My mother has an obsession with plants and a very small balcony - which means there are hundreds of plants crammed in there that almost never flower because there isn't enough room or light.
I decided to avoid the same pitfall so I only plan on having a few plants - most of them are saved from failing pots or just so pitiful that I didn't have the heart to leave them there :)
So, at my old apartment (I live in rentals) there was a very tall Dieffenbachia (Dumb cane) that was suffering from lack of care. After I stayed there for a year and took care of it. it sprouted two offshoots and when I left I took them with me and planted them.
So far, they don't look too good - I've planted them in march the the original big leaf died. I moved them in a place that gets more sun, hopefully it will make them develop.
I also have thee types of ivy (I love this plant) but they aren't doing well so far.
The first two types were attached by aphids and I hope they will bounce back and the third type I just got from my grandmother's house (her house is covered with the stuff) so it's not impressive yet.
I can't seem to find the right type of light for it to grow - it's been the same size for months now :(
When I went to Leroy Merlin last week I couldn't resist the temptation to buy some Dianthus (garofite), because I love the way they smell. I bought two different colours, but I chose plants without fully developed flowers because this way they will last longer.
My grandmother has a few patches and in the spring they smell fantastic, so I hope mine will keep also.
The ones I chose have red and dark red flowers. I'll post pictures when they flower :)
The flower I'm most proud of is a saved Hydrangea - my sister got it from her boyfriend and we left it at the office over the weekend. When we came back on Monday, it looked dead - all the leaves dried out and the originally blue-and-purple flowers were dead.
I decided to try to rescue it so i took it home, stripped most of the leaves, moved it to a bigger pot and watered it a lot. I am very proud to report that it's sprouting new leaves (before and after pics)!
My friends also gave me a Rhododendron with white flowers as a birthday present (the flowers look like lilies) and it's really big :)
I have a feeling I'll have trouble with it because apparently it needs acidic soil, so I have to find some or another solution.
I also have a Parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) which was half eaten by the cats, a Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum kochii) and a Cala Lilly. I keep these indoors for now (in the picture below you can also see the Goji plant and the poor ivy) because i don't have room on the balcony - I have to install some shelves near the windows.
Ok, so far so good - I think i managed to introduce all my plants :))
I'll start posting updates as I go.
Cheers!
