Tuesday, April 20, 2010

It's that time of year again

I'm in a bit of a stunned state this morning as a giant collection of plastic plant pots have just fallen on my head during my efforts to uncover some of the bigger ones. I now wish I had taken a bit more time to stack them in size order and not just hurl them on to the gardening shelves in the basement. In fact sorting out these shelves is on the todo list. Still, back to the subject in hand (daft phrase).

Today will see all the indoor plants (and we have many of them) celebrate as they are promoted to the next size plant pot, given a good feed and topped up with new soil. I even wipe all their leaves clean of the dust (what dust? aren't you a dust-free zone FF? ...). Some of these repottings are a real chore because a couple of them are vast plants and it really is a two-person job (but I prefer to struggle on alone, ah me).

Yesterday saw my birthday plant go from its original state into a cropped version for outdoors. I know it is lazy of me, but I have often talked about saving gifted plants and have never done so. I hope that this birthday azalea flowers for all my future birthdays.I bought a bag of porous granules yesterday which are meant to help with the drainage. I had to give an ironic laugh when I translated the packaging, as I read they were from volcanic sources (yes, there must be a lot of volcanic sources around atm*)


*apparently buffalo mozzarella is being given away in parts of Italy as it is unable to be flown to restaurants world-wide.

33 comments:

Steve said...

Ah green fingered work and horticultural endeavours... Spring is truly upon us. We're waiting for the "chance of frost" to go away completely so we can tranfer our seedlings off the windowsills and into the greenhouse!

Delana@dujour said...

I love gifted plants, both giving and receiving. In my old garden, most of the plants came from friend's gardens and it always surprised me that I could remember where they all came from. Yesterday, I got a note from a friend that said the pink tulips I gave her several years ago have once again popped...and it did my heart good. Perhaps our volcanic plume will get all your babies off to a good start!

Ayak said...

Oh you are busy! Shame about the pots falling on your head...although I'm a little like this with my "high-up" kitchen cupboards and often experience something similar.

I actually took two large potted plants outside this morning, the leaves of which were covered in dust. I had started to clean the leaves individually but gave up and turned the hose pipe on them...job done!

Dash said...

FF, your one step ahead of me, I just leave my pots strewn around the garden, with dead plants in, I am now
dealing with them, but due to my laziness and the cold winter, I have a lot of casualities. Our house plants also have to be re potted and dusted! ready for a hopefully warm summer basking in the garden.

Anonymous said...

You've been working hard. In my world, dandelions are flowers!

Volcanic ash is supposed to be very good for crops and plants.

With such a lot of snow as we have had this year, flooding will be a problem or already is in certain parts of the country.

Jean said...

I wonder how many jobs in the mozzarella industry are affected by the break in the supply chain, ie they can't get rid of it. Similarly for Kenyan green beans. I never bought them myself on principle but it's sad if peoples' livelihoods are affected, especially in parts of the world where there may be few alternatives.

Potting on is very therapeutic, not just for the plants.

Ms Scarlet said...

We are swamped down with idiots over here... don't think it has anything to do with the volcanic ash cloud though.
Sx

Vera said...

Ah, pot plants. There was a time when I too had a plethora of house plants. In the Uk this was. In the old days. Now I don't. But after reading your blog it has ocurred to me that since we have a roof on the house, then perhaps I could treat myself to a couple of plants for the house as well. And then I would feel like I really do have a home.
Thanks for the idea you have planted in my head!

Paul C said...

Off to the potting shed...(Sorry to hear about the bump.) I think those indoor plants quiver with anticipation when their roots are freed from those constraining pots to find a new more spacious home.

Sarah said...

Damn, I wish I lived in Italy!

Interesting that this cloud is showing us what life will be like once the oil runs out and we can no longer fly.

Those cheese farmers may like to diversify instead of placing all their cheeses in one basket, as it were.

French Fancy... said...

Steve - I sometimes wonder whether to get a greenhouse. An English shop out here are selling them (it's not something the French do)

Delana - I'm not too lucky with cuttings from people's gardens. My m-i-l has just given me a load of bergenias so I've planted a few in the pond circle - let's hope, eh?

Ayak - Oh, that's a good idea about the hose. I think it's meant to rain at the end of the week so those that I haven't cleaned can be stuck out on the balcony

Dash - I've been told off a lot lately about all the pots that I've accumulated and that really I will probably never use again. I might take some of them for a drive to the local pepinieres.

Fi - the thing is that I've not worked hard at all. Everything is still laid out awaiting me to get started. Oops

Jean - Isn't it sad about all the crops just going to waste and people's livelihoods really affected. This is all going to have such repercussions.

Scarlet - Nonsense. Everything is to do with this volcanic ash. Everything. The media have said so and it must be true

Vera - go on, go and buy lots of plants. I can't live in a house without indoor plants - well, I'm sure I could but I wouldn't be very happy

Paul - I know they appreciate it. I'm from the Prince Charles 'talk to your plants' school of gardening

Sarah - A new world order will come from all of this I reckon.

