Fiddle Me This: The Fiddle Leaf Fig

July 7, 2016July 8, 2016 / Earth and Oils / 2 Comments

Happy July! It has been so hot and dry in my little part of the world, we have been super busy watering flowers. I have to admit, they don’t have the luster and color that they have had in the past, so my next post will be a “What’s in my garden” post. I am giving them a little more time to “pop”.

I hope everyone (in the USA, that is) had a wonderful July 4th! The weather was hot, and we had a great time!

I have been working overtime trying to water everything. I really have to concentrate on my containers, which include my window boxes. I have also been tending to my indoor plants as well. They seem to really be getting drier than usual for this summer. When I am not looking for plants to put in my garden, I am looking for plants to put in every window of my little house!

I have been reading all about this hot new, trendy houseplant called the fiddle leaf fig. Of course, it piqued my curiosity, and I had to buy one. Well, I actually bought two.

What is a fiddle leaf fig?

It originates from West Africa. It has these beautiful paddle-shaped leaves that really make it a showstopper houseplant.

It is very easy to maintain. It needs bright, indirect sunlight.
Water once a week, or when it is dry on the top. Do not over water.
You can spritz it with water to get the little dirt marks off. As you can see above, mine needs to be cleaned!

My small fiddle leaf that is right at home in a galvanized pail on my enclosed patio.

One thing about them is that they are very hard to come by, and can be very pricey. Because of their beautiful, dramatic, yet elegant look, the world is in love with fiddle leaf figs.

I have read a lot of stuff about them, but when I went to the nursery to get the scoop on these fantastic plants, they told me they were very easy to care for. There are tons of articles out there that painstakingly tell you how complicated they are to care for, but the truth is, so far so good. I heard they were slow growers, but to my surprise, my big fiddle leaf in the dining room is already growing, just two weeks at my house!

So, I highly recommend this plant to your houseplant collection if:

You have bright, indirect sunlight
Keep the temps between 65-75 degrees farenheit (18-23 degrees celsius)
You are able to water it once a week, but never soak it

I love the plants that I got, and you can get them at Home Depot if you don’t want to go to a nursery. I am constantly adding plants around my house, and this decision was one I was very happy I made!

Got”chia”: The Chia Pet Chronicles

January 16, 2016January 16, 2016 / Earth and Oils / 3 Comments

I have been slacking big time on getting posts out in a timely manner. It just hasn’t been happening because Life happens. Work, kids, family, etc. Lots going on, and that’s not a bad thing! We did finally get some snow this week. I live north of the city, and we never get anywhere near the lake effect snow that the city and south towns get. It really does depress me, because I like to play outside in the snow! Oh well, we are forecasted to get some starting tomorrow, so here’s hoping for a few inches!

My company now allows for flex hours, and I go into work an hour later and leave an hour later. My nights are already pretty compressed — trying to get dinner, play with my daughter and then start the bedtime routine. But now as my daughter gets older, I feel like my weeknights are flying by faster than ever. So, I have to admit I have been neglecting my indoor plants a little bit. Last year I was learning about my plants and wanting to purchase more, but time seems to be lacking for me to even really get excited about the whole endeavor. I wanted to change that!

I purchased something before Christmas that I never really EVER thought of buying. I mean, I see it on TV all the time around the holidays, but you never really buy the thing, do you?!! Yes, I did.

I bought a Chia Pet. But not just any Chia Pet. The Jurassic World version of the Chia Pet. And of course, it was my daughter who wanted the thing, and of course, I bought it.

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It also didn’t dawn on me that the “chia” in Chia Pet meant the chia seeds I put in my overnight oats were one in the same!

So, I followed the directions, and put the seeds in a quarter cup of water and let them soak for an hour. After the hour, you can start spooning/basting the seeds on the clay form. I tried to spoon them on the top like the picture, but it didn’t work so well for me. (Note: I accidentally threw out the plastic tray that came with the Chia, so I had to use one of my baking dishes.)

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Ok, so obviously mine did not look pretty. Big shocker, it looked nowhere near like what you see on the box. I know this was my first time trying one of these, so I gave myself a break and just let it be.

Now it says to keep watering it everyday by placing water in the hole on top of the clay form. They said to take the left over water in the bottom and put it back in the clay piece, but that did not happen for me. It was pretty much evaporated every day, and I couldn’t get the seeds on top to stay moist.

But, to my surprise, after a few weeks, the bottom half started to sprout, and I was pretty excited about it.

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But then, after a while, even though they did grow well on the bottom half, it started also getting moldy because of the moisture content down there. And on the top like the box shows, NOTHING happened.

