My first blog! 15th Sept 2021

Why I love to grow these plants - great companions in the lockdown!

I have been fascinated by curious plants for ages, especially those you can grow in your very own room!

So next to my tropical fish and shrimp tanks (more on these later), I started a collection of these plants a few years ago, and they have been a great companion and hobby, especially during the lockdown in the pandemic these past 16 months. I can highly recommend these plants - they are great for your mental health, they just are so relaxing to look at and unlike other house plants or pets, need very little care and attention in return for the pleasure they give us. You must try them for yourselves!

I will over the next few weeks show you my plant collections and what they are by name and how to grow each one of them.

I will start with the air-plants - truly the easiest plants to look after and often the ones that get the most admiring views from adults and kids alike! - and I never realised they can flower until one of mine did - and the colours are just amazing too!

I will then talk to you about the succulents next - now there are loads of these but I will pick some winners (and some more tricky ones once you become more expert or want a challenge) - but they come in amazing shapes and sizes, including a massive aeonium over 3 feet tall that I recently saw at the July 2021 Hampton Court Garden Festival. Mine is sadly only 20cm tall so a few years to go before I reach those dizzying heights (but one can but dream)!

I will then show you the cacti - again a diverse family with ridiculously large specimens in the wild but lots of small ones that can be managed easily in pots at home. And they too can flower spectacularly which (almost) allows us to forgive them for their spikes that have produced many 'ouch' moments caring for them.

Finally, the most difficult group to look after of all, the carnivorous plants- they are so fascinating especially in how they trap and digest insects that it is worth the effort although be prepared for disappointment as with the slightest wrong move, they could die on you. So do come share my pain in looking after these and we can commiserate together when your Venus Fly trap succumbs like several of mine have.

Along the way, I hope to impart some sound advice on fertilisers, soil, containers, watering regimen, grow lights and displays, to recommend books and sites, to share some jokes, and maybe connect with some of you to share your successes and failures with these botanical wonders.

Till next time, wacky plant lovers, I leave you with this cactus joke:

What did one cactus say to the other cactus? "Stick with me and we'll go places."

I hope you will stick with me, until next time,

Adios amigos,

Miles👦🏻💜🌵