My husband thinks it's just sooo funny. I can whip up a dish and make a yummy meal, I can take care of two kids, multi-task, I have a college degree, a professional background...
But I can't keep a plant alive. Examples of this are here:
And here:
Poor plants. And yes. It's all my fault. They die of neglect. Most days I will pass them and think, "Boy, I really should water that." And the next day when things are looking grim I think, "Oh boy, he really should get watered!"And then when things are looking really destitute, I do the "rush to revive". I finally water. Profusely. And pray a little. But by then, in most cases, it's too late. I did it again. And it's sad. I even do this with plants that actually require little no watering at all. Like bamboo plants.
My husband says that when I get the itch to garden, which is oh, about once a year and usually around this time of year, and I walk into a garden center, the plants cower in fear like I am the gardening version of the Grim Reaper. And the ones I have chosen are sure to meet their death.
Nice.
So the other day, when I got the itch to garden, I was especially excited because I found some beautiful hanging baskets with these gorgeous, lush, red, overflowing impatiens. And I can never find really pretty red impatiens when I am actually looking for them. Red impatiens are some of my favorite flowers because they are so colorful and pretty, yet they exist and even thrive in the shade, which happens to claim most of my front yard.
And this time, I bought the impatiens along in their boring white plastic hanging baskets...
I even bought fertilizer!
And used it!!
The kids even helped...
Because of course I want to teach them about caring for things...
Don't they look pretty???
So maybe there should be a bet going here so that I can be held accountable for my plantlife. How long can I keep my hanging baskets? A couple weeks? A couple months? Anyone on the over/under? And when/if they die, how long will it actually take for me to take the hanging baskets/slash/dead plants down? Because that's a whole 'nother issue entirely...
We'll see. Because I have slowly chiseled away any faith anyone has had in me and my ability to keep plants alive. When I excitedly brought my new flowers home, with their new hanging basket-homes, and started describing my newest project/acquisition to my husband by saying, "I got these beautiful red impatiens and I even got them real hanging baskets!" He responded by saying, "Aren't you pronouncing it wrong? By baskets, do you mean 'caskets'?
Nice. Well anyway, there they are. My pretty red flowers in their hanging caskets.
Cute! I hang caskets inside the house... I too get the itch to garden during this time of the year but I usually let the plants that we put inside the house die because no one can see them. I've learn to water my plants outside because I am one of those street walkers and when I walk by the houses that do not take care of there yards... I always think gosh they should really clean that up... but then I would look at mine and think I have not room to talk... so long story short... I've been better about watering the plants outside :)
ReplyDeleteNot only can I not keep real plants alive, but, I've managed to kill little plants that the kids are doing as projects from school! Joey came home with this little cup where he planted carrot seeds and is supposed to be watching it grow and then replanting it. So, he made sure we put it in a really sunny spot and checked on it all the time. However, I completely neglected it and didn't water it for several days. So, one day he checks on it and all the little sprouts are dead. I tried to water it and thought we could maybe save it until my other son looks outside and says 'uh oh, look at joey's plant'...it had fallen off the porch ledge and the soil was everywhere. This happened right after I killed there little 'grow a friend' heads that santa gave them (think chia pet, but, cooler).
ReplyDeleteClairanne
oh yeah. my plants are in "caskets" too!!! i think my thumb is black rather than green, yet i continue to try...over and over and over.
ReplyDeleteOh I can relate to this one. I've killed cacti.. bamboo plants. If it can be killed, I can do it. Until recently. I don't know what it is, I have a yucca plant and three african violets on my kitchen windowsill and they're still alive! After months and
ReplyDeletemonths! Go me.
Good luck with your pretty hanging baskets!