#without the deranged shounen anime overanalysis

[recurring-polynya]

I've decided to start a new blog feature where once a week I make you look at one of my houseplants. I realize I could start a sideblog for this, but this is Tumblr, subjecting you to my other interests is compulsory.

First up is going to be a bit of an outlier, but it's because I wanted to get in a "before" picture. Yesterday, I was at the Lowe's to pick up a new garden hose and came home with four new houseplants ("If I am getting sent to Bought Too Many Houseplants Jail anyway, I might as well go big," I told Mr. P, who laughed and told me how pretty all my new houseplants are). Anyway, I was very excited to find a Network Calathea (Calathea musaica) on the clearance rack.

I had seen one of these at the fancy-ass plant nursery a few months ago and took a picture because I liked it so much, but did not want to spend $40 on a houseplant. Check out the cool pattern on the leaves! How is this a living thing?? It's both cyberpunk and solarpunk at the same time.

It's not super-healthy looking at the moment, but honestly, this is pretty good for the Lowe's clearance rack. It was $8, and came in a pretty nice self-watering pot, and I'm excited to see if I can get it back to thriving. It likes humidity and diffused light, so it's gonna live on the bottom of the big plant rack I keep in my bathroom for all the humidity-lovers.

Please wish my new baby some love, and I'll give you an update in a month or two!