The Brown Thumb

I had to laugh this last week. I worked for a summer or two in a green house in high school, but I can't say a lot of the plant knowledge has followed me over the years.

For example: I planted Martha Washington geraniums (and some yellow daisies) in the flower bed under the window. As long as they're getting rained upon and I ignore them, they look fantastic. (Except for one I planted too close to the gutter--it's not looking so hot due to overwatering. Or, at least, I think so.)

My mother-in-law also asked me about a rather scraggly begonia she had planted in her entryway. Now, I don't know much about begonias other than that they're a little picky about care. As Jane's cleaning lady mentioned, "This plant is not for you." She had been careful with the water; the wind in that corner isn't terrible, and the plant gets a fair amount of shade. I honestly didn't know what to tell her about the plant (having a brown thumb of my own and all), and so we decided it was best in the interest of the presentation of the front door to put the begonia out of sight, out of mind, and in the garage to die. And doggone! The next day, the plant looked better! I wish all plants for which I advise would just get better by ignoring them.

Maybe someday I'll have a yard of my own. But then, I'll have to combat the brown thumb. At least in the meantime, it's fairly manageable if three out of five of my plants don't die. That's a 60% success rate, which is better than a 0% rate, right? Dear blog readers?

Happy Wednesday!