What it also says in the instructions is that you can keep using this clay form over and over, but after I finally gave up on the this thing, I tried to wash the seeds off to give it another shot. It was like trying to scrub concrete off something. It didn’t happen.

So, I threw it out. The whole thing. No more Chia Pet. To be honest, I could find many other ways to waste $15 bucks. So, I will just stick to enjoying the holiday commercials.

Houseplants, Part Three: Tropical and Other Unique Plants

January 12, 2015January 13, 2015 / Earth and Oils / Leave a comment

I hope everyone had a wonderful week! It was the coldest week yet for this winter in Buffalo. Sub-zero wind chills and single digits for a good portion of the week made the temperature in the teens that we experienced the other day feel down right balmy!

Brrr! Icy cold was everywhere!

We had a nasty lake effect band come in the wee hours of Friday morning, dumping 9 inches of snow at my house, and more in some other areas. Work was delayed until noon, so I took advantage of the situation and went snowshoeing in the rare, yet precious powder we get around these parts! There were great examples of winter interest all around me:

The way the snow was on this tree reminded me of zebra stripes!

Grateful for this perfect cold and snowy morning!

I finished up the weekend by cross-country skiing, and sadly, my binding broke on my ski and I wanted to cry. Those were my dad’s skis, and even though the bindings are ancient in technology terms (the skis I am using are close to 30 years old), those have been the only skis I have ever loved and used so much! Hopefully, all I have to do is get new bindings.

While I must say people thought I was crazy because I went out this weekend, the wind was really bad, at times visibility was zero — yea, they were probably right. But when I got back in the house, I was in for good. I thought I better do my weekly watering of my plants. And then I saw this:

My cat Leo has supernatural leaping abilities, and way too close for comfort to my Amaryllis!

This reminded me of the time my beautiful, unique plant called the oxalis was nearly destroyed by my other kitten, Teddy. I was horrified to see it in such awful condition after coming home from work one warm and sunny summer afternoon.

What is an oxalis?

It is part of the clover family, or false shamrocks. They refer to this particular plant as the “three-leaf purple shamrock.” My daughter calls it the “butterfly plant” because of the petals looking exactly like a butterfly. I was first introduced to this interesting plant by a co-worker. I had asked her what it was, and she said she didn’t know, but it looked like butterflies to her.
There are over 900 different species of this plant. You can actually plant this one outside, too!

A couple of months later, I am perusing the Farmer’s Market in downtown Buffalo, and lo and behold, there it was! I asked the fellow working at this particular tent what it was, and he told me. I just had to get it! It was in a lot better condition than it is now, but I am happy to report that I have nursed it back to life. Little by little, just by watering it on a regular basis, it is starting to get bushy again.

This is a great addition to your houseplant collection because not only is it different, but it gives a burst of color to the sea of green that is common among your houseplants. It’s a talking piece, which is something I definitely like. I love looking at the expression on everybody’s faces when they see something and ask, “WHAT is that?”

Just like when I show people this plant:

The pitcher plant is a carnivorous plant.

This a Pitcher Plant. I squeed with joy when I went into my local supermarket (that boasts a great selection of houseplants, I must say) over the summer to find the exact plant I was going to purchase online because I couldn’t find it anywhere!

The Pitcher Plant:

Is a carnivorous plant just like the venus fly trap, meaning, they eat flies and other insects.
They “trap”insects in the “pitchers”, the leaves which are commonly known as “pitfall traps” filled with liquid.
There are several different kinds of pitcher plants.
This particular pitcher plant is tropical. They need warmth and need to always have moist soil. I put my pitcher plant out on my enclosed patio for the summer, and bring it in to my bedroom the cooler months.

I have to admit, this has been much easier to take care of than I thought it would. Just watering it regularly and keeping the soil moist seems to be the trick. That, and because my bedroom is one of the warmer rooms in the house, it may think it’s in its native tropical setting.

*Not all species are tropical. You can find some of these in bogs in North America!

This is a GREAT plant to add to your collection. It is so unique and adds some real jazz to your home decor!

Here are just a couple of good examples of some different plants that add great value to your house. I have a few more that I am going to single out in future posts, but for now, hopefully these will give you some ideas on trying something different to keep the long winter days full of color and excitement!

Houseplants, Part Two: The Common Ones

January 3, 2015 / Earth and Oils / 4 Comments

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful New Year! It’s a new year, and a new perspective on life! I am happy to say that I have already checked a few things off my list that I told myself I was going to do this year. One of those things includes a renewed sense of appreciation for fine art pieces:

My daughter’s picture of a kitty brightens my days in the cubicle…

Anyway, I am posting a day early because I will be going out-of-town to my parents tomorrow to FINALLY celebrate Christmas. With my daughter sick last week, and the weather horrible today, we had to scratch plans until tomorrow. And something tells me my work schedule is going to pick up pretty quickly this first week back, so, again, I am prioritizing.

