Have you ever wondered what would happen to your plants if something happened to you and were unable to care for them? I guess I hadn’t really thought about it, but I’m having surgery in a few weeks and it makes one think. So I’ve been rearranging and up-potting plants that need it so they won’t have to be watered as often and are easier to get to. My sunroom is full of plants and some are a bit buried behind other plants. I want my family to be able to easily get to them and care for them and I’m grateful they will take care of my plants until I can again. Today, I want to talk about what happened to a group of plants a friend could no longer care for and what she did with them.
A Collection Left to a Society
A member of the Michigan Cactus and Succulent Society moved out of state to live with family, leaving most of her collection to the club to disperse. We used raffle tickets to draw out of a hat and give the plants to the members. The plants were brought to the meeting this past Sunday and all the members were beyond excited! There were enough plants that most people took 5-6 plants home with them.
Here is the collection that was brought to our meeting at Matthaei
Pictured are three of the four tables that were full of plants
The Plants I Received
I love sansevierias/dracaena and so did Norma ( the plant owner) and I have been lucky in the past to get some of her plants at our monthly raffle. My numbers were called and I picked out 6 plants and repotted the plants today. I think she hadn’t been able to care for her plants for some time and they were a bit dry and ready to be planted into larger pots. None of them had names on them, but I’m fine with that.
The plants I brought home.
Potted up in new pots
I found the right size pots and planted them up with a well-drained potting medium. As you can see, I love colorful and handmade pots and after drilling drainage holes in a few that didn’t have one, I used them for Norma’s plants. She also loves color and I know she would approve of my choices.
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- Cute ribbed pot
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- Sea glass mosaic pot
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- This one came to me in this pot and I left it
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- White Ikea pot
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- Mexican pottery
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- Pink Ikea pot
Here are all six potted up
Of course, Norma will be greatly missed at our monthly meetings and we are so thankful she gave her plants to the cactus society. Her plants are going to be well taken care of by people who love cacti and succulents. Every time I water my plants I will think of her and the fun we had in the cactus club for many years. Thank you, Norma!
A Friend’s Crown of Thorns
Not too long ago, my friend Angela from a garden club I used to belong to, called and asked me if I would take a plant as she was moving into assisted living and couldn’t take it with her. I said yes, of course, and was honored she called. It was great to see her as I hadn’t seen her in years. We were able to visit, catch up, and I took her crown of thorns and gave it a new home. As you can see below, it needs to be trimmed, but it is a nice healthy plant with yellow bracts when it blooms. Now, every time I see it, I think of a lovely friend and the good times we had at garden club.
My friend Angela’s crown of thorns that came to live with me
My Prized Plants
I have a couple of plants that I am especially fond of and I know my daughters will take them someday and continue to care for them as I do. One is my mom’s fern that she received in 1957 at her wedding shower and the other is my fern (a piece of mom’s) I got from her when I was married in 1985. Hers is looking better right now, but they are both doing good. I really love all my plants and will be glad for someone who loves plants to care for them after I’m no longer able to.
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- Mom’s fern today. Circa 1957
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- My fern. Circa 1985
Special Plants
All of these plants I showed you are plants that are or were special to someone. I am so happy I have my mom’s fern and two friends’ plants that were special to them. I am going to do my best to take care of them and I will think about those special people every time I see the plants.
Tell me about your special plants in the comments and what you would do with them if you needed to rehome them. Or tell me about some special plants you are taking care of that have been entrusted to you.
Have a wonderful week, plant friends!
I had not thought about what would happen to my plants if I could not take care of them. I need to talk to my friends and see who would be willing to take them. My family would not have time to take care of them because of they have full time jobs and school and cats.
It is something we need to thnk about, right? I hope you find friends that want to take care of them and will love them like you do.
Thank you for your comments.
Lisa
After my mom died suddenly, she had so many beautiful plants that we had to figure out what to do with. We each took some, and I was very nervous to take more than a few, afraid I would end up killing them. I took 3 small orchids and two african violets – all plants I had failed with in the past. I almost killed the violets right away by overwatering, but I learned and now they are doing very well – blooming beautifully. The orchids are still alive although I’m not sure they’re too happy with very dry air in my house. But one bloomed for the first time this winter, there is still a bloom on it right now. The plants we didn’t take we invited my mom’s friends over to take whatever they liked. It’s very special to have some of her plants living in my home.
I’m so glad you were able to take some of her plants and they are doing well. And I’m sure her friends are happy to have some sentimental plants as well. Thank you for sharing! Lisa
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