The Funeral March
My daughter pulled into the driveway and I thought she was getting one of the kids out of the car. She was unloading the most wounded members of her household and it was her plants. Cue Chopin’s Funeral March. Not one. Not two. Not three. Four dead men walking.
First in the parade was a fiddle-leaf fig I had potted and given to her years ago. She bought it in a tiny container without realizing it would need a bigger home one day. I said if you buy a pot this big (making a circle with my arms) I will repot her and she will live her best life. Well that was a lie. She did not live her best life. She nearly finished a life.
She arrived with a half dozen leaves and one was hanging by a thread. The air conditioner kicked on and that last leaf fluttered like it was thinking about letting go. She also delivered a spent orchid. Some decorative house plant that looked like it came from Publix. A snake plant on its last leg. I did not know you could kill a snake plant. Yet here we are.
I let the fiddle fig sit in my living room for a day. I thought she needed a break. She probably did not know what to do in the quiet without three kids and the usual hoopla. I gave her a day to decompress. I looked at her like a middle aged woman friend. She wanted quiet. She wanted to be left alone. She wanted peace.
After a day I took her out back with the happy plants. I have a feeling they looked at her and said we feel you girl. I set her down and studied her. I snapped a photo and a short video and posted on social. TikTok chimed in. Chop it back. Turn it into a hat rack. Repot right away. Do this. Do that. Everyone had advice. None of it was right for this plant. She needed a hot minute. By the way she looked it would not have been a chardy. It would have been store brand whisky.
I gave her breathing room then I gave her what every woman wants. Someone who listens and talks to her. A bite to eat when she is grumpy. A nice drink after. At lunch I took my too healthy, farro wheat and bok choy bowl outside. We had a little chat. We discussed what she needed. She did not need to be chopped back to a hat rack. She needed time to collect herself.
I started with a little food at mild strength. A little conversation over lunch. A deep drink. Now we watch. She sits with friends on the north side of the house in bright light without direct sun. Enough light to return to photosynthesize without burning. I will give her a week and check for nodes. With the worst leaves gone she can work on her core before she worries about her hair.
Next Step In Her Care
Here is my favorite Southwest Florida helper. While she rests the next step of her care is protecting her roots and soil temperature. You can read more about local yard care and soil health in this landscaping guide for Bonita Springs homeowners.
Coconut Cloth Circles
If you do not know them yet you will love them here in the Bonita Springs area. They are circular pieces of coconut fiber with a slit and a center opening. You slip one around the trunk. It shades the soil and slows evaporation. It keeps roots cooler and happier. My yard is river sand between two rivers. Pick up a handful and it runs through your fingers like an hourglass. I had a bougainvillea out front on the south side that struggled. I could not keep it hydrated. I added coconut cloth. The ground stayed cooler and moist. It perked up fast.
I use coconut cloth on potted plants too. I keep a few in large terracotta pots like wild lime for giant swallowtail butterflies. The cloth holds water and protects roots. Plants do not wilt. Roots do not bake. Summers here are murder so anything in full sun needs help. If you turn your back for a day you can lose a plant. Coconut cloth buys you time and it looks tidy.
If you want to try the exact products here are my links to what I use. Coconut cloth circles. Expanding garden hose.
The Expando Hose
This hose is a sanity saver. It starts small and light. Turn on the water and walk. The hose stretches as you go so you are not dragging a heavy snake. When you walk back and shut it off the water empties and the hose shrinks. I hang mine on simple extension cord hooks on the wall. No reel. No wrestling.
Check Back Next Week
We will check back in a week. Maybe I will add a coconut cloth once my order arrives. The ones on hand are for big trees and this pot needs a smaller size. If your plants struggle here try coconut cloth. It also keeps potting soil less tempting for little hands. My daughter worries the kids will dig. You can fit the cloth and tuck the edges so the dirt does not call their name.
Happy gardening.
One More Thing
If you have old flower pots you are not using and you had a few plant expiries like my daughter please consider donating them. The Bonita Springs Historical Society has a small plant program at the McSwain Home and Gardens. We are growing Moringa from our tree along with a few useful herbs. Pots help these young plants look better and stay upright in summer wind. If you have extras we would be grateful.
Plant Rehab Tip
Protect the roots. Mulch helps yet the insider move for our sun is a coconut cloth circle under the mulch. It shades the soil and slows evaporation so the plant gets a steady drink and less heat stress.
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