Monday, January 30, 2012

Ah Woe is Me!

Let me first set this record straight here.

I do love plants! Flowers, especially, are high on my list of things I enjoy and appreciate but, to see how they respond under my apparently not fastidious enough care, would make folks think I am definitely a plant hater.

Green thumbs do not run in this part of my family tree!

That's some news that my Grandfather would find totally appalling, for sure. He always had flowers growing in little beds around the house and yard -everything he could possibly get that would grow in this climate during the spring thru fall months, I think he had it growing here.

One thing I don't ever recall seeing here though was any kind of special stuff to make the flowers grow bigger, stronger, faster, bloom hardy, etc. I wonder, were he alive and gardening today, would he try something like ProPlants for get well plants?

Indoor plants -and I grew up with lots and lots of beautiful African Violets growing and on display all over the downstairs of this old house as it was one of my Grandma's favorite things, favorite plants. And they too all grew and blossomed so well for her. But under my tutelage, the longest any plant has ever survived here as an ivy plant that somehow managed to live about 3 years in my kitchen!

And I thought that was quite an achievement too, believe you me!

I have a cousin on my Dad's side of the family who is a horticulturist and became interested in flowers way back when he was probably only about 8-10 years old. By the time he was maybe a freshman in high school, he had converted the back porch on his family's home into a makeshift greenhouse and was then growing orchids -beautiful, beautiful and very delicate orchids -in a large old fish tank! I can still see the look of shock and admiration in my Mom's eyes, on her face, when he showed her the various flowers he had growing -and blooming -in that porch.

One would never know I have people in my family trees who have the ability to breathe life, as it were, into these plants because I sure don't!

I keep telling myself that someday I'll do better but then, knowing my prior track record, and ability to kill, not nurture, I think it's best that I steer clear of harming any more of the floral community, don't you?

1 comment:

terri said...

I failed to get the green thumb gene as well. I come from a long line of gardeners and my grandma too had African Violets all over her house, blooming constantly. I had one that I was able to nurture for a short while, but the addition of a cat to the household put an end to the well-being of that plant!