Laura said...

Oh how I wish I was in Italy right now to receive some of that trapped cheese!

The bike shed said...

And I wonder what are they doing with all the spaghetti from their pasta trees?

I sort of try with gardening but seldon succeed.

Anonymous said...

Isn't it a glorious time when we can finally get out in the garden and rescue all the dead and dying? Plants that look as if they have given up the ghost send out new tendrils with promises of blooms to come.

Lulu LaBonne said...

*starts planning a diversion to Italy*

Happy Gardening!

the fly in the web said...

I should send you Mr. Fly...he really swings into action at repotting time whle Irun the cutter with wheel barrow between his varying compost barrels and the scene of the action.

Ken Devine said...

Hi FF
I knew you were up to something when you left that brilliant quote about seeds the other day.

Veggie Carrie said...

Beautiful flowers! It seems I cannot escape volcanic ash anywhere at the moment, but it's interesting to learn that volcanos have some good uses too. I wouldn't want to be the poor person collecting those porous granules from the source!

e said...

Good luck with the re-potting. When I had plants I used to love re-potting...

Angie Muresan said...

My favorite thing about re-potting is buying the new pots. I know, I know, but I do wish I was more into gardening.

marc aurel said...

Ah gardenning, gardenning. Cathy potters around for hours, often getting a sore back in the process. I just don't "get it". It seems that so much is growing out there anyway, that there is little or no "percentage" for me to spend any time on it myself. But don't stop! It is the efforts of you and others like you that bring me more than half the delight I find in flora. I do fantasise about commercial planting sometimes. Christmas trees anyone?

Anonymous said...

Replanting houseplants is such a big job. Then the darn things just wind up getting even bigger.
Good luck anyway.

Sab said...

Hi, Just discovered your corner of the web in my never ending quest to discover people blogging about all stuff French. I like it. Talking about falling plastic plant pots - it doesn't get much more exciting than that! I've got a big smile on my face as I type that ;-) Nice to hear about what's going on around your place!

This Ro(a)mantic Life said...

Oh, FF, I wish I could help you with those plants! Repotting sounds like a nice meditative task. We're fighting off rabbits from our lilies, whose stalks are just beginning to appear. Lots of chicken wire is in place now.

French Fancy... said...

Laura - I suppose there must be lots of produce just sitting rotting

Mark - that April Fool was one of the most convincing yet

Moannie - I've done a big chunk of the weeding now and am currently having a bit of a break due to Gardener's Back Ache

Lulu - I wonder what bargains you will find on the roadside on your way to Spain

Fly - Oh I'd love Mr Fly to come and help. Free board and lodging.

Ken - isn't that a good quote. I can even still picture the bookmark it was on - all these daisies round the edge.

Carrie - how would someone even have figured out that volcanic debris would make good drainage. How on earth do people dream these things up?

e - they look so happy now - all big again in bigger pots. Not falling to one side or roots poking through.

Angie - well, you will know how happy I am to say I have to go and buy two new china pots for the biggest plants.

Mark - that was so funny and sort of how I used to be. Then it grips you and one starts to really enjoy making things grow

Dedene - it's all done now and they look so much better.

Hello Paris - and welcome to this little corner. I'll try and do some French things soon to keep you interested.

CT - we're lucky here because Mr FF puppy-proofed the garden and things can't get in to destroy the plants - well, the slugs and snails manage that without help from cats and rabbits

Anonymous said...

Plants make wonderful gifts but it has been my experience that you may as well gift with cut flowers as potted plants have, in my experience, virtually no survival powers. They are forced, often have lousy root-systems and tend to kick the herbivorous bucket when stuck in the ground.

Angie Muresan said...

I hope it was a truly enjoyable experience, dear FF. :)

French Fancy... said...

Ian - well, I've replanted the gift azalea into the little blue pot in the picture. I've put good drainage pebbles in and I will nurture it and love it and in winter bring it into the cool basement with lots of window light. It had better bloody bloom again - I'd bloom again with all that care

Angie - I loved all the potting on, it's finished now. But I have got a room full of bedding plants for round the fountain - it's a bit too cold in the morning to risk putting them out now

North West London Girl said...

Dusting leaves must be very theraputic.. and I so approve of keeping birthday plants, if only I had green fingers, I have to rely on my nasty gardener...

North West London Girl said...

Dusting leaves must be very theraputic.. and I so approve of keeping birthday plants, if only I had green fingers, I have to rely on my nasty gardener...

Carol said...

I am most impressed with your greenfingerdness!! Me? I can cultivate a beautiful twig in a pot :-D

C x

French Fancy... said...

NWLG - hello again. It is quite therapeutic actually but also a reminder what a slattern I am to have so much dust in the air

Carol - I've always been quite good with indoor plants - because I don't have far to go to look after them. The garden however is Out There

Phil Lowe said...

I have re-potted a lavender plant and dug up a herb that next door's cat used as a pissoire (often. That's me and my gardening done.

Now I'm off to Italy to get my share of free buffalo mossorella - however you spell it!