Decluttering gift #1: Plant Two

In post earlier today, I talked about decluttering my plant stuff.

The hardest part of the whole process for me was making the decision to part with First Plant. It was a Sansevieria (mother-in-laws tongue) that we bought for our first apartment almost 40 years ago. At that time, it was about 15 inches high, and nestled in a 6-inch pot. Now, even after being split apart annually into 2-4 separate pots and giving three of those away each year, the original plant clump is seven feet tall and stands in a 20-inch-diameter pot. One of the first splits that I kept is now six feet tall in an 18-inch pot. Can’t lift either of them. Can’t even move them across the floor anymore, even on the rolling platforms that Andy made for me.

I gave Plant Two to one of our neighbors, a fantastic gardener with a beautiful collection of houseplants of her own.

The original First Plant went out in the trash. None of us could carry it to the curb, so Andy cut off the long, spiky leaves at the pot rim, bundled them up like tree branches after a wind storm, and hacked the root clump into pieces with a Sawzall (reciprocating saw).

I’m not totally Sansevierria-less, though, even after the wholesale slaughter. I still have four of the middle-sized splits, in 12- to 15-inch pots—the absolute limit of what I can manage—scattered around the house. You can see one of them in the background of the picture posted above. And, thanks to my neighbor, I can visit Plant Two whenever I want.

Feels weird, though, after 40 years, not to see First Plant when I come down to breakfast in the morning.

<sniffle>