Parlor Palm...

Years ago, (I am so old), when I had my first house to decorate, I would pour over decorating books, looking for any ideas that I might be able to incorporate. What always caught my eye were the large plants. I’m not talking about the charming, well-behaved plants like the little, unobtrusive, philodendrons or pothos that stay neatly tucked around their pots. I mean the big, bold, “here I am” kind of plants. You know, more like the parlor palms. (By the way, there are large, striking philodendrons, too.)



Parlor palms were available in 2 sizes: outsized and tiny. I had to go with the tiny, the 4” pot size, if it was even that big, with a plant that was maybe, maybe 9” tall. I dutifully put it in a pretty container and waited. It grew… slowly. Very slowly. After a few years, I realized that it was indeed inching its way towards being a bold plant.

{Chamaedorea elegans}

My parlor palm was in my living room in California. The beamed ceiling had no insulation to speak of. And we didn’t have air conditioning, so in the summer, the living room was hot. This was Southern California, after all. And in the winter it was cold. Well, cold for Southern California. But my plant bravely pressed on.


When I brought it to North Carolina, an amazing thing happened. It was obviously much happier with the new living room because it did something it had never done before: it bloomed. And it has bloomed every year since we came here. The blooms are curious, but I think they are rather charming. Little, nonchalant, unusual pearls, adorning my parlor palm, reminding me to bloom in a new place, too.


Have a beautiful day!

Philodendron...

Ah, the lovely, lowly Philodendron. Why do I say lowly? It is a very common plant, but I don’t really consider it lowly. It is a wonderful plant because it is so undemanding. It doesn’t need much light, but it will also take a lot of light. (We’re talking indoor light here as it is almost always used as a houseplant.) It will suffer patiently if you forget to water it. It almost seems to like to get a little dry. It actually grows better root-bound. And, if you don’t keep it sodden, it is perfectly content in containers with no drain holes. What more could you ask for in a houseplant?




Did you know there is a flecked variety? Now, before you go rushing off to your local nursery, let me assure you, the flecked variety only shows up in ideal circumstances for it. Like in my bathroom, on the bathroom sink, where teeth get brushed. Light dawning yet? (Disclaimer: I am not the only one using that sink, so don't blame me.)




The vignette sits on my coffee table. I love it. The teapot was my very first piece of blue and white transfer ware. And I have always used it for a plant container. For years and years, in California, it was on my vanity table with a Pothos in it by a window. So beautiful! Here there is not really enough light in my bedroom on the vanity for a plant, so the tea pot, adorned with a philodendron, graces my coffee table.


Have a beautiful day!