My First Acrylic Abstract Painting

My paint brushes are sitting in a corner, and they have been staring at me for months. Today I decided to put them to use. I looked at a youtube video about abstract painting techniques. It looked so easy, so I thought I'd try it.

1. Place painter's tape over the canvas.

2. Drop acrylic paint inside the different sections. Use the brush to dab and blend the colors together.

3. Remove the tape, There's the abstract painting.

HOWEVER, I did not like the finished product. So I added step 4.

4. Fill in the unpainted canvas with paint, dabbing and blending. 

And there it is! 

"Acrylic Abstract Number One"

(I invite you to check out my newest blog: Resolutions.
Thank you!)

How to Grow a Coleus Garden

Last year I planted a Coleus. To my amazement, it thrived and became a huge, very attractive plant. I decided I wanted a whole garden of coleus.

This past winter I started Coleus plants in an aerogarden. Coleus seeds come pre-planted in pods that are placed in the aerogarden container filled with water. A grow light is on a timer. Just keep the container filled with water and watch the plants grow.

This becomes...

This!

Here one of the plants is flowering and going to seed. (Behind it is dill I am growing in the same Aerogarden.)

When the plants are fully grown, (reluctantly - because they are so pretty) I cut them down to root the stems in water. I will continue clipping them and rooting them so I will have many plants.

All my new plants that have grown roots in the water will go into my new Coleus garden. Hopefully they will be as beautiful as the one plant I had last year.

I invite you to read my newest blog Resolutions. Thank you for following. 

Happy Gardening!

The Lipstick Plant

A few years ago I was in a neighbor's home when I noticed a vibrant plant inside near the entrance. It had red blossoms. I had never seen a plant like that before, so I asked my neighbor about it.

"That's a lipstick plant. It's easy to grow. Would you like a few cuttings?"

She offered to root a few cuttings in water for me and bring them over when they were ready to plant. A few weeks later she was at my home with the cuttings.

I planted and then watered them lightly. She had said to me, "They don't like their feet wet," meaning, "Do not over-water."

My few cuttings grew quickly into a full-size plant. It's one of my most attractive houseplants.

I sometimes cut a few vines and put them in water, just to have live plants in other places of the home where we do not have as much light. Much to my surprise, even the cuttings had started to blossom.

I have since shared cuttings with another neighbor. The lipstick plant is  becoming the "Official Houseplant of the Neighborhood."

It's botanical name is: Aeschynanthus Radicans.  

Please do check out my other posts here: Resolutions.

Thank you!