Houseplants

 

 I haven't got all that many houseplants left after this winter; and some of those that have survived are looking rather tired - including one of the African Violets. The lighter blue one has at the same time been in bloom, but with most of its leaves drooping and not looking well at all. I'm not sure if I managed to over-water it, or under-nourish it! Anyway, today I decided to re-pot that one (even while still in bloom) and cut off the lower drooping leaves that made it look sad and tired. Remains to be seen if that will do the trick... 

While I was at it (messing about with pots and soil), I also planted a Coleus ("painted nettle") plant shoot that has (barely) been surviving the winter on water only, in a tiny glass vase. (Bottom right in the collage.) The rest of its mother plant died back in winter... 

Behind the African Violets in the collage above, you also see a bigger glass vase with some green leaves in it.  Close-up of the same below. These are my Mystery branches, which were included in a boquet of flowers that I got for my 70th birthday back at the end of August. Some of the other flowers in that boquet I was able to dry and save that way. But these green branches just remained the same, and I left them standing in water just to see what would happen. The answer is: Nothing. 7½ months later, they are still standing in water, an looking just the same. They have neither formed roots, nor withered - and look and feel much like they might just as well be fake...

Google Image search has identified them as Ruscus, and further research tells me that what looks like leaves are really phylloclades - "flattened, green, photosynthetic stems or branches" - while the true "leaves" are the minute, scale-like things on the middle of those. Totally weird! But I'll continue to leave them in their vase for now, just to see if anything happens at all... 
 

In my living room window (below)  I decided to add some "properly fake" pink lilies in a coloured glass vase, just for a bit of colour, until perhaps I get some live splash of colour there...