Wanted for Crimes Against Indoor Gardens

Nearly three years have gone by since my family and I made the move from Arizona to Colorado. Wow, three years! That's a long time to be without creating something from a little bit of earth. In many ways I have felt lost these past few years and that could very well account for my resurrected obsession for indoor gardening. I have to admit I am a bit rusty. Prior to moving, my primary focus was not on gardening of the indoor variety. There was always too much to do outside. Of course I had the obligatory golden pothos hanging about here and there for greenery but nothing really substantial.

I believe my new indoor plant obsession began when I picked up a few streps from a local family run shop. Since they are African violet cousins, I thought I could easily grow them. Well, the first two perished quickly and the cause was - wait for it - overwatering. This is the number one indoor gardening crime and I should have consulted my memory banks and retrieved this information before venturing into growing plants inside. The folks at this little shop took the plants back (bless them) and gave me new ones under strict orders to let the dirt go dry and then fill up the little self-watering reservoir. I followed the instructions and voila! my little streps are thriving and have actually provided new blooms recently.

These are just a few of the beautiful streps I purchased from my local gift store, Enchanted Gifts. I'm sorry I cannot remember the names but I can find out for you if you like.

Feeling confident, I opted to expand my indoor garden but I was soon to be shot down again. I received an email from an online vendor that sells the most beautiful patchouli. I grew this outside in Arizona and thought, how hard could it be to grow indoors? Very, it seems. Let’s rewind to just three short months ago. We were having unseasonably warm weather and I capitalized on this opportunity by ordering four patchouli plants. As I anticipated their arrival, I prepared the pots. The patchouli I grew in Arizona thrived in a rich soil with morning sun only. Once the top surface of the soil looked dry, I watered. The result was a container full of lush, fragrant foliage and flowers. The pots for my new indoor patchouli plants were filled with soil rich in humus and gravel mixed in to allow for good drainage. When they arrived, I quickly repotted and dreamed of large, healthy specimens gracing the air with the unmistakable, delightful patchouli aroma.

The hour of discontent began with the tips of several leaves on all plants turning crispy brown at the end. I could not understand what was happening and I immediately went into damage control mode. Patchoulis do not like cold temperatures which is why the Arizona climate was so perfect for them. I moved all the pots to a bay window that received filtered morning sun and then shade for the rest of the day. I then created a humidity tray in the attempt to cover all my bases. Nothing helped. One by one, each plant lost all the leaves in a rather ceremonious fashion. First the tips of the leaves turned brown, then the whole leaf and then the stem. I was at a loss and felt as if I had committed the most heinous crime against these beautiful plants. They arrived beautiful, lush and dark forest green and now they were dead. I felt deflated and that spark of confidence vanished into obscurity. I did not give up however. Instead, I needed to gain some momentum and success with growing so I bought some ‘easy’ plants. Enter several golden pothos and two other philodendron types. I fed them with Jobe’s plant spikes and waited. They began growing furiously and once again I opted to expand my collection. I now have expanded quite successfully to a mini terrarium with a small peacock fern growing inside along with some geraniums and Oxalis. So far, I am having success but I lament over my losses. I only mentioned the patchouli and streps but I also lost a few African violets, English ivy and some baby tears along the way.

My experiences in establishing an indoor garden have provided a level of humility that I have not felt in a while. I recall the days when I started gardening in the desert after living in England for nearly a decade. That confidence one attains in such an environment where almost anything planted will happily grow can lead to unsuccessful attempts when confronted with trying to grow in polar opposite conditions. The same holds true when gardening indoors. There are factors that need to be taken into consideration: forced air heat, humidity levels, temperature, sun exposure, watering, etc. It is integral I believe to be tested like this now and again. The gardener’s intuition is a fine instrument that needs to be tuned regularly so to provide the best melodies of life.

Thank you for reading and I wish you all the very best.

All photos were taken by the author