Husbandry

How long have we had this aspidistra? Certainly more than twenty years. It has suffered a lot of neglect and has had to endure long periods without being watered. If there was an organisation that worked against cruelty to houseplants, I would have been prosecuted long ago and shamed in local newspapers. "Guilty your honour!"

Aspidistras were very popular in English drawing rooms in the late Victorian era. The plant's natural homeland is  South East Asia and southern China. There it is and was mostly found in shady areas of sub-tropical forests. It is not fond of bright sunlight.

Aspidistras are great survivors and to be truthful they easily endure the kind of neglect that I have subjected our old plant to.

On Monday, for the first time ever, I brought it downstairs and into the daylight where I repotted it using fresh compost mixed with good quality top soil. I also watered the leaves with a watering can - not something it has ever enjoyed before.

In this balmy summertime, I will leave the plant outside for a few days longer - protected from direct sunlight. Last night we had a rain shower and that won't have done the aspidistra any harm at all.

I dealt with another plant on Monday. The bay tree outside our kitchen had simply grown too tall over the years so I reduced it by two feet using clippers and a saw. It was obscuring our view up the garden from our main kitchen window. Now the top of the little tree looks rough but it won't be too long before new shoots and leaves begin to appear.

We bought that tree twenty one years ago from a school fayre at my kids' old secondary school (American: high school). Then it stood about  twelve inches tall in a little pot. It clearly loves the position where I planted  it but I sometimes fret about possible root-related  damage - another good reason for giving it a severe haircut.