Husbandry
How long have we had this aspidistra? Certainly more than twenty years. It has suffered a lot of neglect and has had to endure long periods without being watered. If there was an organisation that worked against cruelty to houseplants, I would have been prosecuted long ago and shamed in local newspapers. "Guilty your honour!" Aspidistras were very popular in English drawing rooms in the late Victorian era. The plant's natural homeland is South East Asia and southern China. There it is and was mostly found in shady areas of sub-tropical forests. It is not fond of bright sunlight. Aspidistras are great survivors and to be truthful they easily endure the kind of neglect that I have subjected our old plant to. On Monday, for the first time ever, I brought it downstairs and into the daylight where I repotted it using fresh compost mixed with good quality top soil. I also watered the leaves with a watering can - not something it has ever enjoyed before. In this balmy sum...