Last weekend we had a rather large housewarming party at our house with about 50 guests and 15 kids…it was definitely a pretty big deal and we were completely blessed to have gorgeous weather which allowed us to have the party outside. One of the things I find great about housewarming parties (this was our second) is that you often get plants as gifts. Some people might find this annoying or not want to take on the “burden” of some plants – but I’m always totally excited. We got 3 plants at our first housewarming party, all of which are still very much alive and have grown quite a bit. This time around, we ended up with 6 plants so I thought I would share a bit about them.
Our neighbors from across the street came by before the party started and brought us this plant. They unfortunately weren’t able to stay but we found it amazingly thoughtful that they would bring us a gift anyway.
We asked what sort of plant it is and they had no idea. All we can figure is some sort of palm? Not much clue really. Maybe we’ll happen to see it elsewhere and figure it out. At any rate it’s a very nice looking plant and hopefully we can manage to keep it that way 🙂
We also received a banana tree from one of the previous owners. I’ve got it in the kitchen for the time being because they indicate it should receive only indirect sunlight and that is one of the few corners that gets no direct sunlight…so we’ll see how it goes. It may be a bit too dark for it in the end.
This is another plant I cannot identify which seems to be some sort of vine? The flowers have a beautiful magenta color which the photo really doesn’t do justice.
From friends we haven’t seen in quite a while, we got this orchid. I’ve never tried growing an orchid before so it should be interesting to see how this turns out. I’ve heard good and bad things about them but in general believe they can be very finicky.
When we got the plant on Saturday all the blooms were still closed up…but one by one they’ve been opening this week. Such interesting flowers. And if this is a success I may have to track down one of those vanilla orchids like they have in the movie Simple Irresistible with Sarah Michelle-Gellar. I can think of worse things than the house smelling like vanilla 🙂
These two plants in the black pots are a cross between currents and gooseberries. Apparently there is a rather popular schnapps liquor that people make from them so I am interested to see what the berries taste like in general. These actually came out of our friends’ yard because his own plants were throwing off sprouts – which I think is pretty darn cool. One is black, the other red which you can tell because the leaves of the black one are just slightly darker.
These weren’t really a housewarming gift but more of a “we’re about to tear up our whole garden so why don’t you take these” gift. Stefan’s parents are doing some major renovations and gave us these canna lilies. The week before the party I finally replanted them and we’ve got out first blooms. Actually, these are the second blooms because Ayla broke off the first ones…which is why I thought they might have to leave inside the gate by our outhouse for the rest of their lives. But since I’ve put them in these pots by the front door, Ayla has more or less left them alone which I am extremely thankful for!
That’s the end of this plant tour for now…stay tuned for a garden update expected later today 😉
