A Chill Wind

You may remember that in a previous update that I am not very green fingered with respect to keeping house plants alive. I am untested in the garden areana. But lets just say that I am not holding my hopes up that I will be any better in an out door environment that I am indoors!

Well I have some news.

About a month ago Husband came to my desk at work (yes we work in the same office but in different departments and different teams) with a very luscious looking small plant which he had been given by one of his charges. It was a chilli plant.

Rather it is a chilli plant.

At the time I looked at him and we shared one of those "oh dear another one for the green genocide that is our flat"

(this is not my plant but it is very similar- my photography skills aren't quite doing Cass any justice at the moment)

Can you be an accidental horticultural serial killer? It is only not genocide I think because I am not doing it on a mass scale... I am doing it reluctantly one small victim at a time.

For the record I am not actively buying plants, they are simply being acquired/gifted.

It has been a month. I have kept Cass the Chilli plant on the kitchen window sill, with plenty of light and warmth and am regularly making sure that she doesn't dry out. Very egotistical you might think naming a plant after myself but I am feeling rather guilty about the plant kill rate and am hoping that in naming this one after me that I will some how subconsciously try not to kill myself.

Yes, I did psychology at University.

Anyway over the course of the last 4/5 weeks this tiny green plant has shot up in a straight line. It leans towards the sun so I have, in my excitement at having a stronger green to brown ratio of leaves, have been moving her along the sill and turning her around so she doesn't develop a hump and ends up growing into an unbalanced individual like her namesake.

We have had some small blossoms appear. I was very sad to see these small vulnerable white petals start to wither and turn brown but HUGELY uplifted by the fact they were making way for a chilli.

(This is my plant)

An acutal Chill.

(This is my first ever chilli and the harvest above that might follow)

I am not killing Cass.

She is harvestable.

In fact having just checked there are a potential 22 buds to blossoms on route. I am terrified of the next stage. Re-potting...

Should I show her this and give her some aspirations ???

(this is not my plant but what it could become!)

If I get it right then there is possibly not end of my potential...

Could this signal a change to my plant killing ways, lets hope so.

Keeping things alive

" I'm really sorry. It was all I could find"

Sigh and desperate looks shared...

" I am not sure I can do this. It's so pretty and we are effectively sending it to its death"

More desperate looks shared

"Oh well, I am sorry little orchid"

This was the conversation Lil B and her Husband were having at the boot of their car before bringing in a very pretty orchid as a present for me. 

I am not so good with the plants but I am making a conscious effort not to kill any. Not because I have a mean streak and like hacking to death helpless greenery but because I am not so green fingered. 

On the 24th of July Oli arrived and so far of the 10 tiny flowers she had she's only lost 6 and we are only 6 weeks into our relationship.This is new territory for me, plants in our family last days not weeks and now we are approaching "months" territory.

I have been on line and she is going to loose her flowers but I think I can get them to re-flower by cutting the stem. I am not going anywhere near her until all the flowers are gone and I have reconsulted the internet to make doubley sure I am not about to commit plant murder unnecessarily.

The thing is Lil B has the green fingers. And I want to have the green fingers - I have dreams of a garden with lots of flowers and veg and lush green grass for running around bare foot on. But I kill houseplants. So what kinds of carnage could I inflict on an actual garden?!?!

On Christmas Lil B and I got a Peace Lilly. You know the kind big green leaves one solitary white flower in the middle growing straight and proud on its own. Mine didn't make it to another Christmas, Lil B has cultivated hers to the point where I am sure she has more flower heads than big leaves. This was some years ago. 

We are selling our flat and thought some colour was in order. So Husband went out and bought the brightest funniest looking house plant he could find.

Hairy Cock Plant

I killed its brother in a fortnight. 

This replacement one is now in the "months" category.

Tonight a very dear friend brought round a Calla Lilly. 

I am now at 3 house plants, (I don't include the 2 cacti I have had since I was 17 and seem incapable of killing. I think they might be some sort of sad-masochist breed of plant) and am feeling the strain of their silent expectant hopes that they make it into the "years" category without too much drought or flooding.

I keep them separate from the cacti incase they tell these lovely new additions about the others that I have been incapable of keeping alive.