Bloom

My grandma is always giving the family plants for special occasions. Primulas for Easter, Christmas cactus' or poinsettias for Christmas, some sort of flowering succulent for, I don't know, summer. I think she must be under the impression that everyone else either accidentally kills their plants or throws them out when they stop flowering, like she does. But I love plants and keep them until they die, as a general rule. My kitchen counter is getting overrun as a result. She gave me this Christmas cactus two or three years ago. I did something to it not long after she gave it to me and it started dying, but I rescued it. It hadn't flowered since I got it, but look!! A flower! It's bloomed now, and it's lovely. I was sooo happy when I saw that bud.

Also, it is now officially spring! My mini irises have bloomed and my crocuses and starting to as well! I'm so excited!! Crocuses are my fave. I'll try to remember to snap some photos of those before they're gone.

Sleepy-eyed

I am full of beer and emotions. Maybe a dangerous combination? I was beading, but decided that trying to tie small knots while drinking beer was a bad plan of action.

I realized that I haven't updated on my plants lately. Well. My mints are happy happy, my basil was looking super sickly with the bad start to our summer but has been picking up its spirits lately. My seedlings, on the other hand... the sunflowers had just barely sprouted when the tops were eaten off by some critter, and haven't been heard from since. My carrot seedlings were trucking along, but a couple weeks ago some peat-pot-crazed animal attacked them and, well, there were a number of them but there is only one survivor. So maybe I'll be lucky and get to eat one carrot I grew this summer?

I will now put myself to bed, as blogging while inebriated is surely an equally bad idea as beading UI.

Growth

My seeds are growing! I'm so excited! Can you tell?
In other gardening news, I bought an apple mint the day I ran into Dave at the garden center, and I've planted it in the same bed as my roses. Mints are supposed to help keep pesky bugs away from your garden. Good to know! I planted it in a pot in the earth to keep it from spreading, as I hear that's what mints like to do. Apple mint leaves also make a good tea, so I'm told. I shall have to try it this summer! I'll keep you folks posted. I also bought sand to mix in with the earth that my aloe vera are planted in. Ever since I split and re-potted it it's been unhappy, and I think it's because the soil was too rich. The soil is now about 50% potting soil, 50% sand. We'll see how they fare.
My advice for you tonight is: plant something edible this weekend! Even a little herb in a pot on your porch. It's rewarding, I promise you.

Eat your Greens

Today I potted and planted. I potted a basil plant and a chocolate mint plant which smells divine. Chocolate mint is apparently a good garnish for ice cream and desserts: as if the name "chocolate mint" wasn't reason enough to buy it. I planted some "Parmex" carrots and sunflower seeds in peat pots. The carrots are round and chubby like radishes, or they will be if they grow... I also planted an English Daisy outside, just because they're so cute. They look like buttons.
I love growing things, especially when the plants are useful in some way, like their juice heals cuts or they make a tasty salad. The only problem is that once I get the plant and watch it grow, I hate to cut it. I often don't make much use of them, I just show them off and coo at them.