Red Thumb
I do not have a green thumb. I tend to kill every plant that I care for. I either water it too much and everything droops, or I do not water it enough and the leaves dry up and fall off. My mother has amazing gardens at our home in New Hampshire and she is constantly telling me about a new bed she is making for wild flowers in the back yard or bulbs that she picked up that day. I bet if I had a yard where I could plant, care for and grow my own plants and flowers that I could really get then hang of it. But in California, it is hard to own land unless you are a ga-zillionaire.
The first plant/house-warming gift I got lasted about a month before it finally kicked the bucket. Then, the sellers had left a huge potted plant on the downstairs balcony so I watered it and cared for it and even removed some of the over-grown parts of the plant to other pots to enlarge the arrangement. But my interest in it lasted only a few months until I stopped watering it. But it is primarily cacti so I am certain it is coping just fine without my watering can.
Currently, I have three plants in my possession that live indoors with me and are all holding on for dear life.
The first is an ivy topiary my mom gave me as a gift on one of her visits. This one had a few close calls where I was watering the poor thing so much that it stopped thriving and started drooping. Then very recently I denied it water and about 1/4 of the ivy petals dried up and it made a crunching noise when I was trying to bend the ivy to continue it’s growth into the shape of a ball at the top.
The second is an orchid that when given to me had a tall green stem with many buds waiting to bloom. When they finally opened up and showed their beautiful pink petals, it was wonderful. But then those went away and all I have now are six thick leaves at the base. I have been assured it will bloom again so I continue to water these leaves in hopes that one day it will.
The third is a full, leafy plant that I do not know the name of, but it has grown from two feet to about four and a half feet high. It has begun to branch out in all directions with bright green leaves splashed with yellow. I have a feeling it will not be growing any higher because it needs more potted room for the roots to stretch out, but I like the size it is right now so I think I will leave it as is. I over-watered this poor creature the first week I got it, but I think I finally have the hang of it, checking the soil before drowning it in water.
I always think plants are a great idea and even browse the garden section of Target now and then, but then it dawns on me—I would rather spend my money on clothes! That is when I turn right around and head to the women’s section of the store. I know this attitude will change if we ever move into a bigger house, especially if it had a back yard where I could work the land. Yeah, sure, maybe.
