Long living Plants August 10, 2021

I buy plants each year to place in my container garden. Miniature roses, shasta daisies, lupins and begonias. Herbs of rosemary, lavender , basil, cilantro, sage and dill. A tomato and swiss chard round out the assortment.

I expect these to grow and die in the first hard freeze. Sometimes, I try to bring some plants in to coax to live to spring. Most of them will die also.

There are two exceptions to this rule. My Jerusalem cherry and my peace plant.

My Jerusalem cherry is over 40 years old. It puts on bright orange and red fruit the size of a small marble. The dry fruit falls and starts another plant.

There is a story about the origins of this plant. My brother Bob spent one and a half years in Israel working on a kibbutz. He met many new friends while working. Several of the friends came to visit the States and stopped by my parents home. My Mother played hostess to one young man that stayed a week. He wanted to give her a thank you gift. He walked to the local florist and came back with a small plant balanced on his head. That was a Jerusalem cherry. The mother plant produced many cherries and baby plants. I have given enough of the plants and dry cherries to grow an orchard. Note: the cherries are not edible.

The second long lived plant is a peace plant. This plant is made up of small plants that bunch together. When they become crowded they put out a white growth with seeds covered by a bract. They resemble a flower. If the plants become too root bound , they will start to die unless they are replanted.

We received this plant over30 years ago at the time of our daughter’s birth. It has been divided, re-planted and given away many times.We still have two containers of the plant.

It is nice to think we always have peace and the beauty of the Jerusalem cherry to grace our home. They are physical reminders of the people who came into our lives.

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Peace Lily

stately blooms,

many glossy leaves,

tranquility

carolaspot@aol.com

copyright 8/10/2021