A Strange Reversal...

Today I had the afternoon off after working part of Sunday and witnessed a bizarre event. Some of my houseplants heaved themselves out of their soil and pots, wrapped themselves up in a box, and shipped themselves home to Washington!

Now, I've seen my plants do some pretty odd things, so moving about of their own volition wasn't in itself outlandish. What really struck me as peculiar was that plants were going into a box, rather than coming out of one. Isn't it supposed to work the other way round?

Well, I decided to go along with it, and snapped a few photos as proof, though not of the plants shedding their soil to bare their naked roots. We must leave something to the imagination, after all, and this is a G-rated blog, maybe occasionally PG. I asked why they were leaving and they didn't answer, just said they would be waiting for me at my parents' house when I arrived in April. I hope they know what they're getting into. Only 2, maybe 3 of them are old enough to remember living with my parents, and I was there to take care of them. They may be in for a rough month. (Just kidding! I only included that because I know my parents are reading this. They really have gotten much better at taking care of my plants than when I first left. I've trained them well, or instilled adequate fear, either way.)

From left to right. Front row: Hoya pubicalyx 'Chimera', Paphiopedilum unnamed species, Paphiopedilum gratrixianum, Philodendron hederaceum var. oxycardium
Back row: Paphiopedilum Berenice, Paphiopedilum Wiffy, Dracaena godseffiana

Clockwise from bottom left: Sansevieria trifasciata 'Golden Hahnii', unknown Cryptanthus, Cryptanthus 'Black Mystic', Sansevieria kirkii var. pulchra

All bundled up in the plastic bags I meant to take to the recycling.

These ones just wanted their roots wrapped. Said they liked more fresh air than those wimps in the other group.

All crammed together in one tiny box. I hope they get along during the trip. I wonder who's going to start asking, "Are we there yet?"

Not pictured are the small, orange flowered Schlumbergera truncata and the Amorphophallus tubers that saw some extra space and jumped in at the last minute. They were too quick for me to catch with my camera! This is the last I'll see of these plants for over a month. And I've heard some of my other plants muttering that they are going to jump ship early, too. I don't think they like the thought of riding in a moving pod with my hardy plants for 7 days, enduring who knows what kind of temperatures and other hardships. The hardy plants do like to tease my houseplants. Poor things. They're going for the two-day flight option to get back to Washington.

I'm excited to move back to my beloved Pacific Northwest, but does it have to include all this packing? And this is only the beginning!

Until next time...