bloom where you are planted

I found the most beautiful elkhorn fern in a nursery back in April. When I asked about care, I was told that it needed indirect sunlight and the occasional mist. That was perfect - my apartment doesn't get a lot of direct light - so I brought it home with me.

The thing you should know about me is that I have a history of killing plants. Including a cactus. And bamboo (which is supposed to need very little care). This is horribly frustrating to me because I would love to have a home filled with green.

Anyway, this particular plant has not been doing so well since it left the safety of the nursery. First, there was the month or two where I was accidentally watering it with vinegar water (don't ask). It took a while to recover from that incident. Then, I noticed that there were black spots on the leaves, the smaller leaves were almost dead, and the bigger leaves were limp and wilting. It was at this point that I googled care + elkhorn ferns.

What did I discover? Apparently you are supposed to mist around the plant, not directly on the leaves - or it will develop black spots. And it needs sunlight, just not direct light. I moved it downstairs and left it on the floor in front of the patio - which gets sunlight most of the day (on sunny days, that is). After a couple of weeks, the once limp leaves were strong again. After a month, new leaves were growing.

When I buy a plant, I have this idea of where I want it to go in my home. Same with this plant. Let's just say that the floor in front of my patio was not it.

I was looking at the plant one day, and it occurred to me that it finally began to thrive when I put it in the place that was the right fit for the plant - not the place where I thought it should go because it looked nice there. It also occurred to me that this is probably a very good metaphor for life.

Comments

[jen t]

i just love your revelations :)
now, excuse me, i'm in search of my patio window.

[Julie M.]

:) Beautifully said, Elizabeth.