• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Douglas Elliman, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Contribute
  • Subscribe
  • Eat
  • Wellesley Square
  • School news
  • Private schools, sponsored by Riverbend
  • Public Schools, sponsored by Sexton
  • Camp
  • Kids—swim tryouts Oct. 1
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Business news
  • Embracing diversity
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters to the editor
  • Fire & police scanner
  • Worship
  • Live gov’t meetings
  • Events
  • About us
  • Wellesley snow plowing services
 
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Mrs. Swellesley’s Wellesley philodendron thrives

August 22, 2020 by Deborah Brown 2 Comments

Every year around Memorial Day I lug my tree philodendron from its sunny corner indoors to its summer spa location outside my front door. There, the huge houseplant enjoys a three-month revel of fresh air, sunlight, daily watering, and the attention of passers-by.

Wellesley philodendron
Phil the philodendron looking very handsome, indeed. I tucked a few impatiens into a corner of his pot, just so he could have a little summer fling. The inevitable break-up is scheduled for the end of August. Impatiens don’t do well indoors, and Phil can’t stay outside indefinitely. That’s the way it goes with these opposites-attract summertime things.

Phil looks fabulous now, but only a few short years ago he was the saddest thing you ever did see. A rescue plant, I scooped him up from a Wellesley Recycling and Disposal Facility Reusables table where he had been left for practically dead. Poor Phil had been abandoned by someone who was at least kind enough to keep him out of the trash compactor. He was a pathetic sight, indeed, living in squalor in a cracked plastic pot with no drainage holes. The whole of Phil was made up of just four ratty leaves and a hangdog posture, yet he possessed a tenacious will to live. In fact, with just a little care Phil has thrived and is now my most indispensable house plant.

Wellesley philodendron

Unlike some plants that complain when you move them from outside to inside and vice versa, Phil lives happily wherever he lands. Weekly watering when inside (daily when outside), a corner that gets plenty of bright, indirect sunlight, and he’s good to go. And after his monthly treat of fertilizer he generally goes gangbusters, sending up at least one new leaf shoot when indoors, and upping that to several new leaf shoots per month when outdoors. I just mix one tablespoon of Miracle Grow into one gallon of water, decant that mixture into a wine bottle (the gallon milk container is so unwieldy when watering plants) and do the usual watering. That’s about a quarter of a wine bottle of fertilizer/water mix when Phil is inside, and about a half bottle when he’s outside and living it up a bit because, well, summer. Any more than that and Phil gets tipsy, so I’m sure not to let this monthly happy hour get out of hand. As for straight water, he gets as much of that as he wants. Translation: about 1/4 of a wine bottle of water 1x/week when inside, and about 1/2 wine bottle of water per day when outside.

Wellesley philodendron
Phil is ready for his close-up.

Over the years I’ve repotted Phil a couple of times, most recently last May into his current handsome bullet pot sourced from Home Depot. Phil and I dig the pot’s mid-century modern lines and appreciate the way it harmonizes with our 150-year old cottage. Also, I feel very smug when I wander the pricey garden stores and see a pot just like Phil’s for triple what good old Home Depot thought was fair.

Wellesley philodendron
This green shoot will unfurl into a shiny green leaf in another week or so.

Hard to believe, but in just a few weeks it will be Labor Day and thus time to move Phil inside until next spring. Even though he’s not the fussy type, everyone deserves to be eased gently out of summer. For a couple of weeks I bring him onto the front porch, an uninsulated and cheerful room filled with birds nests, board games, and disreputable running shoes. Part mudroom, part pandemic office space, the porch is a pretty good spot for a big old houseplant to get used to the idea of change. After that Phil will probably decamp to the main bedroom, like last year. Or maybe he’ll be open to giving the family room a try this year. We’ll see.

For now, Phil and I will hold onto this good summer living. Me, watering Phil from a wine bottle, causing neighborhood talk. Phil, throwing green shoots up into the air like he just doesn’t care. Both of us living life without an abundance of caution, here at the little cottage that has enough room for a big plant.

swellesley green ad

Filed Under: Dump, Gardens

Comments

  1. Dennis McCormick says

    August 22, 2020 at 9:43 pm

    What a delightful story! I thought philodendrons were only the small-leaved vine plants, but now I know there are quite a few varieties. Thank you for the pictures and rescue tale.

    Reply
  2. Louise Rossi says

    August 23, 2020 at 9:36 pm

    You don’t have a houseplant, you have a house tree!!! Phil is a beauty and I so enjoyed his story. Great to see some nice, cheerful news finally.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisements:

Linden Square, Wellesley
Wonderful Wellesley, Crafts

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Advertisements

Wellesley Square
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Fay School, Southborough
Sexton test prep, Wellesley
Feldman Law
Wellesley Theatre Project
Wellesley Scouts
Volvo
Prepped and Polished Boston Tutoring and Test Prep
Tutoring, Ann-Marie MacDonnell
Cheesy Street Grill
Admit Fit, Wellesley
Mature Caregivers
charles river chamber
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Subscribe to our email newsletter

Fill out simple subscription form.

Our newsletter is free, though we appreciate any financial support for our independent journalism venture.

Follow Swellesley on Google News Showcase

The Swellesley Report has been selected to be highlighted on Google News Showcase. Please follow us there.

Most Read Posts

  • Where is Swellesley? We asked 3 AI tools
  • Wellesley residents ready for Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk
  • Don't miss the Wellesley fun—Sidewalk Sale; Crafts for Kids; Car Wash fundraiser; and more
  • Wellesley government meetings during the week of Sept. 4, 2023
  • Wellesley school community tops off new Hardy Elementary building

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Upcoming Events

Sep 7
September 7 @ 10:00 am - September 10 @ 6:00 pm

Linden Square Sidewalk Sale

Sep 8
8:00 am - 11:00 pm

Live music at Lockheart Restaurant

Sep 9
10:30 am - 11:00 am

Taiwanese story time at Wellesley Hills branch library

Sep 9
11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Wonderful Wellesley free Crafts for Kids

Sep 9
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Coffee & Community in the Commons

View Calendar

Recent Comments

  • Jim Roberti on At chaotic meeting, Wellesley Planning Board votes to put Sisters of Charity article on Special Town Meeting warrant
  • Bruce on A rare peek inside Hunnewell Estate in Wellesley
  • Julia on Where is Swellesley? We asked 3 AI tools
  • Steven Sims on But wait, what about pickleball?
  • Bob Brown on Karma restaurant sneak peek: We visit Burlington version of eatery coming to Wellesley

Links we like

  • Danny's Place
  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group
Call and Haul, Wellesley
Refined Renovations, Wellesley
Deland, Gibson, Wellesley
Rick Cram, leader

© 2023 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login