For the Love of Plants

Well, there is no other way to say this: my mom is a plant junkie. Her wish allegedly ping-pongs between "more plants" and "more space to plant plants". I believe that if she had her way, she would turn half of our house into a garden with bonsai and other exotic plants.

It's quite unfortunate that, in reality, she has to settle for only a small outdoor garden and two even smaller indoor ones. But my mom has truly been making the most of what she has (like she always does). As of now, she is almost done working her magic on our front yard, and I think she has every reason to be proud of it.

I would say that gardening is not an easy job, especially with the sun moodily shining on our front yard and all. My mom needs to actively oversee where her plants are placed—deciding which ones should where the sunshine is good, and which would still be okay without. She does it happily, though, often with a short tale following my questioning look.

"I started spending most of my allowance on plants when I was a kid," she said. "And then I would showcase them in the classroom at school." (She's a bit of a show-off, but that's okay).

While I never understood this particular hobby of hers, curating this post has started to show me the appeal of gardening. Am I slowly turning into my mother?

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It was raining continuously yesterday—I had to quickly go out and snap some pictures of our front yard garden while it was drizzling in the late afternoon. In retrospect, I don't regret that I procrastinated taking pictures earlier in the morning when the weather was dry. The rain added a certain after-effect to my mom's garden. It looked beautiful.

Disclaimer: Both my mom and I are not, in any way, plant experts, but we have tried our best to figure out the name of each plant by cross-checking them on Wikispecies (links are attached below). Do let us know if, by any chance, we have mistaken some.

In our front yard, there is a stony path leading to the very corner of our small garden. The circle-shaped footpaths were made by my mother using ceramic shards. She told me that the process felt a lot like arranging a puzzle.

Violet and green Episcia reptans, also known as the flame violet, grow on the left side of the path. You might notice a bald spot in the middle of the violet bunch, but worry not—more will vine with time. 

On the right side, however, grows a line of Carex morrowii (or Japanese sedge) as its border. Here is a closer look for you:

Please note that this corner is still a work in progress. My mom has only planted a pot, some Neoregelia farinosa (from the Bromeliaceae familia), and two big black stones so far. On the right side nearest to the wall, there grows some Zephyranthes rosea (also known as rain lilies), though they haven't bloomed yet—so stay tuned.

Moving on to the left corner, we will find a falling pot with pebble stones coming out of it. Since the clay's original color didn't appeal to her taste, my mom decided to paint the pot a striking bronze. There is a small frog effigy behind it, a gift from an aunt. It stands under the shade of a pot of what we think is Philodendron xanadu.

Scoot a little and there we have four pots of plants in the making. Two in the middle contain Graptopetalum paraguayense (a species of succulent known as the ghost plant) while the other two contain another Neoregelia farinosa. Surrounding those four pots are some Chlorophytum comosum (widely known as the spider plant), acting like protective soldiers.

Moving on to the top, there is a cute hanging pot consisting of Epipremnum aureum with vines trailing along the wall. Let's follow the norm and call it the money plant for simplicity.

A few inches to the right grows our historical calamansi tree. My mom said that it almost died after the mealybug attack last year. Miraculously, the tree survived. My mom has even used its fruits to make infused water. 

We also have a pot of Cordyline australis, my mom's favorite. During my research of this plant, I found out that some people back then used its young leaves as a substitute for cabbage—hence the name 'cabbage tree'.

Also spotted: another bronze-painted empty pot.

Hanging on the wall behind it is a pot of Hoya carnosa still waiting to bloom. My mom is not so sure whether it will reach its best potential here, but fingers crossed—I have a good feeling about this one.

If you're asking about the plants on one of the footpaths pictured earlier, let me explain something first: my mom has made me promise to write here that those plants are not supposed to be there. She even pestered me to take another picture without them.

But see, I think they fit there just the way they are. Zamioculcas zamiifolia is the name of the plant in the black pot that is supposed to be on the terrace. The one in the cute fish pot though... we're still trying to figure it out. Sorry to disappoint.

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So there you have it—a short tour of our front yard garden. Just note that this pretty little garden is not an overnight success. Even after everything is in place—not counting the work-in-progress—my mom still regularly works her magic to get rid of the wild grasses.