Ideally Plantness should be a national holiday so that everyone, well I guess everyone except purveyors of plants, is able to head out each morning and find their daily plant goodies without pressures of starting times or quitting times.  Work really gets in the way.  The weather as well.  Saturday we made our big Plantness road trip in spite of the Pennsylvania weather, only to arrive and find that our first stop was closed because of the snow!  I guess we should have lingered over breakfast for a little longer because now, to kill time, we had to resort to chips and soda on overly-firm wooden chairs pulled up to a table at a gas station “dining” area.  Every now and then we’d poke our heads out to see if the plows had cleared the lot yet,  and every now and then we would eye the candy display or contemplate the quality of gas station nachos.

A Plantness bouquet with some average and some surprising elements.  I think the tiny orange blooms are safflower (Carthamus) and the blue of the campanula was also unexpected.

After about an hour and a half the snow stopped and the plows rolled through  and we headed over but were informed that the boss with the keys was still about 20 minutes away and struggling with the terrible roads.  No problem.  Kimberley had her magic purse along and was able to pull out the fixings for a charcuterie to nibble on while we waited further in the car.  Sharp cheddar and some summer sausage on baguette rounds, with various other snacks and chocolates can make any wait far less painful.  We even seemed super-patient while we waited for the walks to get shoveled and salted rather than surging through the doors the second they unlocked.  Amateurs we are not.

An overview of the Plantness loot on day 8.  

We bought plants.  We were the only customers.  It sounds like Allentown Pennsylvania does not celebrate Plantness the way we do so I won’t feel bad when winter lingers a little more down their way.

So on Day 8 of the Ten Days of Plantness here’s were we are.  Day 1: snowdrops ordered, 2: I accepted a gifted variegated dracaena, days 3&4: a variegated pothos ‘Jade and Pearls’ from my local go-to Hidden Gardens, along with a tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes) days 5,6: two more plant gifts, a tiny earth star (Cryptanthus) offset which I had been hinting at, and a cutting of scindapsus… which I had also been hinting at 🙂  Then for day 7 at our snowed out greenhouse I picked up a chlorophytum orchidastrum (Mandarin plant)… which I’d never heard of until that day, but it’s in the spider plant family and was labeled as ‘easy’, so…. and I think it looks cool, even if it does remind me a bit of a houseplant hosta.  Okay, two more things which we picked up at the next spot after heading out into the snow again.  For days 8 and also 9 I have two new bromeliads.  They’re somewhat noticeable in the photo.  I’m quite happy.

Labeled as “bromeliad” this one lacks the ‘teeth’ most of my other ones have, and one can run their hands along a leaf without looking for a set of tweezers to remove the barbs.  I think it’s a remarkable leaf pattern.

I was on a self-imposed bromeliad ban but it doesn’t look like that’s lasted since I just picked up two new ones, and that’s fine since it’s Plantness and plant bans don’t apply.  Plus I could have easily selected a third and I didn’t, but I won’t rule out adding another sometime this week or this season because as long as the ban has already been broken…

Pothos are boring.  My mom had one half a century ago on the mantle and they’re still kinda the same thing just with new variegations.  I still love them but never thought I would pay for it rather than share a cutting but here we are with ‘Jade and Pearls’.

Day ten is possibly also satisfied since I have the Plantness bouquet which was my first photo.  In an awkward moment I walked into the house with the bouquet and someone here asked if they were for her and I had to say no.  If I gifted them they wouldn’t count for Plantness, and even though my well-trained brain was screaming ‘yes!  of course they’re for you’ my arms were also carrying two boxes of pizza and thank goodness that was enough to save me from going down in flames.  There was also ice cream, that’s probably what really saved me.

So I hope your Plantness is going just as well… minus the snowstorms.  If I were a rule-follower I’d stop at ten, but Cathy at Words and Herbs was sharing her Plantness goodies and I saw the perfect glossy, spring-edition garden magazine and I knew that’s one more thing I need.  The ten day forecast does not show gardening weather, and a few magazines with pictures of hellebores and crocus, and a snowdrop or ten would be perfect for a little snug under a blanket reading.  Enjoy!  and all the best for a wonderful week.