No products in the cart.
The weather was gloomy for a few days, so I had to bring some of the plants inside, to protect the flowering ones from the cold.
But then I noticed that the tropical hibiscuses were attacked by some disease (again), so I had to take them outside and treat them with plant protection spray.
It is always a problem if I have to do this when it is raining. It has to be done outside, because the spray is toxic. I had to wait for the rain to stop for long enough so that I could apply the spray, with enough time for it to dry off, and then bring the plants quickly inside, before it started raining again – it would wash away all the spray. And when it gets too cold, I have to wait for a milder weather, because the plants would need to stay outside for a while, and the cold would damage them.
I left some plants outside – the garden hibiscuses can take lower temperatures, they like the rain and they still keep blooming.
I decided to keep some plants inside (not take them outside again, when the weather gets warmer for a while, as I sometimes do – quite exhausting, but I think it is good for them to get more light). They seem to feel quite good there, especially the abutilons.
When I was younger, I thought that I was no good with plants. I changed my mind 14-15 years ago, when Boris was still a baby, and I joined an online gardening forum. I went to just one meeting, and then someone gave me a shoot of an abutilon plant. I thought that I was unable to grow it, but amazingly it grew roots. Then it grew taller than me, and it was covered with blooms – totally my pride and joy! But once I went on a vacation, I left it unattended… and that was the end of it.
Now, years later, I finally dared to get a new one. I found an ad in a local classifieds website and I ordered one plant. Then I got an answer: “After my vacation the plants have started to wither, so now they are unfit for sale. But if you want to save them, I can send all of them to you for a symbolic price.” I decided to accept the offer, and I ended up with seven plants! They bloom in various colors – and I thought they could only be orange.
I even have a deep purple one – I saw the color of the withered bloom when I first got them, but now it is not blooming again yet.
The promised Indian summer has started, just in time for the weekend, so now I can resume one of my favourite habits – having coffee on the porch in the morning, while taking care of my plants.
This is my floral enamel mug – it feels so cozy! Nick says that enamel dishes are impractical… but this is the way I am. I have to choose between beauty and practicality, I always lean towards the first one.
More on the floral topic – I finished this boho denim jacket. It has a rich ethnic floral embroidery in the front, and the back is decorated with vintage Indian Kantha quilt fabric, traditional Hmong trim and tassels.
The jacket is available in our shop.
Yesterday I got a wonderful surprise. A cool artist – Violeta Ivanova, one of my Facebook friends, whom I haven’t actually met, sent me a message with a portrait of me that she painted! She used one of Nick’s photos of me for inspiration, and the result is really impressive. It shows a side of me, that I don’t think I’ve ever seen.
I was so delighted – I felt like a muse!
