"Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity. " ~Lindley Karstens

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

A Touch of China for My Indoor Garden

Before my husband went back to China to visit his parents recently, he asked me what I wanted him to bring from China.  Well, can you guess what I asked for?  No, not plants, not seeds, since it is illegal to bring those back to United States from foreign countries.  What else could be close to what a gardener wants?  Yes, some containers!

No, I was not asking him to carry those big heavy pots all the way across Pacific. I wanted something beautiful, reasonable sized, and of course in Chinese Style.

He brought me back five beautiful pots for indoor plants.  They are all hand made by pottery craftsmen.  Each one has those traditional Chinese pottery design elements, such as poems, or poetic Chinese phrases inscription, mountain/water drawing, bamboo, orchid, lotus flower, or Plum flower drawings.  To show you the detail of those elements, I made one collage for each pot. You also can click each picture to enlarge it.

My original intent was explaining to you what are those Chinese words mean by translation, but only found they just lost its poetic rhythm after translation.  So I only can point you out that those words have something to do with "Breeze", "Moon", "Fragrance", "Charm", and etc.  Now, use your imagination to make up some poetic words in your mind when you look the pictures :)

The plant in the first pot is Fern "Green Fantasy" (Nephrolepis exaltata), a gift from my friend.  I have been looking for this fern for quite a while because it is a very popular indoor plant in China.  Now it just looks perfect in this Chinese style pot, bringing me so many nostalgic feelings...

Update:  FlowerLady found the picture of Fern "Green Fantasy" does not match the plant.  I looked it up over the Internet, and I think the correct name for this fern is: Asparagus setaceus. The original tag that came with the plant was obviously mislabeled.   Thanks, FlowerLady!



The plant in the second pot is my newest purchase, Paphiopedilum orchid, or Lady's Slipper Orchid (yes, my orchid collection is growing!).

The following two pots had Phalaenopsis orchids.


This one not only has drainage holes at the bottom, but also on the sides.   Would be perfect for orchids growing.


This one has most unique shape, curved triangle.  I have not found a suitable plant to put in yet.  It looks beautiful enough even just by its own.


All pots except the third one (the lighter color) are all made of famous ZiSha (purple) clay, although the color is not really purple.   You probably also see the Chinese Tea pots made of the same material.

I am so thankful that DH brought all these beautiful pots for me.  You can imagine how hard to carry on and protect these fragile pots on a total 24 hour long journey.

Now finally I am having a touch of China for my indoor garden.

19 comments:

  1. These are simply beautiful containers here!

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  2. Oh Ami ~ How wonderful that your husband was able to bring these lovely pots home to you.

    I am thrilled to say that I have the fern that you show as Nephrolepis exaltata Fantasy Fern. I looked it up to read more about it and the fern shown online doesn't look like this one at all. I will keep looking. I have used parts of this fern to make Christmas cards, because they look like little Christmas trees. I'm going to go out to see if I can bring a bit of this indoors myself. The only thing I don't like about this fern are the little thorns on the main stems. Does yours have thorns? Maybe I don't have the same thing as you at all, but it sure looks like it. I love how airy and delicate it looks, and the word 'breeze' seems to fit this plant.

    Your orchids look wonderful in their new pots.

    It is too bad that the beauty of your language is lost in the translation.

    Thank you for sharing a bit of your culture with us and your new collection of containers for your plants.

    Hugs ~ FlowerLady

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  3. Oh Ami, those are beautiful pots. Your orchids are perfect for them. So nice you can have a touch of home.

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  4. An amazingly thoughtful gift from DH. He had to work hard to get those back here on the plane. They are perfect with the orchids. I love that airy fern, too. Now you have a true piece of your homeland in your own home.
    Meems

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  5. That was so sweet of your husband to bring you so many beautiful pots. They are gorgeous! I'm sure everytime you look at them you think of your home country and with that comes many wonderful memories.

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  6. They are beautiful Ami, working for an airline I can appreciate the effort it took on the part of your husband to bring them all the way from China in one piece

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  7. Oh those are lovely pots, and I adore the little feet they have :) Perfect plant pairing. Is that asparagus fern?

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  8. Darla: Thank you! They are indeed beautiful, aren't they?

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  9. FlowerLady: Glad that you have the same fern. That name was in the label coming with the plant. I also looked it up, and you are right, the picture with that name doesn't match the plant. I found another name 'Asparagus setaceus' that looks same to what I have. Since mine is still young, and I don't see any thorns yet.

    Yes, its airy and delicate look is what I love about it the most, and especially it brought me lots of memories of my home country.

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  10. NanaK: All those plants are still in their own original containers. I plug them into the new container just see how they would look like, and I am quite satisfied with the look. Although I think orchid might do better outdoor after they finish the blooming.

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  11. Meems: Yes, DH had to carry them by hand so that they won't be ruined during the transportation. I am happy to have a touch of homeland right at my own home here in Florida.

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  12. Susan: When we went back to China last year, I so wanted to bring some containers here. At that time, my eyes were on BIG containers, and they are just too heavy to bring. I think DH made some good choices this time :)

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  13. Rusty: Did not know you work for airline :) DH knows he has to carry those pots by himself to keep them in a piece for me. To be honest, once I picked him up from the airport and came home, the first thing I did was checking if those pots were in good condition. LOL

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  14. AA: Glad that you liked them, and you have wonderful observation! Yes, these containers have lots of details to enjoy, and those little feet are indeed adorable!

    Yes, I think that fern is 'Asparagus setaceus' or Asparagus fern. The original tag come with the plant was mislabled.

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  15. Very pretty pots, Ami, and DH is pretty wonderful, too.

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  16. Sherry: Thanks! I will make sure DH see all these sweet compliments to him and the pots! :)

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  17. those are wonderful containers! I am your newest follower...thanks for the visit the other day!

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  18. Those pots are beautiful! Orchids - asparagus ferns - anything would look lovely in them. Your husband must be very sweet!

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  19. Oh Ami,they are simply beautiful!You are so lucky.I especially love the one with the holes on the sides.It's perfect for growing orchids!I think I have container lust!

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