Green Thumb?

As anyone who has been to my apartment knows....I don't have much of a green thumb. I think if any of my plants survive, as my old math teacher used to say, "it's not because of me, but in spite of me." Water? Do they need that?

I have some plants that seem to do extremely well. And I have others that start out green and bushy and strong, and end up as just twigs. My Christmas cactus has a mind of it's own. It blooms whenever it wants. I've had flowers on it at Christmas, Easter, and sometimes on Mummers Parade Day. Maybe they don't like the grandfather clock chiming at all hours? I try to talk nicely to them. I even try to vary the music I play. Is Twisted Sister soothing music for them? I don't know. They seem to like Nice Inch Nails.

At work today, the manager was pulling down the artificial flower arrangements from the walls. I guess we're updating the decor in the branch. There were two large potted real plants near the back door, being put out in the trash. Hmmmmm, I thought....perfect specimens for me to kill! Just before closing, we loaded the plants into the back of my jeep...back window rolled up, back seat folded up. Both plants, a Ficus Benjamina and a Schefflera are over 6 feet tall. I felt like my jeep had turned into a jungle for the brief ride home.

Both of them are now settled down in their new home. Hopefully, they will flourish. Now, I know that Ficus Benjamina's tend to shed their leaves. My last Fiscus Benjamina 'bush' would make fine kindling wood, but since I don't have a fireplace, it's waiting at the curb for garbage pickup. Maybe Charlie Brown will find it and nurse it back to health.

Stay tuned...maybe a future post will contain pictures of a robust forest in my dining room, or an obituary.