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Flora & fauna add color and life to senior living

By Vince Iampietro 7 min read
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Apartment or condo living can be a fun, rewarding experience, devoid of mundane activities such as mowing the lawn. However, not having that lawn also means … no outdoor pets and, depending on your floor, possibly no good view of foliage.

The good news is you have interesting and colorful plants and pet choices which are as unique as they are safe for your grandchildren.

While not an exhaustive list, here are a few recommendations to get you started. Some are big, some small, but all provide an aesthetic, organic touch of interest.

African Violet

This flowering plant makes a colorful addition to nearby window areas with its violet, white or pink petals that have a violet-like shape.

Discovered in 1892 by Walter Freiherr von Saint-Paul Hilaire in East Africa – now Tanzania – African violets require little care: water when top soil feels dry while letting excess water drain; keep out of direct, mid-day sun; and a quarter turn rotation every day to keep the stems straight are the basics here.

No green thumb? No problem, as this hearty plant is easily produced from leaf cuttings, blooms all year and can live in low light.

Standard African violets can grow to about one foot across, while the smaller sizes range from four to eight inches. Pots should be one third the size of your plant, so, if it’s a nine inch plant, it needs a three inch pot.

Meyer Lemon Tree

When you give yourself lemons … make desserts! The Meyer lemon tree rewards its owner with relative ease of care and, of course, lemons. But not just any lemons – these hybrids have a thinner skin than regular lemons, and their bitterness replaced with sweetness, making them ideal for baking.

The Meyer lemon tree is well suited for apartment or condo environments because it can live indoors or out, and you can choose which size suits your needs as they range from a dwarf variety, perfect for your table top, to a standard size that can mature up to 10 feet – more if permanently planted outdoors.

The larger variety produces fruit faster, but all are easy to care for, needing watering with proper drainage once every five to seven days.

Meyer lemon trees bear fruit and lovely white to pale pink foliage year round, making them a wonderful and tasty conversation piece.

Air Plants

If you’re looking for the pinnacle of practically care-free foliage, with enough variety to color your world, air plants are tops. Imagine a plant with no roots, that doesn’t need to be – and shouldn’t be – potted, and can be mounted to cork, untreated wood or even hung from a fishing line. Your imagination and decorative desires are all that dictate where visitors will find this plant in your abode.

Care is simple, though water is most important to survival. Immersion in plain water, never distilled, two times per week is a good start. If the leaves form brown edges, up that to three. If you feel compelled, you may soak your plant – but not its bloom – in water for a few hours every couple of weeks. Easy.

Air Plants come in myriad forms, from small enough to fit into a beautiful glass orb to large enough for display on your patio.

Of the numerous Tillandsia (air plant) varieties available, here are several to consider:

Tillandsia intermedia: Sporting tiny, attractive yellow flowers, this is the most fragrant of the bunch. It grows pups – new tillandsia – from both ends of the plant. Put it in a decorative glass orb out of direct sunlight, and you have a beautiful, organic air freshener.

• Tillandsia tenuifolia: This smallish variety, growing up to only six inches, produces beautiful, funnel-like petals in pink and blue-violet, along with foliage that resembles long pine needles. With a cluster size of five to eight inches, it’s sure to be noticed but never in the way.

Tillandsia fuchsii v Gracilis: This striking, pincushion-like plant, with silvery leaves that flow outward from its base, has the appearance of an organic firework. When it flowers, which all Tillandsia do only once, you’ll enjoy pinkish-red inflorescense topped with purple flower tips.

If you’re pining for a pet, you have several unique options which can be had from a breeder or pet store. The following were chosen for their cleanliness, ease of care, and ability to happily enjoy the company of humans.

Fancy Rat

Those two words might conjure up an image of a crooked politician in a tuxedo. In this case, it refers to something more cuddly and less menacing.

Of the fancy rats, Dumbos are bred specifically to be pets rather than snake food, and come with fur in black, white, blue and the just-rolled-out-of-bed looking Rex. Their adorable “Hi! You like me, don’t you?” appearance is the result of low set large ears combined with a broad head and modest lower jaw.

Having a Dumbo means having a self-cleaning, neat-freak of a pet that will enjoy being handled by you or the (grand)children. They have laid back temperaments, yet are curious and love to play. As social creatures, they’re best when bought in same sex pairs from a breeder (preferred) or adopted from a shelter.

Cages come in sizes from one room flats to multi-level rat high-rises; figure two cubic feet per rat. Bedding varies from shredded paper to cloth, but aspen pellets, or Yesterday’s News brand pellets, made from old newspapers, seem to be the best bets. One can also provide litter, but should avoid those that clump or are scented.

A pellet diet formulated specifically for rats meets their high protein needs. Rats do not live on pellets alone, so carrots, apples, cooked chicken, even cooked eggs, all in moderation, will provide your little pet some variety without making him plump.

American Shorthair Cat

A separate breed from the Domestic Shorthair, this cat was selectively bred to produce a lovely animal with a strong build and amiable personality. Officially recognized as its own breed in 1966, its pedigree goes back to the Mayflower, where its ancestors were mousers on seafaring voyages from England.

American Shorthairs are affectionate and make wonderful companions for all members of the family, including dogs. Since they are sociable, they don’t attach to just one adult and so don’t mind being handled or played with by anyone around, making them an excellent choice for when grandchildren, or your own children, come for a visit. Just remember they like having at least their hind legs supported when being carried.

Shorthairs don’t despair when no-one is home. Instead, they occupy their time by playing with imaginary friends or one of their toys. Speaking of toys, the Shorthair’s inquisitive nature means they like solving puzzles, so interactive cat toys are a better choice than a stuffed, inanimate mouse.

The American Shorthair’s intelligence makes it easily trainable. From using the litter box, to keeping off counters, to using a scratching post instead of your couch, these kitties will quickly understand what you want. They communicate well and will use their own ways of letting you know what they want, too. Fortunately, though considered communicative, they aren’t chatty like some cats, instead being known for their “silent” meow.

Otherwise, a nice grooming once a week or so with a metal comb or rubber brush, weekly or so litter box cleaning, and annual vet check-ups are what it takes to care for your American Shorthair.

You

If you’re someone who loves animals of all types, volunteering at a local pet shelter might be for you. Whatever help is needed depends on an individual shelter’s operations. But what’s in it for you is making a positive impact in the lives of discarded and lost pets that are hopefully waiting for their forever home.

Of course, making new furry, four-legged and feathered friends is sure to put a smile on your day.

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