Weekend Assignment: What Color Is Your Thumb?

Oh boy. Karen obviously doesn't know me based on this weekend's assignment. Or, maybe she does and thought it would be fun to read mine.

Weekend Assignment #211: How are your gardening skills? Do you plant flowers and trees and even shrubberies, or do you settle for weeds are concrete? Do houseplants die in your care, or grow and prosper?

My gardening skills are non-existent. Everything dies in my care. I've killed a cactus before. A cactus! A cactus can survive in the desert, and I killed it. How did I kill it? I put a ton of water in the little pot and drowned it. This was during college, I forgot about it for a long time, and I thought I should give it some water since the dirt was rock-hard dry. The little cactus turned into a squishy sponge and basically collapsed on itself. The little spikes even wilted.

My mom and sister have bought a lot of flowers for our house, usually on Mother's Day. They are dead before Father's Day. Part of the problem is I forget about them. Usually we get those flowers that come in a bag and hang on the fence. So, I put them out on the fence and remember they are there about 10 days later. It's usually too late by then.

Last year was a breakthrough. My mom gave us a hanging plant that we kept in the front of the house. This one lasted until winter. Maybe that is the key. Maybe they need to be kept in the front.

The landscaping isn't much better around our house. My brother helped me remove some ugly shrubs in the backyard about two years ago. That spot is still dirt. No grass. No plants. Just a nice place for the kids and dog to play in so they can track mud in the house.

Extra Credit: Is there someone you know who is better at this gardening stuff than you are?

Everyone I know is better at gardening I am. My mom has a ton of plants on the deck and the side of the house that live all year round. Though, they do come close to death when she is out of town and asks me to water them.

My sister keeps all of hers alive, and usually does a lot of the planting for my mom.

My sister-in-law has a nice looking yard. The landscaping is all taken care of, and all the plant thrive throughout the year.

Maybe I should hire them to come and care for my plants...