Stray Plants

Posted on by under Miscellaneous Musing

This week, I brought home a pair of stray plants. They’re miniature roses and were on the discount produce table at the grocery store. They must have been part of the Valentine’s Day offerings, but were forgotten at some point. They were looking pretty sad, with lots of dead growth. They had been watered recently though and had some new shoots. They were 49 cents each, which made them irresistible.

I love miniature roses, not just because they’re pretty and fragrant but because they’re tough. They’re also pretty much the only kind of rose that can be planted in a Canadian garden and left to fend for themselves for the winter.

(The other kind are Explorer roses, specifically bred at the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa to survive Canadian winters. They’re named for Canadian explorers and were developed by Dr. Felicitas Svejda. These are amazing roses, either shrubs or climbers, and prolific bloomers. Here’s a link to the CEF’s page about them.)

So, two stray roses hopped into my cart. I brought them home, cleaned away the debris, gave them a drink and put them on a sunny window sill. Here’s what they look like now:

strayroses

It’s a grey day today, so the colours aren’t too vivid. We’ll check back in a few weeks and see how they’re doing.

I was cleaning up this pair before I remembered that my grandmother used to do this, too. They’re on the window sill beside the kalanchoe that came from the discount bin, so I guess it’s a habit of mine as well.

Do you bring home stray plants? It not, where do you share your TLC?

5 thoughts on “Stray Plants”

  1. I bring home orchids that other people are about to throw out. Many of my friends and neighbours get an orchid for birthday, Mother’s Day, because they aren’t feeling well or just because ….. As soon as the blooms on the orchid fall off….most times….they are destined to eventually be thrown out. They forget to water them or leave them in a dark place and the poor orchid gradually withers away. Now….I get a call or someone drops by saying…” I heard you take care of dying orchids…..do you want mine?? I’m about to throw it out”.
    So far I have about 15 plants…rejuvenated and blooming to boot. All they needed was TLC and a west facing window. They are very hardy and if you leave them alone, water them every 2 weeks (do not let them stand in water for more than an hour!!) – as Mr Spock says …”they live long and prosper”

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    • That’s good advice, Char. Thanks! I have an orchid that was given to us about four years ago, in bloom. It bloomed again, about two years later. It has lovely leaves but no more signs of bloom. I’ll find it a west-facing window and water it less. 🙂

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  2. I’ve tried to grow rose bushes in our very sad/dry soil. They would last for a year or 2 and then die. Last Summer I started buying the little cactus pots that are glued in to the pot. I feel really sorry for those little bits of cacti – they can’t grow too much. Then, of course, I just had to buy new cacti because they have all sorts of blooms and colors. I had to bring all the cacti into the house – west side windows. They are still alive! Now if the snow & cold would go away…. 🙂

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  3. Unfortunately I wasn’t born with a green thumb, and manage to kill anything and everything I touch, yes including cacti! It seems my talents only see to fall in the performing arts region. I didn’t get the sewing/crafty gene either as I’ve said before. I do love roses though. My Favourite Rose is the Blue Moon Rose, which is a pale mauve! Mauve roses apparently mean love at first sight, and enchantment 🙂

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