Wendy K. Laidlaw

I don't actually know the name of them, but they look very attractive and were different from my normal pea sullies.

And after checking them through thoroughly that they hadn't brought with them any unwanted guests, i.e.

like black flies and mealybugs, they were duly placed into two separate areas in my apartment.

admit that there was little thought given to the placement except about the aesthetic look and where the area needed some greenery to warm it up.

I'm very diligent in watering my plants every week.

I thoroughly enjoy it, checking the water, making sure that it runs through, that the roots are not sitting in water and not rotting in the pot and also making sure that the roots themselves have not outgrown the pot yet again.

However, I had the opportunity to go away for a few weeks and I left my plants

the wonderful caring hands of my son who was given strict instructions on how to take care of them.

Upon my return I was delighted to see that the majority of my plants were still alive and thriving.

Some of my plants have been around for over 10 years and have their own personalities.

I know that some only like a little bit of water at a time and others like a lot of water.

Some are very fragile, others are very hardy and resilient.

Think of the peace lily, hence why I love the peace lily so much and why I have so many of them.

Some prefer cooler places, but lots of light.

Others need a decent amount of shade.

I've had to learn this through a great deal of trial and error with plants over the years.

But I do love the peace lily as they're easy to read and very forgiving if I have on occasion forgotten to take the appropriate care of them.

The sorry sight of their droopy leaves are an immediate reminder to act quickly and lovingly with water to prevent the sharp decline towards the waste paper basket.

Anyway, the following day, I took longer to inspect my plants after I'd returned.

It was then that I noticed something significant with the two particular plants I had bought before I'd gone away.