My Plant Rescues

My heart goes out to all plants that are, shall we say, past their prime. I am the lady that you will find looking at the table of brown plants at the store with the 80% off sign on it. I have bought several of the beauties with great hope and have actually ended up with really great treasures, most of the time.

Some of my favorites are plants that were totally free. I have had this Candy Stripe rose for several years now. It was part of a rescue operation. I was at work and one of the managers asked me if I wanted to take it home. The gophers were killing the roots and it would not be around much longer. He dug it up for me and I went home with my new prize. It looked really scrawny and sick. I put it in a wine barrel, fertilized and watered it. It has survived a couple of tough freezes and a move. It is now about 5 feet tall. It just needed a little love and to be free of the gophers.

The orchid pictured above was from an arrangement that was delivered to someone in my office about three years ago. It was dying a slow death from no natural light, too much water one day after not being watered for a week, etc. Since it looked like it was for all intents and purposes, dead, I asked politely if I could have it. I put it in a sunny window in my cottage and aired out it's roots. For the last couple of years around this time it gives off these huge Moth Orchid Blooms. The blooms last two to three months and are incredible.

It pays not to give up on plants like these. They give me so much joy.