Before I migrated from Michigan to California in 1975, I was a student at Michigan State University. I was 16 credits shy of my B.S. degree in Horticulture. Bachelor of Science, not Bull S#*t.
It was the days of Bella Abzug, Gloria Steinem and other feminists. People would ask me if I was a woman’s libber and I’d reply, “I’m an individual libber.” I was married to a dominating man and I needed to liberate myself from under his thumb.
What does this have to do with houseplants? Well, my husband completed his degree and I still had the aforementioned 16 credit to complete my degree, but husband took a job in California that started within the month. No mention about me finishing my degree. Just – get packed and let’s go. Just be a good wife.
During my time at Michigan State University, I volunteered at the university’s greenhouses. My favorite place was in the humid greenhouse surrounded by plants. The head greenhouse man loved having help and gave me so many plants and cuttings that they filled our married housing two bedroom apartment.
During the winter months when skies were gloomy, I would rotate plants into my bedroom closet where I had a photography light back I hung from the closet pole. It was a perfect little greenhouse.
My daughter was proud of all the pretty plants, so proud that she shared with her kindergartener teacher that, “My mom grows plants in her closet.”
It was mid-1970s in Michigan where marijuana was illegal. Funny thing, I didn’t grow pot, but the teacher thought I did. A phone call from her cleared things up and when we moved to California, I had a plant sale and invited her!
In fact, I invited everyone one from one of my lecture hall classrooms by writing in bold large letters on the chalkboard: PLANTS FOR SALE, MOVING, CHEAP, ALL MUST GO!
I had something like 200 houseplants and sold every one in two hours. I made $300 plus, a good amount to help with the move.
The reason I had to sell them all was because there was (still is) an inspection station at the border between Nevada and California to prevent the entry of pests and diseases, including those associated with plants.
My husband brought his small collection of bonsai trees, confident that they would be allowed into California. Sadly, they weren’t.
I began a collection of houseplants once we settled in California but now I have a Peace Lily that a neighbor gave me when my dear dog Toby died. It’s been on my kitchen windowsill for five years and I try very hard to keep it alive. My friend Mabel gave me an orchid on my birthday several years ago but sadly it hasn’t bloomed in the last two years. There’s the philodendron that also occupies the kitchen windowsill and it’s growing down into the kitchen sink. I keep wrapping the leaves around the main leaves, but I’ll have to find it somewhere else to occupy, after I give it a bigger pot.
That’s it! Three houseplants.
What’s a girl to do?…I’m not going to get more houseplants, unless I one day go to Flowers by Jackie in Lakeport and blow my budget!
Lucy Llewellyn Byard welcomes comments and shares via lucywgtd@gmail.com