Showing posts with label spider plants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spider plants. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Springtime and Spider plants

Ah, Springtime! This has been a spectacular season so far. There has been a variety of weather--though more rain is always desired. What a joy to watch the green living things come to life, take shape, thrive, and fulfill their natural life cycles.

As is tradition, when the weather gets warm, I bring my indoor plants outside to their summer home on or near the shady front porch. I had one plant that was very eager to move outside.

It was my favorite spider plant. I don't even know how old it is, but it seems I have had it forever. It was one of the few plants we were able to bring with us to Arkansas eight years ago when we moved here from Beecher, Illinois. At that time, we only had one cat. Now we have five.

For some reason I just haven't been able to teach the kitties to respect my plants. Here Kenni is doing what she does best, relaxing. She is totally content lying on her bed of soft, cushy leaves. I suspect the dirt is warm from the sunshine. Cats love to be warm.

Kenni wasn't the only one that liked to lay on the plants. Now that I think about it, I believe I've caught all of them there at one time. When Kenni was really little she thought the dirt in the pot was a litter box. I'm not sure how I broke her of that nasty habit, but thank goodness she doesn't do that anymore.

Needless to say, she destroyed the middle section of the plant, so I had to trim the leaves back. The once beautiful full plant, was reduced to a mere ring of bent and broken leaves. I tried everything, including sticking cinnamon sticks in the dirt. Cats are supposed to be repelled by the scent. Didn't work. They just moved them out of the way or laid down on top of them.

When spring arrived and I could put my plants outside, it was a new day for my spider plant. Today, she thrives once again.

This is what she looks like perched on her traditional pedestal, a rusty milk can.

She is rejuvenated, making lots of spider babies, and loving life.

Kenni doesn't seem to miss the plant either. She just sits on the table where the plant used to be, looking out the window and enjoying the sunshine.

I guess all in all, life is good!