About a year ago, TheBloke (TM) bought me a Christmas rose plant. I fully expected it to die after it had blossomed, as was suggested by the instructions that came with it. However, with my usual winning combo of weeks of neglect followed by total overwatering combo, somehow it managed to survive, and even blossomed again a couple of months later. I think it's bloomed three times so far.
However, about a month ago, the plant started looking a bit sickly. Its leaves turned from a deep green colour to an almost translucent white. I put it in the sunshine. The leaves went limp. I watered it. The leaves dropped off. I fed it. New leaf shoots sprouted... then turned brown and dropped off. I repotted it. Essentially at this point it looked like a dead twig. All was lost. TheBloke (TM) bought me a new rose plant. I didn't want to give up.
So I left it. Total neglect. Stuck it on the windowsill and forgot all about it, lavishing attentions instead on the new plant.
I looked at it properly for the first time yesterday. It has sprouted new leaves and is looking decidedly healthy. Also, the pot which had been littered with rose food and dead leaves looked really clear. I said to TheBloke (TM), "Look at this. Have you repotted the rose or something?"
"No," said TheBloke (TM). "But I did drop it on the floor last week. Sorry. I bought you a new one."
Gardeners, listen up. Rose problems? Knock it off the windowsill. Guaranteed. I'll take a picture if it blooms again.
In other news, I think my orchid is dead.
1 comment:
House plants need very, very little doing in the autumn and winter - don't feed them at all (you'll make them overwork out of season, poor things) and only water them sparingly when the soil seems completely dry at the top.
But you may as well bin the orchid. I've never been able to get them flower again once they're done.
Nice Kate x
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