This is variegated Swedish ivy (Plectranthus australis 'Variegata'), a common and easily grown house plant. But I felt like Mother Earth earlier this fall when I saw that flower spike. The buds eventually opened into tiny white flowers, not at all showy, but indicative of a plant that felt optimistic enough about the state of the world to attempt reproduction.
The Swedish ivy started out last spring as three 4" pots, which were then planted into a shallow 12" pot and which lived all summer in full sun on my deck. It completely took over the 48" wrought iron table on which it resided. By summer's end the longest branches were over four feet long and reached over the edges of the table, almost to the floor. I used it as a backdrop for many yarny photos.
Unforgivably, I neglected to photograph it in all its table- and deck-covering glory at the end of summer. Here it is after a massive pruning to allow it to fit comfortably into the house:
Prunings:
I was able to supply friends with enough cuttings to fill their own houses with Swedish ivy. One of the things I love about this plant is the spicy pungency of the leaves' fragrance. My hands smell soooo good after pinching off a leaf.
I shall not show you a photo of how that virile plant looks today. (Wait! Can a plant that flowers, i.e., has female characteristics, be called virile? What. Ever.) It survives but has lost some a few several hundred leaves. Why is it so difficult for me to remember to water my plants? (And to feed/water our pets. It is a wonder my children lived to adulthood.) That gorgeous fuchsia I showed you in November went to the great compost heap in the sky over a month ago. I compensate for my neglectful ways by growing only easy-to-grow plants, i.e., ones that would be weeds if I lived in a more forgiving climate. Hmmm, maybe that answers the question about the children...
These herbs seem reasonably happy, though, even while the outdoors is frigid and white.
Mmmmmm, rosemary...
