Recently, I saw a post in favor of Hill Country Water Gardens, giving them a rating of 10 out of 10. The reviewer highlighted how calm and peaceful it is to simply walk through, even though she usually leaves with something. I can relate.

It’s not a place to swing by when you’re pressed for time because the entire vibe is unrush. If I go run errands early one morning, I’ll treat myself with a walk through before heading home and taking one step into this space is like being transported to a rain forest. There are so many water fountains running they drown out the sound of traffic from the busy road out front, but there’s a secret part that few are aware of.

If you walk all the way to the back of the property, there’s a greenhouse, but if you keep walking and turn left, you’ll arrive in their CLEARANCE section. It’s not easily seen due to the massive greenhouse, but everything is slashed to sell.

There are no plants in this area, which confirms they give excellent care to the plants they’ve been entrusted with, because overwatering, or the other extreme, neglect, kills plants. In this secret area, I’ve purchased a high dollar Christmas tree stand for $6.00 during the off season, but I enjoy walking through to see if anything needs a good home. That’s when my gaze fell upon the Asian watering vessel.

Watering cans are tricky and are usually giant sized, which is fine for outdoors, but indoor plants don’t want to be saturated. They do need the occasional drink, so this vessel is ideal because it doesn’t hold much water.

Slipping my hand through the hole and letting it rest in my palm while filling it with water is a soothing experience. I mainly use it to fill my propagation jars, but will water a few of the smaller plants if they need it. I check them first with the moisture meter because it’s easy to get carried away and use all the water in the vessel.

Just because there’s water leftover doesn’t mean it has to be used, or that the plants want it. I caught myself recently pouring the remaining water down the drain and the plants applauded. It’s a long road, that leads to a rewarding path when the pauses are long we start to think like a plant.