"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." -Audrey Hepburn
I can't tell you what's behind my desire to have a plant survive, or not just survive, but thrive. I know I killed more african violets as a child then any one person should have a right to. I know I love a garden, both for its beauty and the tranquility that often comes with it. I have never had the land, or the patience, to care for a garden the way it's supposed to be taken care of. So, for the first time, I am making myself 100% responsible for a living thing. I can't tell you for sure what I will get out of it, but I plan to take this responsibility seriously. Since the goal was to keep it alive for the year I thought the sooner I got started, the better. So without further ado, please meet Gus Gus and Jacques, joined in this picture by Rosalie the orchid.
My friend Janelle, who is also on this goal achieving adventure of 2013, and I went out about a week ago in search of our plants. Let me tell you, you can learn something about people based on the plants they choose to maintain. For instance, as we strolled the aisles looking at all the various choices, we had wildly different attack plans. I had the simple limitation of no light, my apartment has no direct sunlight, and very little natural light on a day to day basis. That aside, the plants I was drawn to said things like, "tolerates neglect" and "easy care", that boiled down to "hard to kill". I was on board, because while I plan to achieve this goal, I also plan to make it as easy as possible on myself, which is kind of how I roll. I am not downing myself, I just tend to prioritize where I put effort in, which sometimes leads me to underachieve in a certain areas of my life, but it also simplifies it and so far it works for me. So, in the end I got my boys, Gus Gus, the Sansevieria, and Jacques, the lucky bamboo. Survivors (I hope), who are sturdy, strong and resourceful, much like their namesakes. Janelle, on the other hand, is a consumate overachiever. She saw the beautiful orchid, read the instructions to ensure she had a suitable environment and went for it. Of course, she found out later the life expectancy of an orchid averages out at about 3 months, making the goal of one year's survival unlikely and will probably require much more effort on her part. But, that's typical Janelle, she jumps in feet first, knowing she probably shouldn't and that her chances of success aren't great, and almost always finds away to pull it out. That being said, for my money, I bet Ms. Rosalie is still alive and kicking a year from now. I will now share the few things I have learned in one week of plant ownership... 1. It's a club, similar to kids or pets, people want to offer you advice and help you out because you have joined in the brotherhood, mostly unsolicited but for a novice like me, almost always helpful 2. Apparently I talk to living things, even if they can't hear me or respond 3. I love these guys, like feel deep attachment to plants I have owned for ONE week 4. I need help
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