The Sad Plant Story and the Happy Lawn

Turf

We began with the plan to put in turf, but then when I realized that the cost of the turf could pay for so many other things, and I might actually be able to raise grass myself, I decided to try grass seed!! The boys and I raked and hauled and tidied the old forest floor to the point where it was ready for soil. The soil was delivered and Ray took loads of it around with his little bobcat. Then it was my turn to rake the soil out. The next day I seeded it. The boys all wanted to run the thing around, but I could just see great clumps of grass seed in one place, so I did it myself. Overall it cost about $150 for the seed, versus $4000 for the sod!!!! Well worth the wait for the seed to sprout.

As anyone who knows me can attest - I kill anything I plant!! It is a *very* sad situation and on Mother's Day this year I was given two plants from my boys from church. One we have been rewarded with a number of years - and that is for having the largest family in our church. That is so nice. Well this year I was not at church that Sunday - actually 7 of us weren't. I went to visit my mother and wish her Happy Mothers Day. But Dane was an usher, so I dropped him off and off I went with our oldest son. When they were looking to see who had the largest family in church that week, it was noticed that we were absent, and then Dane spoke up! *grin* So he was our proxy and he brought home a beautiful plant.

Beautiful Orange Daisy

And then Austin and Cooper decorated a plant pot in sunday school one week.

Pansy

So I put those plants right by the window and I told everyone to *not* water them. I threatened them with drastic measures, if they touched them. This time I *was* going to succeed!!! I figured you can overwater a plant - ie: drown it! And you can dry it out. So, by my window it would not be forgotten, as it was by the sink. It got watered, and it looked beautiful, and as it flowered, I was so happy. I thought, these dear little plants are going to survive - unlike all the rest! Day by day I would enjoy them and water them when they looked a bit dry.

Then one day I noticed them wilting, and I figured if I plucked off the dead buds, they would do better. I was impressed with myself. I had remembered my mother telling me that the dead ones would drain the good flowers. I figured they would perk up now. They didn't. The next few days they became sicker and sicker. Then I thought that perhaps I was destined to always kill plants, and maybe this time it wasn't my fault. Think about it. If you water the plants with the city water - it has bleach in it! If you use the water softener water it has salt in it! Maybe it wasn't me killing them, maybe it was the water!

Whatever the case, I tried to take them outside. Maybe they need sunlight! Nope! Finally, I had one wilting little flower left on each plant!!! I thought maybe I should pray for it! The next day the one flower on each plant had perked up and was actually looking fresh! Hah!! I had found the problem. But nope! The next day they were wilting again! So sad!! After that I just left them. There seemed to be nothing I could do right. Now these sad little plants have these pretty pots, but nothing else!

Sad, Sad Plants

Now, a friend came by and told me (after she had politely refrained from mentioning the skeletons of plants sitting on my table outside, until I pointed them out to her) that they needed bigger pots. Now if this is true, it is a crime that when you get a plant *noone* tells you this!!! Seriously, I had no idea that this was true!!! And if this is true, then why are all my mother's plants doing hunky dorey in her *little pots* in the house and getting watered when *she thinks about it*!!!!

And can you imagine, I had two plants once - a spider plant and a 'thing' that Ray gave me when Colt was nine months old and in hospital. I had no idea how to take care of the 'thing', so I just watered it (when I remembered) and stuck a stick in the pot. It grew and grew and grew. I have a feeling I was supposed to trim it or something because all I had was this 3/4 inch round long stick with a few leaves on the top. It must have been four feet tall!! Rather ugly- BUT it was alive!!!!

The spider plant did just fine. They seem rather resilient. I wouldn't water it and then I would drown it and leave it for another month and it seemed to get used to this method of care.

Spider Plant

I then made the mistake of moving and leaving these two *precious* plants (they were precious as they were the only things that have ever survived!) with a neighbour. When I came back to get them later she told me she had killed them both!! I was *devastated*!!! I had had one for SEVEN years! That was the *end* of my plant days

But my LAWN!!! Now THAT is an accomplishment!! As I planted that I prayed for it and for some reason THAT has been a success!!! Wait for further updates!