Silent Communication With My Plants

I have always taken pride in being a pretty decent gardener, with a basic understanding of light, nutrients and medium, be it water or soil. Recently I have been trying to connect with my plants on a deeper level as I have learned that they can admire beauty or feel jealously, and most definitely are influenced by their surroundings. Here’s a very good example of what I am talking about;

I started making ‘platiques’ which are small containers filled with water and succulent cuttings. They eventually root, and watering them daily is really the only maintenance they require, other than replacing pieces now and then. They do grow, but at a slowed pace and seem dwarfed. I have a white wicker table on my front porch where all the platiques are displayed. I planted some stunning purple pansies and placed the pot in the center of the platique arrangement- each setting the others off beautifully. I also planted some calendula flowers (from seed) spread amongst 4 planters- 3 larger planters were set on the tiled porch floor, and the 4th smaller pot was put on the platique table. Last items on the platique table are 2 very small Chia Pet pots (only about 5 inches tall) of some basil and parsley I’ve been trying to grow by seed. I was examining my exquisite potted beauties and made a few very interesting observations;

1. My Chia Pet herbs sprouted about 3 months ago and still remain tiny- under 2 inches tall and completely immature. I do believe they have taken on the stunted character of the platiques.

2. My small potted calendula displays the same phenomenon- it only grew to  about 4 inches tall- less than half the size of the other calendulas not on the platique table.

3. One of the usually always green succulents has taken on an unmistakable purple hue, which I am sure was influenced by the pansy.

Here are pictures- the perspective is a little off but you can see for yourself