Week 44 Container Planting

Do you have any kind of potted garden, meaning you don't plant directly in the ground? Perhaps you have a balcony garden, or some of your plants are better suited to pots. Maybe you could share houseplants or even terrariums. You can choose one plant and tell its story, or more than one. Why do you plant it in a pot? Does it have its own problems, or are there special things you need to do to make it thrive?

Honestly, here at home, my mom is a plant fanatic, and to take care of them—or rather, to care for them, she says—she keeps them in pots, and if it's inside the house, because supposedly that way the living room looks more natural. She has some cacti both inside and outside, but there's one in particular that's her favorite, though it's a bit tricky, and because of the shape of its leaves, she says it's called a Heart ❤️.

I asked her a little more, and she told me that a neighbor gave her this plant, but she did give her some advice to keep it from getting too big. The first thing is to keep it in a pot and to trim any leaves that look dry or droopy, you know, to better appreciate its beauty. Also, as I mentioned before, it gives our living room a natural touch, especially with real plants, not fake ones.

An important detail about the Heart Plant ❤️ that needs to be considered is that it's somewhat parasitic, if you will. If you plant it in the ground, especially near larger plants, it spreads very easily and can grow almost indefinitely. Therefore, the best option for those who, like my mom, want it as a decorative plant is to keep it in a pot so you can observe it and keep an eye on it to ensure it stays at a relatively consistent size.

This post is in response to week -44 Planting in Containers which Hive account@gardenhive does for us as part of a great initiative that we share in the #hivegarden community that we who appreciate nature love so much.