The Rose Fairy Awakens ~

‘Best and dearest flower that grows,

Perfect both to see and smell;

Words can never, never tell

Half the beauty of a Rose—‘

~The Song of The Rose Fairy, Cicely Mary Barker

Little by little, like a sprouting seed, I have been coming back to gardening. A few weeks ago, we had a nice warm day, perfect for being outside. So, I spent the afternoon on our porch repotting several (rather pathetic-looking) pothos and listening to Jeri Landers of Hopalong Hollow tell me all about the wonderful Beatrix Potter. The air was lush with the scent of fresh soil and I was joined for a small while by a bird whom I recognized as the one that likes to get stuck inside our porch when the screen door is closed. I also left the front door open to let fresh air into the house and soon my little cat was in the doorway patiently supervising me.

If you’re curious, most of the pothos are recovering well from their winter of neglect. I brought them with me from school many months ago and they’ve had some difficulty adjusting to the light conditions of their new environment. I’ve been moving them around to different rooms and shelves trying to find the right conditions for them (while also keeping them out of the cat’s reach), and my efforts have not been terribly successful. I believe I have finally found a good place for them, but unfortunately one of my older plants developed root rot and now I am desperately trying to help it grow new roots! My usual methods haven’t worked yet, so I’m going to try a root growth hormone next. I won’t give up!

I also repotted my three echeverias, which were perfectly healthy, but were not looking very beautiful. It’s hard to describe, but I suppose they were simply too tall.. so! I removed all of their dead leaves, cut the roots down to a more reasonable length, and moved all three to one pot. Now they are three lovely rosettes sitting in the corner of the kitchen windowsill, where they will hopefully get enough sun that they won’t need to reach for it.

The only plant I have left to repot is my snake plant, which has grown too tall for the pot it was gifted to me in. When I go to buy the root growth hormone, maybe I’ll find a better pot. My grandfather found one for me already, but I’m wary of it, because it has no way for the water to drain. I think what I might do instead, is drill a hole in the bottom and get a tray for it. That way I can water it from the bottom, to hopefully strengthen the roots enough for it to stand up straight again. We will see..

Cut to now, and I’ve acquired a miniature rose that was on sale after Valentine’s Day! I’ve grown miniature roses in the past, but I lost them in a fight with some awful little bugs who made my precious rose plants their house and pantry. This year will be different! I will not fail to protect them! And a challenger has already appeared: my adorable little plant-chewing cat. I put the plant in the windowsill next to where I do my work so as to look on them lovingly whenever I get the chance, which happens to be the same windowsill Miracle likes to sit in. On the first day, I managed to fend him off. I could see out of the corner of my eye when he was considering which bud to chew on, and I lightly pestered him whenever he seemed to consider it too earnestly, until he eventually gave up and went away to sulk. For extra security, I turned the side with the most flowers and buds away from where he could get them. And I was right to do so! The next morning when I went to check on it, I found that two leaves had sizable bite marks taken out of them. It was time to develop a strategy. First, I will try giving him a plant he can chew on with my approval and see if it is enough to keep him away from the rose, and if not, I will get a bittering spray to deter him from it further. Phase one is underway already, as I’ve planted some cat grass seeds that should begin to sprout sometime in the next week. After all, it is good for him to have something he can safely chew on. I just don’t want it to be my roses!! That being said, I’m not sure I will need to bring in phase two. In the past couple days, I haven’t noticed any new bitemarks, so he may have discovered that the rose leaves aren’t very tasty. That is my hope!

Now that spring is coming, and my indoor plants are mostly tended to, I am thinking it’s time to venture outdoors. I have always had high hopes for turning our yard into a beautiful garden, and now that I am working from home, it seems those hopes could become a reality! I think I’d most like to begin with growing an herb garden. After all, there aren’t words to describe how much I love culinary herbs. What a gift it would be to have a variety of fresh herbs to cook with whenever I like! While I do have some very nice dried herbs and herb blends, it doesn’t compare to when they’re fresh. I could make my own pesto, or add an entirely new depth to my lemon rosemary chicken, or even start growing my own teas! And imagine all of the things I could do with fresh lavender! I could add it to lemonade, or butterfly pea flower tea, or sugar, or cookies!

All of that to say, I am excited and happy to be gardening again. Having your hands in soil and your heart in plants is really, truly healing. I am happiest when I am in the energy of nurturing and growth. Bringing more beauty and love into the world begins with having it within yourself, after all, and bringing a plant to health is such a wonderful way to practice. It all comes back to the poem by Cicely Mary Barker:

‘Deep, sweet-scented. What delight

 To be Fairy of the Rose!’