The Constant Gardener.

I'm having a very dizzy day. Actually, that's not right - it's more lightheaded with a bit of dizzy thrown in. Maybe it was the Zyrtec I took this morning on an empty stomach. In any case, it feels like I'm wearing a football helmet with the trouble hearing and the weird light pressure. At least there's no pain. I took a multivitamin with my lunch, so maybe that will help a little.

In the meantime, I would like to show you my wildflowers. True, they haven't budded yet, but they're getting there (I hope). It seems like every day I find the stems in different positions. One day they're over here, the next day they've grown over there; perhaps they're following the sunlight throughout the day. Here's what the window box looks like now, compared to a month ago.

It's a forest. 

At this point, everything is spilling over the edge of the box - which, if you think about it, is pretty smart for a plant. I remember a month ago seeing a plant that was withering from lack of sun, and gingerly placing one of its leaves over the edge of the box. That was all it needed, and now it's a thriving young sucker.

Leo was the first plant to figure out the edge trick. I have a sneaking suspicion that his root system is more advanced than any of the other plants, judging by how much he's grown in relation to them. Leo now hangs out between the blinds on the window ledge.

This is Leo. His stem must be pretty strong to not bend over the edge.

Even though he gets the most sunlight by chilling out on the ledge, his leaves bend under themselves like they're not getting enough water. Which I find hard to believe because of his supposed extensive root system. It's a balancing act, watering him more than the others, but he hasn't died yet, so I feel like I'm doing alright.

Leo's the only plant with a red-purple stem. 

That's a slightly better representation of all the bending he's done. I've he pretty much snaked his way down to the ledge, then grew straight up once he was there. Well, straight up as in his stem now resembles a U shape. Oh, a couple of days ago, there was a beetle nibbling away at Leo's leaves, much like a caterpillar would. There aren't any pictures, because now that beetle lives in the sewage system. I think I caught the beetle early enough that it didn't damage any of the leaves too badly.

Leo's stem, again. With some friends.

When the sprouts were young, I thought I only had five varieties. Now that the plants have started to mature, I think there are seven varieties. You can see in the picture above that the leaves have different colors, now. They also feel different to the touch. I am just hoping they'll all make it to the budding stage so I can identify what I've got. 

Even though Leo's the only plant I can remember the name of, he's not my favorite one of the bunch. That would be the fuzzy leaf plant that lives on the end of the block. Huge leaves, central sprouting instead of a stalk, and sensational to the touch.

Hey guys, what's up? Nothin' much here, just hanging out. 

Little needles covering every inch of leaf. 

It should feel like a cactus, but it feels like a cat. Super soft.

Those 'buds' are just leaves that haven't grown up yet. 

I must admit that I like looking at the patterns that the plants are creating. There's one in particular that shoots off secondary stems from the main line, and these grow straight up and sprout stars on the end. This is probably the most pretty plant so far. 

Blurry, but you see what I mean. Super cute, too.

Here's a look from above the window box. A nice panoramic from a person's perspective. Don't mind the pile of leaves on the southern edge of the box. I try to trim off the leaves that look like they're on their way out. I think the plant prefers that to holding onto a withering leaf. They'll thank me later.

It's a puzzle where you have to follow one stem to the end to get a prize.

And that concludes today's botany course. I feel a little less dizzy, so maybe this spell is almost over. It's a good thing last night's dinner carries over into tonight's. Otherwise, we might have had to suffer through delivery pizza. Hope all is well with all of you.