a color story: mixed planter and the freckles

A mixed planter (distributed by Costco) arrived and sat on the coffee table. The planter received our attention and the family even discussed future plans about purchasing them next year- a rare discussion, indeed. 

I identified the plants, via Google Lens and they consisted of: 

- Easter lily (pre-flowering stage)

- Chrysanthemum indicum (yellow) 

- Florist Kalanchoe (origami like figurines)

- Hypoestes phyllostachya ( polka dot plant / freckled face plant)

Out of the four, the polka dot plant stood out of the bunch. I couldn't understand why.

My first impressions, on the freckled plant, screamed "Jackson Pollock." There was a pink "dribbling technique" formed on the Hypoestes green leaves. My exposure to simple houseplants like Jade plants and Succulents (chicken and hen) established my version on a leaf -  monochrome green. Polka dot plants leaves felt like a breathe of fresh air. Furthermore, the leaves' color were not part of natural decay found in the season, fall. The charm of the Polka Dot plant expressed its natural and healthy pink colors, on the contrary.

There were stories behind the other plants. The yellow Chrysanthemum possessed a tea utility. Florist Kalanchoe contained origami-looking flowers. The Easter Lily symbolized as a holiday. Yeah... the other plants contained colors, too. The tea flower showed yellow. The origami flower showed a raspberry-like hue. The holiday flower showed green and some pink. Rigid, separate, boring. Sounds like my routine. 

But, the leaves on the polka dot plant felt different - there was a fluidity between the pink and green. The polka dot plant felt groovy like a lava lamp. Together, it felt like a new entity, a higher form of color. 

This novel feeling, however, changed when I visited a Walmart store. I noticed Polka dot plants on their shelves but its impression were different from the one at home. Like a predator struggling to hunt a Zebra in its herd (all which have the same white and black stripes), the pink-green foliage's beauty dissipated within the shelf of other polka dot plants. A single wave cannot be seen in an ocean. 

Then.. the colors told me something...

Color with the most figurative movement, whether through story or environment, captured attention.

Sheesh. I guess I am a color-driven bandwagon fan. 

This morning, I saw the planter again on the coffee table. My attention turned towards the Easter Lily Flower - it revealed itself. Although the flower bloomed late (past Easter day), the soft pedals elegantly formed soft red hues in its velvet-textured pedals.  This was not my first Lily. This was not my first bloom. The Easter Lily was the tallest  plant in the pot and the other eager flowers were ready for their spotlight. I wondered if the first flower will leave the deepest impression. The polka dot plant, however, disappeared in my peripheries. At least I noticed our past.