For a person who loves growing plants, the gift of a new sprout is always such a lovely surprise. I’ve been lucky enough find this out first hand this past week and also times before. At the end of a particularly draining work week, my dear friend Shannon came over to hang out on the patio and she brought a wonderful surprise of a baby ‘Pilea peperomioides’ commonly known as a Chinese Money Plant. It’s got to be one of the cutest baby plants in town.
This gorgeous baby sprout is quite desirable in the U.S. and can be a challenge to find at the local plant shop. Shannon’s mother plant had four babies, one of which she shared with me. Awesome- I’ve always admired this plant, but I have never come across one to purchase or snag from a friend, so I was really pleased to add this guy to my collection. I repotted it in a nice 4 inch ceramic pot. The plan is to keep the soil moist but not soaking wet and out of direct sunlight. These plants grow relatively quickly and I’m hoping that one day I can share my plant with friends too.
Then, as if this wasn’t exciting enough, my neighbor came home with an armful of plants. We admired them as she walked in and all shared our interest in these growing green lives. Later that evening when Shannon and I headed in to the house for the night I was surprised to find that my neighbor had left a note and the gift of two more plants for me- both of which I did not already own, a Campfire succulent ‘Crassula capitella’ and a Hoya ‘Hoya carnosa variegata.’ Here they are planted in their new pots the next day. I love how the pair seems to mirror each other, stiffly hanging over their tall and slender pots.
This Campfire succulent ‘Crassula capitella’ is one long cascading limb of flowers. The stem is lined with new growth and baby plants. Its leaves are lime green lined with a fiery red hue. I planted it in a tall and narrow pot to accommodate the vine-like overhang.
The other plant is a Hoya ‘Hoya carnosa variegata.’ I haven’t had a Hoya in years, but I’ve always enjoyed them. This plant is often referred to as a Wax Plant or Waxy Vine, it has thick waxy leaves and can produce the most amazingly perfect clusters of waxy flowers. I have never had my own Hoya blooms, perhaps this will be the one. They are truly one of the most spectacular displays a house plant can present, I would be thrilled if my plant was happy enough to bloom.
After this soul crushing week where I was feeling a bit depleted and sad, I was so grateful to have had these 2 women offer such a refreshing surprise to me. I was not expecting anything from anyone, but it made me feel really touched and special that 2 people in my life on the same day offered a vibrant gift of life at the exact right moment that I needed it. Even after a less than ideal string of days, there is still so much to be grateful for, this was a nice reminder at the perfect time. Caring for and being around plants helps keep me grounded, slowing me down for a moment in this overly busy city life.
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