I recently told you all about the jungle I have been collecting in a jungle for my monkeys. I said that the next time I was at the store I would be purchasing another Norfolk Island Pine. Along with that pine, we’ve collected just a few more.
I’ve always loved plants. I’ve always wanted to be surrounded by plants. I try to always keep plants in the house. These darned cats have been making it extremely difficult to keep plants in the house. I’m hoping that the more plants we have the less the cats will destroy them because there are so many to nibble on. Cats have been coexisting with plants in houses across the globe, so mine will learn to live and let live somehow.
And the family is totally on board with my creating a plant sanctuary allover the house. This encouraged me to seek out more plants and Clark was more than happy to not only oblige but also do some of the picking. He selected the Norfolk Island Pine tree.
old man cactus
I picked this one for our daughter. I didn’t know it’s name at the time, but it’s fuzziness made me think of her. It turns out that it’s called an old man cactus. She says, “You bought me an old man.” She appears to find some amusement in this fact. Now, she needs to find a place in her room for it to soak up some rays and grow.
The old man cactus is listed as non-toxic according to the ASPCA. They can grow as tall as 45 feet tall in their natural habitat. Of course, our daughter’s bedroom isn’t quite Central Mexico, so it’s not likely to grow much bigger than the pot she keeps it in.
barrel cactus
Our son had said that he wanted a cactus. He’d said he wanted one that had spines. He wanted it to be a poking cactus. Clark found this adorable little barrel cactus (admittedly, it could also be a rainbow cactus). Barrel cacti, while not toxic, are rather mean. This little guy earned himself a place in the Misadventures of Tiffany.
I was pushing the cart with all of the plants lined up neatly (and I’d hoped safely) in the child seat. I was following my husband, who was pushing a cart full of groceries because I had the gifts and plants. I hit a bump in the parking lot and both the little cacti started to fall over. My reflexes were fast. Clark pulled four barrel cactus needles from my finger for my trouble. He dubbed me “Miss Fortune” declaring that my misfortune brings on all kinds of amusement.
Luckily he’s just a little cactus, now. A quick search tells me that a barrel cactus can grow as tall as ten feet! Could you imagine the spines on that guy?
blue echeveria
Clark picked himself this beautiful blue echeveria. It’s beauty called to him. Perhaps she is a siren.
Echeveria grow only inches, but in the spring, they can shoot up beautiful flowers on tall stems. The great thing is that she’s not toxic to the cats. She’s currently stretching out her thick leaves on a table beside the window. She seems happy there.
hope peperomia
Having read that basically all peperomia are non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, I knew that a peperomia would be a safe choice to bring home to three cats. This hope peperomia was the only one in a bright green container. All the others sat in a boring white one. It poked out above the rest, and I swear y’all it was calling my name. “Tiffany,” it whispered. “Over here. The one that’s different from all the rest. You like me. You know you like me. Come on, now. Bring me home.”
I was absolutely hopeless to resist. And so the rubber plant known as hope has found herself amongst the growing population of plant life in our house. She’s stretched even taller since we set her on the kitchen island. Research tells me that she can grow as tall as a foot and that she likes to dangle. Her leaves can grow as broad as four inches.
Being surrounded by all of this greenery is great. I love talking to my plants and petting them ever so gently. It’s the simple things in life that bring joy. Our ever growing plant collection is definitely bringing me joy.
ShldBWriting 