Aloe Vera

Today's plant is the aloe vera!

Aloe vera is a popular medicinal plant that people have used for thousands of years. Aloe vera, or Aloe barbadensis, is a thick, short-stemmed plant that stores water in its leaves. It is best known for treating skin injuries, but it also has several other uses that could potentially benefit health.

Aloe vera, sometimes described as a “wonder plant,” stands second on the list of plants emitting oxygen at night. Simultaneously taking in the carbon dioxide that we breath out! All this leads to a purer quality of air and a better night's sleep.

And that's why I brought home an aloe vera plant in February 2018.

But what I didn't know was that aloe vera, being a succulent plant species of the genus Aloe, didn't need much water. An evergreen perennial, it originates from the Arabian Peninsula, and dies of overwatering! And that's what happened!

The first step in aloe vera plant care is to realize that this plant is a succulent. Like cacti, succulents do best in dry conditions!

I wasn't aware of this basic knowledge!

Nada

The word nada or nothing in English is used to summarize the whole doctrine of our holy father St. John of the Cross. The core of St. John of the Cross' teaching is “nada, nada, nada!” Basically, it means that “nothing, nothing, nothing” other than God.

Only when the soul is reduced to nothing, the highest degree of humility, will the spiritual union with God be accomplished. Thus the concept of 'nothingness' or nada is in all the writings of St. John of the Cross.

THE NADA DOCTRINE

According to St. John of the Cross and other Catholic mystics, nada is the first law for successful contemplative prayer and for becoming a saint. Put simply, the Nada Doctrine states: You can allow nothing to come between you and God or between your will and His will for you. We need to ask ourselves, if we are not saints, what stands in the way of putting the Nada Doctrine into effect in our lives?

Bamboo Plant

A few types of bamboo plants can tolerate indoor conditions, though most prefer to be grown outside. It is said that an indoor bamboo plant  can be the center attraction in our houseplant world. But my indoor bamboo plant which I bought in 2018 was drying up inside. I thought it needed as much light as possible - so I placed it in the window garden.

Since then my bamboo plant, or  bambusa bambos, as it is also known as, has been growing quite well. 

A bamboo plant is an evergreen perennial flowering plant in the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. The word "bamboo" comes from either Dutch or Portuguese languages.

The best part about a bamboo plant is that they are low on maintenance. You do not have to water them regularly. It is a versatile plant and most species can survive in many conditions. But bamboo growing in full sun will grow the fastest.

Bamboo (Bambusoideae) is a subfamily of grasses (Poaceae). There are 1,439 identified species of bamboo. 

I bought this bamboo plant as they give out oxygen and absorb carbon di-oxide from the environment, and keeping an indoor bamboo plant purifies the air around it. 

Nada Te Turbe

Nada Te Turbe

(Let Nothing Disturb You)

 

The great Spanish Carmelite nun, mystic, and Doctor of the Church, St. Teresa of Avila, is most famous for her classic spiritual writings, The Interior Castle and The Way of Perfection. 

She also wrote the famous poem – Nada Te Turbe – Let Nothing Disturb You!

Nada te turbe,

nada te espante

todo se pasa,

Dios no se muda,

la paciencia

todo lo alcanza,

quien a Dios tiene

nada le falta

solo Dios basta.

 

This means:

Let nothing disturb you,

Let nothing frighten you,

All things pass away:

God never changes.

Patience obtains all things.

He who has God

Finds he lacks nothing;

God alone suffices.

Dianthus Barbatus

Dianthus Barbatus or the Sweet William is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to southern Europe and parts of Asia. It has become a popular ornamental garden plant.

I bought a pair of danthus barbatus for Mother Mary's rosary at our home on 8th Oct, 2018.

I thought of buying dianthus barbatus, also called bunch pink or bearded pink, because I didn't want to decorate with flowers which would have dried up the next day. So I wanted some flowering plants to be kept next to the statue of Mother Mary so that these plants would remain even after the rosary. 

While buying these plants I didn't know they were  an herbaceous biennial or short-lived perennial plant. So I really felt bad when they dried up last year even after giving them an idel location of full sun and moderately rich, well-drained soil.

Those pair of dianthus barbatus had irresistiblly colourful and beautiful flowers. They had really added a beautiful colour to my window garden.

Medina del Campo

Medina del Campo is a pre-Roman city in Spain with an excellent geographical situation. It is situated in the South-Western area of the province of Valladolid. 

Medina del Campo is significant for the Carmelites because on 15 August 1567, our Holy Mother St. Teresa of Avila founded the monastery of San José, the second home of the Reformed Carmelite Order. It was the second convent for Discalced Carmelite nuns.

It was in Medina del Campo that our Holy Father St. John of the Cross attended the College of the Society of Jesus. He was ordained in 1597, and said his first Mass in Medina del Campo. During that trip, he first met St. Teresa of Avila, and she encouraged him to promote her reform among the men's Order. In 1563 St. John took the Carmelite habit at St. Anne's, Medina del Campo, as Juan de la Cruz (John of the Cross).

The following year he entered the monastery. It was here in Medina del Campo that he was imprisoned for being faithful to the Order.

After his father died, St. John’s mother moved the family to Medina del Campo in search of employment. It was in Medina del Campo that St. John's mother placed him in a church orphanage school since she could not feed him.

It was in a hospital in Medina del Campo that St. John of the Cross worked for seven years while he was studying during this time at the university at Salamanca.

Chrysanthemum Plant

Today's plant is the Chrysanthemum plant which is sometimes called just the mum or chrysanth. They're flowering plants of the genus Chrysanthemum in the family Asteraceae. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia and the center of diversity is in China. 

Chrysanthemum genus is of about 40 species of flowering plants and I still have one violet chrysanthemum plant. 

Violet chrysanthemums symbolize a wish to get well and they have always been my favourite - right from my childhood. Other common names for purple or violet chrysanthemums are purple Margaret Dixon. 

The purple chrysanthemum plant which I have has beautiful flowers and is really resilient -- it has been with me since 2018 and flowered twice.

Actually the purple chrysanthemum is plucked once a year in the middle of October and when these Chrysanthemum flowers bloom they brighten up the entire window garden.

Chrysanthemum flowers are the second most popular flowers in the world.