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Hothouse Flower And The Nine Plants Of Desire

January 30, 2010


I just finished reading an article in The Prescott News, The Joy of Living Accents in our Homes, by Ken Lain, the Garden Guy.  Lain tells us that house plants are soothing, create fresh air, filter pollutants.

Plants such as English ivy, scheffleras, spider plants, and philodendron absorb large quantities of airborne formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and benzene. The plants most effective at removing air pollution are spider plants, pot mums, snake plants, and aloe vera.

Coincidentally, I just put down a new book "Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire" by Margot Berwin.  There's a touch of magical realism in that the author believes that plants "...bring people whatever it is that they most desire."  Abundance is what Berwin says we desire and there are nine hothouse plants that can deliver "...nine forms of abundance: freedom, sexuality, fortune, power, magic, love, immortality, adventure and knowledge."  We go on a trip to the Yucatan in search of the nine plants.  We learn their names and what they offer.  Along the way we learn a lot about ourselves.  For instance like plants people have roots and that's a good thing because it protects us from the winds that can howl through our lives. 

"But we humans can move around at will, and our roots hold us in place unnecessarily.  Usually in a place we don't want to be.  Then, when we try to move, we rip our roots, and it hurts, so we end up staying where we are."

The book is a great introduction into the world of rare plants and it might inspire all of us needing more abundance to include some living plants in our lives.

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Posted by Mike Landfair on January 30, 2010 | Comments (2)