I have spent more time inside than I have wanted to this past week. The weather has been so awful (bitter cold, wind, snow), I haven’t even entertained the thought of taking my workout outside. So, this has allowed me to prepare for my post this week on common houseplants! In fact, I watered them all today, and already have a couple of more in mind I would like to purchase.

With that being said, here are some common houseplants I have in my home that would be good for you.

1. Snake Plant— the snake plant is the best plant for forgetful people. It’s part of the succulent family and tolerates neglect. Snake plants love to be left alone. I water mine about once every two weeks. It doesn’t need a lot of light or water, and it grows just as well.

The Snake Plant is the non-plant person’s best friend! Low maintenance living decor!

2. Green Dracaena— can be recognized with white stripes on their leaves. They grow upright and need medium to bright light. I water mine once a week, and even a little more during the winter months. I purchased mine at a home improvement store and it done very well for me.

3. Pothos— This is probably the easiest to recognize. They have this beautiful marbled look on their leaves. I have about three of these. I have purchased all of them from my local grocery store. It’s a vine that is extremely low maintenance. There is no such thing as too little or too much light for this vine, it grows in any lighting condition you give it. I have had one of mine for at least 6 years, and in the early years when watering my plants was not high on my to-do list, my pathos weathered that ugly time and have flourished for me.

4. Philodendron — I also have a few of these, and they have a tendency to get confused with the above pathos. They too, are not fussy about light, and will grow through neglectful times. The philodendron has heart-shaped leaves, and my one also happens to be very long– about four feet. They are the number one most common plants in any indoor gardening setup.

5. Peace Lily — This was the first plant I got when we moved into our house. It’s been in my bedroom ever since. The Peace Lily gets these beautiful white flowers on them about once a year, and they too, are very tolerant of low light and low humidity.

6. Ivy— I believe this is English Ivy, but I have to still research it. This is actually part of the Ivy that grows outside. I took a shoot off two years ago and put it in water in the house. It has grown very well, surprisingly. Because the last time I purchased an Ivy, it died right away. Again, I was younger and didn’t pay much attention to my plants, so this could very well be the reason why it failed for me. Boston Ivies are the more common indoor Ivies, and they are hard to keep going, in my opinion. I still have to figure out how to keep them alive!

Some other plants to consider:

*Corn Plant— they resemble a corn-stalk and are very tolerant as well. I actually have one of these, but I didn’t get a chance to photograph it. They can take a beating and still keep going!

*Jade Plant— I really want a Jade Plant. They look very unique and grow very slowly into a tree. They love bright light!

There are still many other indoor plants that you can choose, but I just wanted to list the ones that are very common and easy to maintain. I also have some other interesting houseplants that I will talk about in a later post. For now, you have a good foundation on the basics of houseplants, the ones that are the easiest to find, and what will be good for you and your home!

Houseplants, Part One: Basic Information

December 29, 2014 / Earth and Oils / 1 Comment

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I can’t believe the year is almost done! Christmas was very nice this year.

I know we had a nice time, despite my little girl getting sick on Christmas day. Santa was very good to her this year.

Now that the holidays are over, and a new year is upon us, most people, gardeners included, end up hunkering down for the rest of the Winter and hiding until they see the tulips come up in Spring.

However, most people fail to think about houseplants– the gardening you focus on when the snow and cold are swirling outside! Houseplants can be fun to collect, and you can get them at a fairly reasonable price– especially the common ones.

So, what is so great about that green plant in the pot in the corner of your living room?

A lot, actually.

Houseplants:

Are great “living” home decorations. They bring a warm, homey feeling to your interior decor.
Most varieties of houseplants are very easy to maintain. Even easier than you outdoor gardens!
There are houseplants for every type of person. For example, if you are a person who is tends to forget you have plants around, there are plants that are extremely low maintenance and don’t need to be watered as much as others. If you are very attentive to your houseplants, there are many more high maintenance varieties that you will love as well!
Houseplants are healthy for your home. They work as filters for the air in your home. Experts say you should have between 10-20 houseplants in your home to keep the air you breathe clean.
They are easy to find. To be honest, most of the houseplants I own came from my local grocery store. And they are always on sale. They can be much cheaper than the chintzy little vase you paid a fortune for that does nothing to improve the look and feel of your home!

Caring for Your Houseplants

Depending on the plants you purchase, you may have to experiment for a while to see what works for them. I know I have had to move plants from one place to another before they started to really take off. Some like more light, others don’t. You can research the plants you would like to get and see what has worked for others. But don’t go crazy. If you are looking on the internet, there is a lot of information that people will throw out, but really and truly, you must listen to your gut and use COMMON SENSE. Take the information you learn and work it into your houseplant care routine. It’s really not as crazy as what people say.

