Frugality and Sharing

 My mother practiced frugality and sharing.  Perhaps it was a result of growing up during the Depression and living on a farm.  The smallest tidbits of leftovers were never tossed.  A spoonful of corn was added to scrambled eggs and any bruised area of a tomato was simply cut off.

As far as plants both inside the house and outside in her garden, Mother always had clippings of cut stems immersed in containers of water.  These cuttings would form roots and she would either share with her friends or put in potting soil for another potted plant to add to her collection.  Our home was full of flora.

Last summer I visited my cousin in Houston.  Jim definitely had a green thumb and shared his gorgeous kalanchoe with me by wrapping the cuttings in a very wet paper towel and placing it in a plastic bag to carry in my suitcase.  It has grown beautifully and has been in bloom for several weeks.

At the end of most summers I cut back my annuals and place them in the garage.  Despite the absence of light I can often bring them back the next summer to their original state.  With occasional waterings throughout the winter months and a bit of pruning, they are ready to be placed outdoors.  This spring I added a caladium to such a pot to give it some added color.

Another way to extend your gardening dollar is to put together planters yourself.  I am fond of succulents and in one of my ceramic pots I decided to combine a variety of them to create a planter.  I did the same thing with various annuals keeping in mind height, color and sun tolerance.

In this final photo I simply added two small sweet potato vines, one on each side, to an existing New Guinea Impatiens.  I think the pop of color adds much to the ready-made planter.