it’s that time again

Not every year, but often, there is a little pause in the arrival of spring where the increasing sunshine has warmed the ground and got the sap running and the buds swelling, but there is not yet enough rain to push them to bursting. This year, is one of those years: Early warmth, but no rain. So as I await the next big push of spring, I satisfy my hunger for green by cutting up the houseplants.  Yesterday spider plants. Today a bird of paradise leaf. Tomorrow? Let’s see…the jade plant is looking very inviting. Watch out jade plant you are in my crosshairs!

bird of paradise plant leaf (Strelitzia reginae)

generosity in action

Is there a more generous house plant than spider plants? If there is, I want to know. My son’s girlfriend gifted him a small spider plantlet about 1½ year ago. He, of course, left it in my charge when he went of to NYU. Since then, the plant has quintupled in size, and is lousy with scapes and baby plantlets. Here are some fun facts about spider plants you probably didn’t know:

• they are native to South Africa, but naturalized all around the world
• they are in the asparagus family
• they are sensitive to flouride in tap water
• variegated forms are the most popular
• the baby spiders are called plantlets
• those scapes with plantlets are reaching for the soil
• propogation occurs through potting the plantlets
• they are non-toxic to humans and pets, and are considered edible

spider plant scapes and plantlets (Chlorophytum comosum)

wabi sabi for artists

One of my favorite books for creative inspiration is Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers by  Leonard Koren. It’s a little book–a chapbook of sorts. It’s become a classic. First publisher in 1994, i is credited with bringing the Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi into western aesthetic theory. If you like the such things, I highly recommend it. Here is one of my favorite quotes from the book–and it reminds me of today’s photo.

“Pare down to the essence, but don’t remove the poetry.”
― Leonard Koren

(unidentified) winter stems

potted geraniums in windows

Who doesn’t love a line up of potted geraniums in the window? So old school. So Scandinavian. So like grandma-used-to-do. And now you can add to that list so-like-maryjo’s-husband-does.  Yup, Stevie is smitten with his geraniums. He moves them out onto the dock (to get full sun) every spring, and brings them gingerly indoors every autumn, and puts them under the kitchen windows, and then supplements our low-angle northern light with an overhead full spectrum grow-light on a timer. We get to enjoy this sympathetic green and red combo all winter long! As many of my long time readers know, my husband is a man of many passions. I sometimes I tire of each new obsession. But this time, I am all in!

geranium flower and buds

reach for the sun

I drove to my favorite bakery this morning to pick up some bread and sweets for easter brunch. On my way home, this roadside branch caught my attention. I liked the asymmetry of it–all the branchlets on the same side of the main branch, all desperately reaching for the sun. The sun fuels all life on earth. I think all of us in the north should desperately reach for the sun this week. It’s been a long stretch of darkness. Get outside. Reach for the sun. Spring is here!

(unidentified) branch with tiny spring buds