For example:

“Water three times a day, with the first time being warm water, then with slightly cold water and then just regular water.” WHAT?!!

Common Sense says:

Plants can not only get too little water, but too much. They will rot and mold if water that often. Keep it simple– schedule your main watering once a week. If it’s Winter time, they tend to dry out quicker because of the heat being on. Do a soil check and you may have to water more. Just take the time to be watchful at first so you know what works for you and your home.

The next part of this series will discuss and portray common houseplants you will most likely find in your home improvement or grocery store.

So, I wish everyone a Happy New Year! Make it even better by getting a houseplant to not only chase the Winter blues away, but keep your green thumb fresh for the Spring!

Great Gifts for Gardeners

December 15, 2014 / Earth and Oils / Leave a comment

Now that my Christmas shopping is pretty much done, I can sit back and breathe a sigh of relief that I am two weeks ahead of the game. That’s a first for me! I am now going to sit back and enjoy what’s left of this holiday season.

Now that the gift buying is complete for everyone else, you can actually stop and think about what you would like Santa Claus to bring you! What does someone get for a gardener? A bucket of dirt? A packet of seeds? There is just the right gift for every level of gardener out there–amateur to master. Here are few ideas for gifts for every type of gardener on your gift giving list!

The Amateur, or the “You have to water this!?” Gardener

Watering Can— some of the most beautiful gardening supplies I have ever seen are a simple watering can with great design.
Gardening Gloves— being a country girl, you were considered a wuss if you wore gardening gloves. I have since learned that gloves come in very handy when pulling weeds. You can pull twice as many with gloves on!
Knee Pads— as I stated in an earlier post about planting spring bulbs, my knee pad saved my life. You can also buy knee pads that attach right to your knees.
Gardening Tools— just the basics. Just get them a “digger” and call it a day.

2. The Seasoned, or the “Yea, I Am a Gardening Expert” Gardener

Planters — the more you garden, the more you want to plant more stuff. There are beautiful planters out there to go with any decor.
Seeds— you would think an Amateur would like this, but in all actuality, they are still very new to gardening, and they would think seeds would be a lame gift. Now, for the seasoned gardener, this is like striking gold. The less you need to pay for, the better!
Garden Decorations– garden decorations of any kind will make any seasoned gardener jump for joy. Gnomes, snails, mushrooms, bird baths– bring it on!
Soaps, bath oils, etc. –– if I have been out digging in the dirt without my gloves on, I notice that my hands get really dry. There are many beautiful soaps, bath oils and salts that restore and rejuvenate your body from all the hard work you put in to your garden that day.

3. The Master, or ” I am too Sexy for My Shirt” Gardener (I’m just kidding, I just couldn’t think of anything for this one!)

Copper-Plated Tools — actually, I wouldn’t mind at least one of these for myself. Copper is a natural slug deterrent, and they do have some nice copper plated trowels, cultivators, etc. The copper is supposed to fleck off from your tools when you use them and it sends slugs running! The not so great thing is that these tools start around $60 apiece– hmm, um Santa?!
Gardening Books— master gardeners have spent a lot of time learning in and out of the garden. Why not give them something to feed their appetite for gardening know-how?
Plants, bulbs, etc. — you can give these to any level gardener, but when you have years of gardening experience under your belt, you really come to appreciate different specimens of plants and want to add to your collection!

Gifts not mentioned but worth taking into consideration:

Large brimmed hats, water bottles, pocket knives, garden boots and clogs — all very important in the gardening process.

Now, trust me, just to have some fun, I split gardeners into levels. I can tell you that anyone who is interested in gardening will love any of the above gifts. There are no designated levels of gardening, and that’s what makes it beautiful.

So, what’s on my list?

A potting soil scoop — I didn’t even know they made these until last week! I saw it in the garden center and would jump for joy if I got this for Christmas. I am sick of spilling potting soil all over when I re-pot plants.

Soap— I saw this display of soaps and thought about how nice it would be if my hands didn’t get so dried out after digging in the dirt.

Heated Bird Bath — I really want to have a bird bath for the Winter, and when I saw that they actually made heated bird baths, well, I just have to have one! I love feeding the birds in the Winter, so this may be something that will have to be a part of my yard sooner rather than later…

Plants— I turn my attention to houseplants in the Winter. (Posts to follow!) I love Ferns. I love the simple beauty they possess. Ever since I saw an alligator fern at the botanical gardens, I have wanted it. When I happened upon this at the garden nursery today, I wanted to squee with joy!