Not exactly a green thumb

[norsegirl]

I'm slowly learning about gardening in Texas. Mostly I'm learning that it isn't easy. It's been a few weeks (in some cases over a month) since some of my plants went in, so let's go out and see how they're doing shall we?


It's been about 2 weeks since the Ixora were planted. The one that was in better shape seems to be adapting well and there is some new growth and promising looking buds on it. At only 2 weeks it's still hard to see much difference even with side-by-side pictures though, so we'll revisit that one in a few weeks. I didn't previously photograph the sad looking one as I wasn't sure it was going to make it. Seems to have made a come-back though, so I've started documenting it and we'll see where we are in a few weeks there too.

As far as I can figure, it's been 3 weeks since the lemon trees were planted (and I'm thinking that the second "lemon" is in fact a lime, which is a bummer since I don't care much for limes and of course it's the only one bearing fruit). I didn't take a before picture, but I'm pretty sure they aren't doing much at this point. Here's a pic of Anna sleeping under the "lemon" that I think is a lime:


The bottle brush has been in almost exactly a month. It started showing new growth in a matter of days. The new growth has nicely matured, though it hasn't given any indications that it is thinking of flowering again soon. I threw some orchid food on it today to see if I can't encourage it a little. It's hard to see that it's bigger even in the pictures, but if you look at how little mulch you can see, and how it's starting to obstruct the bed behind it, you can see that it's filled out and that there is more foliage.

Before:

Now:

The beds at the front have been in now 7 or 8 weeks I figure. Dad planted them all and while my parents were visiting I was a bit flakier with my posting (being busy and all). Very little that was planted during my parents' visit is doing well. With the exception of one mandevilla, everything has actually gotten smaller, and as of today, has stopped blooming. Before today I was getting one or two flowers, which is hardly impressive, but still lots better than nothing. We planted African Daisies, dusty miller, a hibiscus sunk in but still in the pot (so I can move it inside over winter), mandevillas in pots and some purple heart/purple queen/wandering jew also in a pot so it wouldn't take over the garden. Of all that stuff, only one mandevilla and the purple queen is doing well.

Before:	Now: As you can see, it's no larger than before and is lacking blooms or buds of any sort.
Before:	Now: I think the secret with this one is watering it more. I was very bad this week and forgot for several days running and caught it with all the leaves droopy, wilted and about ready to drop off, so I think I just need to be more dedicated with the daily watering on this one.
Before:	Now: This little plant looks like it would quite happily take over the entire yard if it weren't for the damn pot holding it back (which is exactly why it is in said pot). It's gotten much larger and even popped out the occasional purple-pink little flower. For a plant that only cost a buck, I'm certainly getting a lot from it.
Before:	Now: I have no idea what is going wrong here. Some of the vines have simply dried up and died, and the flowers have taken on a bleached appearance. On the other hand, its companion looks like it couldn't be happier. Is it the plant or the specific spot in which it is located on the porch? Is it not getting as much water as the other one (can't see how that would happen) or needs more to compensate for having slightly more sun? On one hand I'm tempted to switch them to see if it recovers. On the other hand, I don't want to risk having two unhappy plants, so I'm disinclined to mess with the happy one.
Bleached flowers on the sad plant, and yes, this colour is fairly true to life:	The companion plant on the other side of the entry-way: As you can see, this one could hardly be happier. Lots of new growth and bright, deep red blooms. I'm going to need to buy it a bigger trellis and start training it up the wall as planned.

Despite my efforts, I may just not be cut out to be a gardener. On the other hand, I tackled the extension I needed to add to the back threshold and did pretty well with that if I do say so myself. It looks a little odd since I have simply nailed one threshold on over an existing one, but I did it neatly, and finished all the edges of the metal where I cut with files and went over all the seams with silicon, so I don't think it would be obvious that I've messed with it on casual inspection. A home inspector might have something to say about it, but I don't intend on selling any time soon so I'm not real concerned about that.

