Black Thumb

Both of my parents are wonderful gardeners. Their yard is perfectly landscaped and they enjoy spending time working to keep it looking great. My mom always has a ton of flowers planted in the flower beds, pots around the yard, and hanging baskets on the porch. Growing up, when people would find out where I lived, they would usually make a comment about how pretty our yard was. Dad has done a great job landscaping all of the yard. It looks professionally done.

Let's just say their gardening abilities were not passed down to me. I don't know if they were passed down to my other siblings. I haven't seen any evidence of it. But I can't keep a plant alive for anything!

Case in point #1:

 

This poinsettia was given to us as a housewarming gift when we first moved here. It was so full and beautiful. Once the Christmas season was over, it got moved to our patio. It's still alive, but pretty sad looking. I might remember to put some water in it once a week or so. Poor poinsettia.

Case in point #2:

Chris bought this hanging basket shortly after we moved in. Like the poinsettia, it was full and beautiful and really helped brighten up the front entrance. I did really well remembering to water it at first, but it slowly started slipping my mind. Once it got to sad and unattractive for the front of the house, it was also moved to the patio. I was excited that the one measly flower popped up after I watered it one day this week. It really is a sad, sad story.

Up until last week, those were the only two plants we had under our care. Our yard is beautifully landscaped, but the landlords pay someone to take care of it. Very wise choice on their part!

Last week, we added a new plant to our care:


 

We bought this beauty at IKEA for only $1.99! I thought that was a good price to pay for something that might end up dead in a few months. The cute pot was also only $1.99. The best part about this plant: it only needs to be watered every 5-6 days! The instructions say that it needs to be completely dry before watering again. Perfect for me!

I have high hopes for this little guy! Perhaps my black thumb will begin turning shades of green.