10 May 2026 - Doomsday for Plants
It was a sad day for these plants when I happened upon them at the hardware store while I was shopping for some odds and ends I needed for my new apartment.
[Pictured: Strelitzia nicolai (aka white bird of paradise) and Ficus elastica (aka rubber plant) 'Burgundy')]
I was wanting for something, any kind of decor or furnishing to make my landlord-deluxe, cardboard-walled, 1-bedroom home more homey, and of course, I had the wonderful idea of trying to add some lively decor in the form of houseplants.
Perfect idea, of course, for me and my black thumb!
Now, I'm not perfectly clueless.
I've successfully kept a string of hearts (Ceropegia woodii) alive in my dim, north-facing college bedroom for about 4 months. Before desiccating it to a small handful of vines not dissimilar to hay. Coincidentally, the same fate met by a bundle of parlor palms (Chamaedorea elegans) I bought from the grocery store.
Okay, so that's not a GREAT track record. But I do have *some* credentials. I do successfully grow a lot of pearlweed in my 29gal freshwater aquarium--without too much algae, to boot!
And though I'm a chronic worrier and under-water-er, I am a dogged researcher. I love a good rabbit hole to dive into. So let's see how long my plant-phase will last!
[Pictured: The two aforementioned plants in their new homes in my kitchen and bedroom. Yes ,I did buy those decorative pots and stands on impulse on the same shopping trip...]