Loose Ends
Creating a jungle
Susan Nienow

I can kill an African violet just by breathing in the same room, but do you think I could even encourage a ficus tree to slow down that growing business? This past spring I put my two ficus trees - one with little leaves and one with long leaves - out on the deck in April, hoping that this would be the year that we would have a late frost. I also trimmed them back - my other half called it scalping - so they wouldn't take up so much room in the house this fall.

I forgot to water them, I put them in the sun and when they blew over in the wind, I left them there for days, hoping that they would just croak, and I wouldn't have to feel guilty about it. I could put it all down to "survival of the fittest" and walk away. But they grew and grew, oblivious to wind, rain and baking sun.

Obviously these two trees are the "fittest." I don't have room for all those plants in the house. And I definitely don't have room for two trees and a dragon wing begonia on steroids. I took cuttings off that one all summer and gave them away. Why should I be the only one donating half of a room in my house to a begonia?

I had to cut it back in mid-summer, so we could still have room to eat on the screened porch. Now it's in my office - a little slimmer after I whacked it back. I have a small office. There just wasn't room for both me and that three-foot by three-foot behemoth.

To save money on new plants next spring, I took cuttings of all of the coleus plants. So those three vases are in my office keeping the begonia company. The hibiscus plants are in my other half's office. They are on probation. Last year, they brought spider mites with them. I battled those little critters all winter, but spring came, and I put the plants outside before a winner was declared.

My ivy topiary is still outside. It is shaped like a Christmas tree, large at the base. I don't know where to put it. If I put off bringing it in, maybe we will have a heavy freeze, so I can say, "Oh no! I forgot to bring in the topiary. It's too late now."

My houseplants are old and have outworn their welcome. I want to move on to different things. But, I can't kill them. And it's only going to get worse. We are getting close to poinsettia season. I am well over 39 and last year for the first time, I closed my eyes and my heart, and tossed out all three poinsettias the week after Christmas.

I still feel bad about that. The big question after Christmas isn't where to put all of the decorations, it's how can I get rid of the poinsettias? Maybe I'm not alone with this.