Changes in season here in SoCal can be very less than inspiring. Still, the convergence of spring, Earth Day and Mother’s Day always leave me longing to get my hands in some soil. (We always bought plants on/for/around Mother’s Day…does everyone?)

While I was off work, I stopped by our local OSH, it’s the West Coast version of Ace, similar to Home Depot/Lowes but smaller and focused on home and garden. Talk about falling down a rabbit hole, I went in for hummingbird food and tomato plants…$60 later I walked out with this:

Six succulents, a gardenia, a violet, a fern, two tomato plants and a zucchini plant…(plus humming bird food, and orchid and violet food). I wish I could have heard Eric’s inner monologue when he saw the back of the car.

I have a soft spot for succulents. They’re so pretty and simultaneously so low maintenance. I love to propagate them and have a boatload thanks to a centerpiece I got from an event years ago. I’ve started collecting various types and I couldn’t walk away from these at $.99.

My grandmother was a queen of growing African violets, she could stick a leaf in a dish of water and two weeks later it was a fully blooming beauty. (Not really but as a kid it sure felt like it.) I don’t see her as often as I’d like but having these violets on hand make me feel less far away.

The gardenia was a splurge just for me. My friend and former boss used to bring me clipped gardenias to float in water and they make your whole house smell lovely. I decided I needed something that bloomed in my life.

The fern is for Luke’s room since Eric and I decided a plant makes every room more homey. 

The challenge is, we don’t have a huge place and between these plants, our lime tree (which is hanging on by the thinnest of threads though I’m committed to bring it back), a money tree, a Norwegian pine (engagement gift) and orchid…not to mention my succulents…we’re a little overrun. Thank god Eric is willing to humor me. A few years ago he made me this lovely plant stand, and it’s full-to-bursting right now.

There really is something about having plants that makes you feel rooted (pun intentional). And after the rocky few month’s we’ve had, I’ve really enjoyed heading out onto our balcony every day or so to see what’s changed. New leaves are budding on my lime tree and our new succulents seem happily at home and my tomatoes and zucchini are going crazy.

We’ve been spending our evenings on the balcony each night because Luke can’t get enough time outside. We blow bubbles, watch planes and helicopters and look for humming birds visiting our feeder. He also grabs the soil from my plants and tries to stick it in his mouth but, I think that’s to be expected at this age. For city-dwellers, I’m glad we have space to put down roots. I’m hoping in our next place to have even more space and try my hand at a “real garden”

What are you planting this year? I’m sure your list is much more extensive!