Houseplant miracle June 6, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 1 comment so farIt’s a good thing for me not everyone is commanded to work the land. Or maybe a good thing for the land. I do not like dirt under my nails. And furthermore, I do not have a green thumb. In fact, it would be too kind to say it is black. It is more like the kiss of death. If you can picture a thumb covered with skulls and crossbones, that would be it. The Jolly Roger of gardening.
And yet I continue to torture plants, both indoors and out. My houseplants generally hang on just barely alive, with a leaf or two going and often a spindly stem. Maybe it is the pro-life part of me taken too far but I cannot bring myself to put them out of their misery as long as there is any sign of life. I even kill aloes. Miss Language theorizes that I water them to death so I tried to see if they would thrive on neglect but that did not work so my Mum has just brought me a new supply of baby aloes to torture.
And each year I attempt a garden. I do OK on starting the seeds and get them planted outside where they very seldom grow much beyond the little seedling start, except for a couple tomatoes and basil plants. Even zucchini does not work for me, although everyone else I know is desperate to get rid of the stuff, putting it in unlocked cars they pass and stuffing their mailbox with zucchini offerings for the mailman.
However, this year we have seen a near miracle. My mother’s day basket from last spring survived the winter, with one leaf on it about a centimeter across. I nearly threw it out at Christmas time but it seemed just cruel. The thing refused to die and now has come back with numerous leaves and even some flowers.
Wow.