Other than sealing up that gap in the back door and documenting my garden I haven't really accomplished anything today. Tonight is our first Bradley Method pre-natal class. My mother thinks this is a waste of money and that we could get all the information from a book. I figure it's a way to make Jason and I look at the information and not leave it until the last minute. 12 weeks of classes (which seems like a lot to me *shrug*) and by then we should be ready to welcome our little bundle into the world.

Still don't have a crib for her, but I've picked up a play yard with a built-in bassinet that should do in a pinch. Ikea really does need to get on that supplier and get that crib back in stock for me.

Comments

[hel_ana]

I'm kind of sad that there's no Bradley Method classes any closer than Toronto here.

I'm going to end up, I think, going over to Guelph to take a class at the Family Midwifery Care center, once the woman puts up her summer/fall class schedule.

[eve-the-just.livejournal.com]

I can send notes home if you'd like (I should probably take notes for my own benefit anyway). And of course there's a suggested reading list I can share. It's not the same as going to a class, but it might help.

[hel_ana]

I'd appreciate it greatly, thank you!

This little plant looks like it would quite happily take over the entire yard

[firefred.livejournal.com]

The purple 1 dollar plant in the pot - this will come back, it just needs more water. Hibiscus - not so good, mine lasted for about 2 years and then died without reason. Tried this once more, same outcome. Lemon or lime - more water, possibly more sun. You do have two, for pollination?

Plants that parents planted (with the best of intentions): all of what mine planted have died :(

Re: This little plant looks like it would quite happily take over the entire yard

[eve-the-just.livejournal.com]

The purple 1 dollar plant in the pot - this will come back, it just needs more water.

No, there's actually nothing wrong with that plant. That's how it's supposed to look. It's flowering and everything, they're just REALLY LITTLE flowers. At this point I could probably take cuttings and make more of this plant if I wanted to.

[sionnach-sidhe.livejournal.com]

I have absolutely no luck with plants, but it looks like yours are doing great!

I've heard very good things about Bradley Method. I hope it works out great for you! Never fear that you are "wasting" your $ in birth prep; birth is so much about where your head is at, so do what you need to to get your mind settled/calmed/energized/prepared.

We've had M in a bassinet (she hated it always), a dresser drawer with a sheepskin (loved it until she got too big), and a playpen with the raised thingy (again, great until she got heavy enough to really shake it with her own motions). And of course, our bed too. You'll probably be fine if the crib doesn't come back in stock right away.

[eve-the-just.livejournal.com]

a playpen with the raised thingy

Yeah, according to the manufacturer, that thingy is a "full bassinet". Assuming the thingy you're talking about is the same size as the base of the playpen. If it's smaller (about half the size) then it's a "changing table".

[utsi.livejournal.com]

could still be a lemon. they start out green and take a while to get big, then they start to yellow. so have hope. i think you're doing okay. remember very few plants bloom continuously

[eve-the-just.livejournal.com]

How long does it take for a lemon to mature do you think? I get that they start out green, but those suckers are pretty big and they still aren't changing. It's also been like a month now, and they were a reasonable size when I bought them. Also, the form of the plant is different and it lacks the thorns that are present on my other meyer lemon.

I'm thinking of harvesting the biggest one and testing it. I figure I should be able to tell the difference between a lime and a lemon if I cut it open and lick it. I'll be kinda miffed with myself if it does turn out to be a lemon, but at least I'll know for sure.

[utsi.livejournal.com]

mine took several months to get the size of a baseball. it then took another 4-6 weeks to start yellowing. i'd give mine another 2-4 weeks before it's ripe. that being said, i'm in canada and the temp is likely to lengthen the time involved. if it's a lime, it would stop increasing in size at some point i would think. i've also never seen any really big limes. if i compare teh size of yours to the leaves, and then look at mine- it should get a lot bigger. i can cup mine in both hands if i only have the tips and wrists touching if that helps for a size gauge

[eve-the-just.livejournal.com]

That does help a lot, thanks. This is my first time attempting citrus so I really have no idea what I'm doing. I do love the way they look and smell though. It's very tempting to fill my yard with them, except I have no idea what I'd do with them all in the winter.