A few years ago my lovely, eldest daughter bestowed upon me a beautiful potted orchid for Mother's Day. I made pretty quick work of killing that orchid. Really, I do have a green thumb. Try as I may to keep that thing alive, it wasn't happening under my care. Pitiful. Out went the old shriveled, dead orchid, but I kept the planter that it came in. As you can see in the picture below, it's pretty and very neutral. So I gained something better; a planter that makes me think of my daughter every time I look at it and the start of something new. Now, every planter that comes into the house has to be in the same color family; white/cream.
In addition to live plants helping to brighten the room and add color, they also help in cleaning the air. The Masters in Health Care website has a list of 15 Fabulous Health Benefits of House Plants. This gorgeous plant, pictured below, resides in our bedroom. It's so nice to wake up to greenery.
Next to the kitchen sink is good spot for a plant. It brightens the area and there's no excuse for not watering it. This is the planter that "new plants" are kept in, plants that have been started from a piece of a larger plant. They get constant care in this location.
And the last plant sits in the guest bathroom. It really does brighten the room. As you can see, all of the planters in the house are white/cream. I never have to worry about them clashing with the color of a room or holiday decor.
Flower pots were not on my list of items to look for when I stopped at a yard sale. Well, actually nothing was on my list because I wasn't out looking for yard sales. That's the beauty of this wonderful find. I couldn't help myself, just had to turn the car around and stop at a yard sale.
So, when these two beauties (pictured above and below), begged to be given a new home, I was more than happy to do so. At $1 each, I should have kissed them and made them dinner too. One. Dollar. Each. No cracks, chips, dings, nothing. And the color? Perfect!!!!!
Trying to find a new planter at the stores is brutal. They're expensive, and I'm frugal. Who wants to pay $30, or more for a planter? This planter still had a clearance sticker on the bottom for $12.99. On clearance!! Really?!!
Now for putting them to work in the house. First of all they needed to be cleaned to ensure that there was no bacteria or plant diseases that would infect new plants. I have heard of using a bleach and water solution for this process, but I came across a method of using vinegar and water at The Huffington Post. First clean everything out and give the planter a good rinse. Next, soak the pot for 5 minutes in a solution of 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar. Then a good rinsing and using a rag to clean any remaining debris or spots. Lastly rinse well and let it air dry. Pretty easy.
One new plant was going to be potted, at $2.99, it's well worth it. These particular plants, Pothos, seem to live forever and are easy to care for. The other bonus is that my cats don't bother these plants. That's just my cats. Read before purchasing if you're worried about pet safety. The other plant was a clipping that had been in water for a few weeks and now had enough roots to plant. Into the planter for "new plants" from clipping that sits next to the kitchen sink. The plant that was currently occupying that planter was big and healthy enough for a larger pot, so new digs for it.
See the nice roots in the bottom of the jar? Another bonus to this plant: one plant can turn into many plants. When it starts to get long and leggy, clip the long trailers, this will encourage it to bush out as it continues to grow, and the clippings can be put in water to start another plant.
I have read that the new clippings can be put directly in soil and if kept watered, they will root right in the pot. Never tried this method. It would be too easy for me to forget to water it. Sitting in water, I know they will be kept plenty wet.
After adding small stones to the bottoms of the planters for drainage, there are no holes in these planters, then adding potting soil and the plant, and....bingo! Nice plants that won't need transplanting for a very long time.
A note about using planters without holes; they do not work for all plants. Pothos can withstand water. Some plants do not like to have their roots sitting in extra water. Finding planters with holes is the best choice for some plants. If that is not a possibility, use plenty of gravel or stones at the bottom of the planter to provide a place for the water to drain, without having the roots sit in the water.
I have been around Pothos plants for many, many years and they are difficult to kill. My Mother always had a few in the house when I young. When my two eldest children moved away from home, I purchased one for each of them. By the way, both of them managed to kill their plant. How is this possible? Over watering them will cause the roots to rot, as with any plant, and not ever watering them.....ever....will kill them. And that is difficult, they tolerate a lot. Indirect sun is good for them, you can even have them in a room with fairly low light, and they will do just fine. So how?
In my 20s, I had one that a (house) rabbit ate everything above the soil. I shoved the whole pot in a storage closet and never touched it until I was ready to throw the pot away, and to my surprise, the plant was still growing. No water and no light, but still growing. How did my children doom this carefree plant? With determination, I'm sure. It's the only possible explanation.
This planter makes a nice addition to my favorite corner of the kitchen. It turned out beautifully. All of the newly potted plants received a good dose of water, and I won't water them again until they are extremely dry. This will encourage the roots to spread as the plant seeks water.
The square planter turned out well also. It may have to find a new home. I would love to have a really tall plant in this spot, but for now it works. The planter is so cute it actually mimics a decorative jar that I have on the table, it was seen in the Here Comes Peter Cottontail post.
There you have it. Yard sale triumph. What a great find, I couldn't have found planters more fitting if I had gone out looking for them. It's amazing.
More treasures were found at that yard sale, I will share those with you soon.
Thanks for visiting.
More treasures were found at that yard sale, I will share those with you soon.
Thanks for visiting.
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