Plant-orexia

[blublood]

Does anyone else suffer from this rare and degenerative mental disease? I have way more plants than I can take care of in the front garden. In my defense, most of them are perennials that will take care of themselves, but still. I have two cats, a job, and a husband. I have a small child who is learning to walk. I do not need any more plants! And yet every time I go to the nursery (we have two excellent ones close to home), something seizes my attention and I end up buying it and planting it "just to see how it does." Then I check the garden compulsively and flip out if anything wilts.

It's like a shopping addiction, only much dorkier. At least with shopping, you end up with cool clothes. I, on the other hand, bore our neighbors silly discussing Corsican sandwort. Has anyone else successfully recovered from green thumb-itis? How did you kick the habit?

[TillyGalore]

Funny you should post this as I do not have a green thumb, but decided my next project is to grow roses. I live in an apartment so the roses will have to be in a container. Any advice on where/what web sites I can venture to to get instructions on growing roses?

[hughgs]

Does anyone else suffer from this rare and degenerative mental disease? I have way more plants than I can take care of in the front garden. In my defense, most of them are perennials that will take care of themselves, but still. I have two cats, a job, and a husband. I have a small child who is learning to walk. I do not need any more plants! And yet every time I go to the nursery (we have two excellent ones close to home), something seizes my attention and I end up buying it and planting it "just to see how it does." Then I check the garden compulsively and flip out if anything wilts.

It's like a shopping addiction, only much dorkier. At least with shopping, you end up with cool clothes. I, on the other hand, bore our neighbors silly discussing Corsican sandwort. Has anyone else successfully recovered from green thumb-itis? How did you kick the habit?

You don't need to kick the habit, you just need to delay it a bit. While your kid is learning to walk, start teaching him the names to the plants. And since he can probably crawl, you can introduce him to the fun of weeding the garden. And don't forget the watering. Let him use a small plastic cup to water some of the plants.

My wife has been using this strategy for the past year plus, and I now use my son to tell me the names of different plants. He loves to point out the dandelions in the yard, which buds are starting to bloom, etc.

There's something wrong with the statement, but you need to use your child to his fullest ability!

[devil84]

When I saw the title of this thread, I thought it would be the ability for every plant I bring into the house to wither away into a pathetic brown twig in record time. That's what I suffer from!

My outdoor plants seem to do quite well -- but I'm picky about what I buy. I'm doing much better now that the plants have large SUN and SHADE labels on the pots! I can expand my repertoire of viable plants.

But I can't seem to get a plant to live inside my house. I'll either over-water them, drowning them in record time, or I'll completely forget to water them.

I'm envious of those of you who can buy plants and keep them alive -- indoors or out!

[DukieInKansas]

I definitely have the problem of buying too many plants - especially bad because I live in a condo/townhome with limited planting ability. I may actually help a neighbor with planting at their place - that way I get the fun and spend her money.

I'm trying to go with annuals now because I get tired of the plants I have but feel bad taking out perfectly good plants because I'm bored.

[blublood]

Funny you should post this as I do not have a green thumb, but decided my next project is to grow roses. I live in an apartment so the roses will have to be in a container. Any advice on where/what web sites I can venture to to get instructions on growing roses?

Hmmmm... I don't know if that's going to work. I can't grow roses because we have practically no light, but for sure they will need a ton of sun, at least 8 hours. Roses can take the heat. The ones at our botanical garden are in a wide-open garden and are perfectly happy even in the 100 degree summers. The only ones that I can think of that I've seen in a container are those cute little mini roses that you can buy at Lowe's.

However - there is a site that I have a lot of fun at which is Dave's Garden (http://.davesgarden.com (http://www.davesgarden.com)). You may be able to find out from there if you can do containers and if so, what varieties are best suited for containers. I've also had a lot of luck just Google searching for what I needed to find out about growing, so you might try that too. Good luck - post some pictures!

[blublood]

When I saw the title of this thread, I thought it would be the ability for every plant I bring into the house to wither away into a pathetic brown twig in record time. That's what I suffer from!



You need a philodendron (http://www.evergrowing.com/tips/philodendron.htm)! :) It's a very boring-looking plant, but we got ours as a cutting from my mother-in-law. We never watered it, the cats chewed on it, it barely ever got any light and still somehow lived. Our joke was it survived on sheer grim determination to survive.

hughgs: Very cute!! I was trying to think of how to prevent him from plucking all the flowers when he gets to be a toddler, but I like this idea much better. :)

[ugadevil]

Funny you should post this as I do not have a green thumb, but decided my next project is to grow roses. I live in an apartment so the roses will have to be in a container. Any advice on where/what web sites I can venture to to get instructions on growing roses?

I know how it feels. I bought four plants this year to put on my back porch of my apartment. This is probably from my own neglect, but I went out one morning and all four pots had shattered into pieces.

[TillyGalore]

I know how it feels. I bought four plants this year to put on my back porch of my apartment. This is probably from my own neglect, but I went out one morning and all four pots had shattered into pieces.

The pots shattered into pieces?!? Could it be that the pots saw too much sun? I use plastic pots, though inherited a clay pot so have just one clay pot.

[ugadevil]

The pots shattered into pieces?!? Could it be that the pots saw too much sun? I use plastic pots, though inherited a clay pot so have just one clay pot.

It was during a cold span so I think everything got too cold. Possibly froze and became too fragile? To make myself feel better, I've decided that my pots were attacked by savage birds. They shattered my pots and ate my seeds!

[TillyGalore]

It was during a cold span so I think everything got too cold. Possibly froze and became too fragile? To make myself feel better, I've decided that my pots were attacked by savage birds. They shattered my pots and ate my seeds!

I'm all for whatever helps you sleep at night. :)

[AtlBluRew]

If you are in the Atlanta area and you suffer plantorexia, I'll be pleased to take some of the excess plants off your hands!

[hughgs]

hughgs: Very cute!! I was trying to think of how to prevent him from plucking all the flowers when he gets to be a toddler, but I like this idea much better. :)

I can't take much credit for him, it's mostly my wife. But what we found is that as long as you're adamant about things the kids figure it out.

This morning he was helping me weed some of the flower beds. He first asked about the plants to pick (after I've asked the wife), then went at it. He doesn't really get the roots but he's helping a little bit and he's not shaking down other 2 year olds for milk money.

[DukieInKansas]

Be careful when you start the little ones deadheading flowers with their non-pointed scissors. When my niece was 3 or 4, she was deadheading another aunt's flowers - and proceeded to "deadhead" a hunk of her hair. She then told her mother that her aunt did it. :)

[blublood]

If you are in the Atlanta area and you suffer plantorexia, I'll be pleased to take some of the excess plants off your hands!

Well, that depends on what you mean by "Atlanta area" - I think Birmingham is probably a bit too far. :)

Just got back from rescuing more Corsican sandwort on my lunch break. They had the poor little guys in the noonday sun and I just couldn't leave them there. This is a sickness....