Classing up the joint

I miss gardening. Minus my New York years where bars on the windows kept me in, I have always had at least a few pots of tomatoes, peppers and annuals outside, even if I had to climb out a window to get to them. Our place now just doesn't have that as an option. So, with a few new plants, and the desire to make our apartment look more like a home, I took over our kitchen counter and got to planting!  I would be happy to help you do the same with yours!  Plant Nerd, or as a friend put it, Urban Gardening Consultant, or whatever you would like to call me, I miss it.  Plus, Jon has told me I have already maxed out my space here, so please let me help you with yours!

This is how the first table looked before I got started.  

 And this is the second table.

 Plus my shelving system.  It was just a hodge podge of things I had collected over time.  It was apartment living, not home living.

So, I classed it up a bit.

 

I had the pot already and split up a few plants that I had sitting around and added a few new ones.  I like that it looks kind of tropical and fun.  I think the smaller plants will grow in really well and provide a "grass" for the ponytail palm.  

 I also had a cactus in its own pot.  I created a dessert landscape by adding a few other plants I purchased and a couple aloe plants I've been trying to get to root.  

 Jewel had a deal on African Violets and I've just always thought they were pretty.  They can stand being a little pot bound, but I'll have to keep a close eye to make sure they are growing well and staying watered.

 I have never had luck with orchids, but I am hoping with this one.  I mean, it looks good so far.

Since I still like to experiment with propagation, I put this beautiful and yet pot bound succulent on top of a strawberry planter.  I have my trial plants rooting in the side holes.  It looks a lot nicer than having a bunch of larger pots with half dead looking plants hanging out and gives this succulent a lot more room.

This also helps Jon appreciate my hobby.  If it looks purposeful and well displayed, it earns a place in the apartment. 

A Little Green

As spring is getting closer, I find myself yearning for green. Green grass, green leaves, green things growing in close proximity to me. Well, as many of you know, shortly after moving in, our wonderful roof top deck burned down, never to be rebuilt. So, I am limited to greening the area inside our apartment. I think I made some progress.

I started with our sad, sad ficus.  It needed some serious dead limb removal.

It bled a little latex along the process. Something that I think it just way too cool.

And finally the finished product! It is still a sad looking ficus, but I think it looks much better. Granted, my hands were not pretty by the end.  Sticky with latex and covered in cuts from the limbs, but I think it was worth it.  Hopefully this will help it to grow as well. By getting all of the old, dead wood out of the plant, it leaves fewer ways for disease or insects to enter.