Spider Plant Reaching

What busy days are holidays! Everyone seems occupied with the special things that make holidays so festive. With so much happening there is little time to notice when the ordinary things around us take on their own exceptional characteristics. And so my Spider plant grew and grew until I couldn’t ignore it any longer. When I finally gave it my attention I was surprised at how far it had reached despite my neglect or perhaps because of it.

Spider plants are easy to grow, beginner plants if you will, and almost foolproof for anyone to grow. They need little water and actually prefer dry soil. They also would rather not be in direct sunlight as their leaves are disposed to turn brown. As they mature they send out “babies” that can be clipped and repotted to make new plants. Spider plants do tend elongate so they need space to hang down. Hanging baskets are good places to grow them.

I appreciate houseplants that have a sense of self, that can thrive through their own strength and joie de vivre to what might be considered challenging conditions. My aloe plants, and there are several, have that same defining ability. They seem to laugh when I forget to water them and then put out new growth. The spider plant spreads its leaves and stretches further, calling for me to check its soil and give it what it needs.

Plants teach me stuff. I hope that I can be as resilient, as adaptable, should life require it of me.

Try growing a spider plant for yourself:

http://www.plant-care.com/spider-plant.html

Sweer Basil, Delicious Herb

Sweet Basil, yum. What a delicious herb. It is great in lots of dishes. It gives a mouth-pleasing taste when added to almost any sauce. Sautéed in cold pressed virgin olive with garlic and a variety of veggies (I love red peppers, onions, and zucchini) and mixed in with any kind of pasta, it makes a very satisfying meal. Toss some chopped basil onto a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich and see how it perks things up.

In researching the herb I discovered other wonderful things about it. I found out that, being a member of the mint family (who knew?), it is recommended for helping digestion. A cup of basil tea is very soothing. It seems that basil has a slight sedative property as well.

All this and a beautiful plant, too. The leaves are deep, vibrant green. Just gently touch them and you will release the sweet basil fragrance. Very pleasing. They are fairly resilient, too. If they wilt from too little water, just give them a drink and they’ll revive. During those 90 degree days my poor plant was panting for water. One morning when I went to check on it, I thought it was a goner. The leaves were completely wilted and the stems were bending and weak. Some diligent watering brought everything back to vibrant life.

Here’s a puzzler: Someone I know remembered his Italian grandmother telling him that it is best to pick the leaves toward the end of the day because that is when the oils have reached the leaves and the taste is strongest. Did anyone else hear that? Is it true?

Some basic basil info:http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1644.html