Meet Dresden

Meet Dresden.  He is the Clivia who lives at the foot of the stairs.  A Clivia, in case you didn't know, is a flowering plant indigenous to Southern Africa and is quite simply gorgeous.  Clivias are also really good company because they do not like skulking around on your balcony.  They like to live in your house because the sun will burn their leaves and they go brown and shrivel up.  They thrive out of direct sunlight.  I discovered this because at first, I left Dresden out on our balcony keeping Mabelline company.  It didn't work out so good (sorry, Dresden).  He is much happier now, smiling up at us as we pass him on our way up and down the stairs.  And I know he is smiling because he is flowering bright orange flowers.  Duh.

Dresden is named after Harry Dresden.  Harry is a wizard from Jim Butcher's series, "The Dresden Files".  He is called Dresden because my friend Gwynlyn, who is obsessed with the Dresden files and can quote witty passages from it, gave the plant to us because we had her to stay over the holiday.  It was from then that Dresden joined our community of plants (a community which, at the time consisted of two).  The other is Mabelline, so named for the Chuck Berry song.  Except, unlike the song, Mabelline is remarkable true to us because she flowers even when we forget to water her every two days.  No, I don't remember what kind of plant she is, but I know bought her the last time I lived in Pretoria (2010).  I would maintain she has survived this long because I talk to her when I do get around to watering her.  It's the little things...

My plants really do feel like a family.  It might be because I have no pets, but I think it is also because it is actually really exciting when something is growing and changing in your house.  All you had to do was water it (and talk to it, a little, when no one can hear you) and then, voila!  The thing is flowering and growing new shoots and developing.  It's magic, I tell you.  I think you should go and get a plant too.  Maybe even a Clivia.  They're really good company.