.  I think I believed it was doing it in some sort of celebratory way that I found truly amazing.

This started a real love of houseplants.  I started to fill every windowsill with mainly spider-plants and coleus.  I collected coleus seeds and grew more and more of them in all sorts of incredible colours.  I catalogued them all in the back pages of my houseplant 'bible'.  I realised when starting to think about this post that I have never changed at all.  I find something I am interested in, I buy books on it and read thoroughly until I think I have a real grasp of the subject.  I look at my collection of gardening books and I have to accept that this is a definite behaviour trait that started early in life.

When I left my parents house my plants were summarily handed over to me to take with me, boxes of them that I no longer has the space for.  Many had to go but I kept some going and this Christmas cactus remained.

Years and years (nay decades) have passed.  I still have some houseplants but far fewer than before, my cats ensure largely clear windowsills as they throw anything in their way on the floor.  My garden is the priority now.

and yes, it is still the same plant that I 'acquired' all those years ago, yes it is a cutting from a cutting from a cutting now - but like Trigger's broom with its 17 new heads and 14 new handles, it is still the same plant to me.

Comments

  1. Lovely post Papaver. How do you have the time? I'm doing this in-between cooking the Christmas dinner... Merry Christmas

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  2. I sometimes write posts a few days in advance - partly as I like time to edit again after some consideration time - but also it means that posting can be a quick job when time is tight - hope you had a great Christmas

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  3. Ah, an organised blogger. I'm working on becoming one of those... All the best for 2012 and here's to blogging!

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