From Brown Thumb to a Light Green Thumb

Last year I decided to try out my green thumb and plant a couple of shrubs out in the front yard to replace the dead bush that was there from the last homeowners. I spent an entire weekend digging up the dead bush and removing the old dirt, rocks and weeds. In the process of my excavating, I accidentally hit the sprinkler pipe with my shovel creating a gaping hole that Jody then had to figure out how to repair - oops. Fortunately the repair was pretty easy so I was able to continue my planting project. After talking to the guy in Lowe's nursery forever, I decided on Autumn Sage and Star Jasmine. With the new dirt spread, shrubs planted, bark laid, and sprinklers checked I admired my work and hoped that after all the hard labor and sweat I put into those shrubs they would in turn grow to be beautiful.



A couple of months later they looked a little bigger than when they were first planted so I felt like we were making some progress. A couple of months after that, the leaves on the Autumn Sage were already yellow and the Star Jasmine looked like it was on its way out. That's when my inexperience to gardening really became apparent because I wasn't sure if they were getting too much water or not enough. After weeks of going back and forth playing the guessing game with no positive results, I gave up. I figured it was because I didn't get rid of enough of the old dirt and it was poisoning my shrubs. And I wasn't about to start digging that stupid section up all over again - at least not right away. I yanked out the Autumn Sage cursing under my breath, but decided since the Star Jasmine still didn't look dead I'd leave it.

It's been a year now and my Star Jasmine still looks miserable. Every time I walk out front and see this pathetic area it reminds me that my green thumb is really brown. I wish so badly it would've worked out because I really would like some bushes to cover up that empty area. I just need to gather up the strength to start all over again, and being almost 6 months pregnant with summer knocking at the door I can't promise that it'll get done soon - I'm going to try but no promises.



Overall, I felt very defeated that my green thumb attempt failed and the experience has since kept me from buying anything else that would require gardening knowledge. Then came my birthday a few weeks ago when I received a beautiful orchid from my boss. Though I was very grateful - as I know they can be costly - a part of me was a little scared that I was just going to turn it into a shriveled up orchid. I took it home and read the care instructions card over and over making sure I really understood how to take care of this plant. I was determined to not let this one die on me and have another brown thumb incident haunt me. Well, I'm proud to say that after three weeks my orchid is doing very well and thriving with more blooms on it now then when I first got it. To me it's an indication that I'm slowly moving from brown thumb to a light green thumb. And it may just be a house plant, but it's still a victory and I'll take it!