Blooming

My Mother can make any houseplant bloom and grow. She has no magical "southern exposure" window, no secret-recipe fertilizing compound, no training in botany. She simply has a green thumb.

This has been a family legend for years. Once, while doing a super-tidy in my home when my parents were on their way to town, I tossed out a mostly-dead, very ugly houseplant. It had been hanging on by a thread - well, more literally, by about two straggly leaves! - for some time, and I was tired of trying to make it happy, so I tossed it in the trash.

My parents arrived. Inevitably, my mother opened the trash can, saw the discarded plant, and retrieved it. We joked about the poor little thing, and she tucked it away with her belongings.

Six months later I was visiting my parents' home and noticed a new plant - a large healthy, dark green bushy thing sporting small white flowers. "Nice plant," I commented, "Where did it come from?"

"Your trash," my Mother replied, just a bit smugly.

Now, this post could be about our throwaway society, and how we need to repair and nurture, not toss out - a subject upon which I am passionate - but this post is simply about my houseplants.

A few years back my Mother gave me several little leaves she had plucked out of her African violets. She instructed me to place them in water until they rooted, plant them, and then eventually they would grow into beautiful blooming African violets. (I think the key word here is eventually.)

This seemed like quite a bit of work for such a small reward, especially since a person can purchase an African violet - in bloom - for about 5 dollars. But, she is my Mother, so I followed the instructions. Sure enough, the bottom of the leaves grew little hairy roots. I carefully planted them. They didn't do much for some time, but then quite suddenly the leaves multiplied and the plant began to look like something.

Now, 3 years into this project, the first pink blossoms are appearing. I have to admit that it is very satisfying to have grown it from a leaf. Just like it is more pleasing to bake a loaf of bread than to buy one, and more fulfilling to knit a sweater than to purchase one. And, everyone knows that it is much tastier to grow a tomato than to pick one up at the store! It is good to be part of building something beautiful. All it takes is a bit of time and a willingness to work. It all turns out eventually.