This may be the day the dieffenbachia died. At least it is the day it will be retired. The hardy dieffenbachia was a redwood of a plant, surviving pestilence, and menacing children, and unfriendly relocations. It survived twenty years in three living rooms. It survived short jaunts on the highway, and then recovered from an unfriendly sunburn acquired when my floors were being redone. It held up against my sword-wielding nephew, shedding leaves but maintaining strong roots. It lived even as it outgrow its pot, being tied and staked and tied again, its trunks scoliosis-like, too long, and bearing fewer and fewer leaves. It survived several bouts with nematodes, and all the times I forgot to water. This was a beast amongst houseplants. The dieffenbachia stayed with me through thick and thin. And now I must let it go.
A few years ago I took underexposed photos of this plant for my mountain biking blog. The dark dieffenbachia served as substitute for the nighttime foliage I encountered when riding my bike. You may see the photos here.
http://mountainbikeoc.blogspot.com/2009/02/night-riding.html The photos are unremarkable, but they seem appropriate for this dark day. Soon my dieffenbachia will be traveling to the dark underbelly of the green waste can, and then, hopefully, back to the earth.
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