Do you see this beautiful azalea? I purchased it as a table decoration for Elizabeth's birthday party. It was a very cold, dreary, icy day and I thought a little spruce of color was just what the doctor ordered. And yes, I was going to keep it alive and it was going to look lovely in my home. Or so I thought....
This picture was taken, I kid you not, about 2 week later. Did I ignore it? Nope, I gave it some water and left it alone.
I should have prefaced this statement by saying that I have never been able to keep anything alive for a great period of time. I had a Christmas cactus once that last for about 2 years, but I even managed to kill that. We have an ivy in our bathroom that the previous owners left behind for us. I let Sean take care of it though. You see, I am convinced that I have a black thumb and anything that I touch will die. Apparently, if you have chlorophyll in it, it doesn't stand a chance with me. It's too bad really, I like having beautiful living plants in the house. I have officially decided that I will no longer be purchasing plants to take care of them myself....but Sean can!
Are you a plant killer like me or can you make anything grow? If so, what are your tips?
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I can't keep anything alive for the most part. Most of the time I forget about them... but every now and then I try really hard and am let down. We have a "vegetable garden" in the backyard this year. I say "vegetable garden" because it consists of 5 containers of veggies. The one thing I thought I might actually do well with (the tomatoes) are the worst! Well, my first clue that I did something horribly wrong was after I planted everything, I read on my dirt "for in ground use only, not for containers"... yeah, that's not a good sign. Not sure if that's what hurt my tomatoes or what. Well, we've got some strawberries growing and I think i might get squash soon. It's been rewarding to see something actually grow for once. I just hope I can get to the veggies before the birds do!
I'm somewhere in the middle. I seem to do well with plants that are more difficult to grow. But the ones "no one can kill" die for me.
To your credit, Azaleas are very finicky. They require perfect soil, acidity and hydration. Tyler is almost as known for them as they are for roses, but we can't grow them just a few miles south because of the drastic soil changes.
My one tip - the Miracle-Gro moisture control potting soil really works. I have been known to over-water and it prevents the excess from drowning the roots. I also use the stick fertilizer - but only a piece of the stick for a small container - every few months.
Another black thumb here. I can't keep em alive to save my life. And it doesn't help that now I have a four year old who loves to put sand and grass and rocks in my containers. I can't even seem to make mint grow... but everyone says it takes over their gardens without even trying.
Amazingly, though, I have an azalea that a good friend brought me while in the hospital with Olivia, and I've managed to keep that one alive, though I haven't done anything special. Silly plants...
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