Petra Paper – Gardening Nirvana

When we remodeled our kitchen over a decade ago, one of the biggest perks was our expanded kitchen window. The designer suggested bringing the window down to counter height, then extending it out. I would have all that room to garden indoors.

Our Kitchen Window, Before and After Remodel

Since then, my kitchen windowsill has gotten a little crowded.

Avocado Pits

My youngest son started growing avocado pits again, after finally succeeding with this one.

Growing Avocado Plants

It looks leggy but I’m under strict orders not to trim it back, even with my plausible explanation that it will fill out if we do. That’s okay. I live with two teenage boys, so I’m used to being the one that doesn’t know anything. I’m not complaining too loudly. It’s nice to see him show an interest in plants again after a brief hiatus.

Christmas Cactus

I re-potted three “Christmas Cactus” last year after covering clay pots with up-cycled Petra Paper. The pots held up well. Two of the three plants are flowering now, but the third and largest hasn’t bloomed for a few years.

Fuchsia Christmas Cactus

Covered Petra Paper Pots

A bit of research revealed this: I actually have two Christmas Cactus and one Easter Cactus. They flower at different times. I love Google!

Easter Cactus, left; Pair of Christmas Cactus, right

The Easter Cactus is nearly twenty years old, so I wonder if the plant’s flowering days are over? Expecting it to flower in December, however, is pure folly.

Hyacinth Bulbs

Hyacinth are one of my favorite flowering bulbs. They’re both beautiful and fragrant and come back year after year. I bought a new variety known as William and Kate this year, and planted three of them indoors. The rest of the bulbs are in a garden pot just outside the back door.

William and Kate Hyacinth (I don’t know who’s who!)

Hyacinth bud

I’m also planting some Paper Whites indoors this year. I’ll write more later this week.

Windowsill Transformed:

Here’s my windowsill this morning after cleaning the counter tops and window:

Kitchen windowsill with plenty of room

Here it is again with our indoor garden in place.

My Crowded Kitchen Windowsill

Additional Reading:

Guide to Houseplants: Easter Cactus
Christmas Cactus Care: This article is informative and funny. My favorite quote:”Nobody wants to be the descendant that killed grandma’s Christmas cacti. My suggestion – give lots of stem cuttings to your relatives. It’s always best to spread the pressure around.”
Petra Paper Pots: Covering clay pots with up-cycled Petra Paper

It took forever to get around to this project. Funny how you put things off, then end up having a good time. Does that ever happen to you?

I wanted three coordinating pots for the kitchen window, but could never find anything I liked in the right size.

Then last fall I picked up a couple of hydrangeas for the garden. They came wrapped in the pretty watercolor ‘paper’ you see below. So…why not buy inexpensive clay pots and try my hand at Mod Podge®? I could use the watercolor paper to spruce them up. It has a smooth texture on both sides and it’s waterproof. In fact the Petra Paper™ is 80% rock. Cool beans!

The three pots and the Mod Podge came to less than $20. The paper was free. The fun was priceless! Okay, I’m just being silly now, but I did have fun trying something new and I’m happy with the way they turned out.

I had two sheets of the Petra Paper to work with. One sheet was *exactly* the right size for the largest pot. Serendipity. The second sheet covered the two smaller pots

Materials for the project

Once I determined the dimensions of each pot, I cut the paper into several strips, leaving it attached at the top.

After applying two base coats to the pots, which dried clear, I applied a third coat to the back of the Petra paper. I wrapped the paper around the top, then overlapped the strips as I went along to allow for the angle of the pot. Once dry, I applied one more coat, then trimmed the bottom edge with a sharp knife.

The layers give the pots a bit of texture and work well with the blended colors.

Strips and glue

Pauline at The Contented Crafter suggested a coat of car wax to give the finish a bit of luster. That too was fun.

Today I made it to the store for a bag of fresh potting soil, and the plants are now re-potted, watered, freshly showered and back in the window doing what they do best. Grow.