Completed Task: 54. Purchase and Take Care of a Plant For Downstairs

Okay, here was my thinking for getting a plant for downstairs…Resident Cloggie and I live in an apartment building.  It seems to be Dutch tradition that apartment buildings are pretty well kept and ours is no exception, with plants on the windowsills, pictures on the walls and just a general friendliness.  Downstairs where you walk in, has no apartments on that level and the foyer, while decorated at Christmas time tends not to have many, if any, plants in it.  So I thought that I would buy one and look after it making the environment just that little bit nicer.

Resident Cloggie and myself found a nice plant at the local supermarket and brought it home.  I found a nice spot for it on-top of the mailboxes inside where it had a nice window to look outside of and admire the world.  Here is my post about it from Cloggie Central:

No. 54: Purchase and take care of a plant for downstairs.

RC spotted a good value and attractive looking plant at Albert Heijn which was on sale with our bonus card. The plant itself came in a nice little white pot and is lovingly placed on top of the mailboxes downstairs so that he has access to the window and thus sunlight.When I was working with kids it was always their responsibility to name the plant so without a readily available naming service I have decided to give the plant a Dutch name. So ”Beneden” it is. Beneden is the Dutch word for downstairs and the only ‘B’ direction word I can never remember (Buiten = Outside, Binnen = Inside and Boven = Upstairs). At the moment Beneden seems quite happy although I am worried that he will become a bit cold so will have to watch carefully for any sign of plant sniffles. The next time I have my camera with me downstairs I will take a photo of him.
 

I never did manage to take a photo of Beneden and it was with great concern that I noticed one day that he wasn’t looking his usual perky self.  I brought him upstairs (RC suggested his name should then be changed to Boven van Beneden = Upstairs from Downstairs) for some sunshine, warmth and TLC but it was not to be, as poor Beneden went to the big plant nursery in the sky a couple of weeks ago.  At first I was distraught, thinking how I had let the little fellow down and what that meant for my 101 list.  Then I thought about substituting him for another plant…I mean no one ever saw his photo but then common sense prevailed and I now know that downstairs is just too, too cold for a plant.

In Beneden’s honour I have decided to decorate the house in many plant varieties and have decided to always provide a plant for the windowsill on the landing before our flat, where it is just a tad bit warmer.  It is still pretty cold on the landing so I can’t always guarantee that the same plant will be there but I will do my bit by ensuring there is always at least one there.

 In Honour of Beneden: One of our new plants