I am pretty good with plants. They usually live, maybe not thrive, but they do look ok for a long time.
Both of my gramma’s were great with plants. Gramma Rose had wonderful vegetable gardens. Not big gardens but a nice little patch in the backyard.
Gramma Lillie lived in an apartment so she had indoor plants, violets. Her violets were amazing. They always had flowers and some were old plants that she had for years, and they were big plants. She said the secret was to talk nice to them, but not too nice. They needed to be given a good tongue lashing occasionally and cursing was included.
I live in a condo with a small balcony so I don’t have a garden but I do have flowers out there and they are quite healthy and lush. I guess I get that green thumb from Gramma Rose.
Gramma Lillie was not so generous in sharing her gift with me. I have violets, 3 of them. Have had them several years. They are the same size as when I got them. I think they have the same number of leaves since day 1. The flowers that were blooming on them when I got them are the only flowers they have ever had.
For years they have just sat and been sad little green things. They have been watered and fed and not watered and fed; I have moved them around from room to room and window to window hoping they would find their happy place. I have talked nice, yelled, cursed, and pleaded with them. All to no avail. Until…
I know the picture is all fuzzy. The only camera I have is on my phone and I don’t know how to adjust it or focus it or whatever. Besides, I was so excited to see these blooms I couldn’t stop jittering around to get a good picture.
If this sad little violet gets me this excited…if something really big happens I will have a heart attack and die on the spot.
Today, I think I need to get a life.
Patricia's Place 
That made me excited, too! It’s such a thrill to see something you have cared for start to thrive. I know the plant was healthy before (as in it wasn’t dead 🙂 ) but to bloom is to prove your happiness to the world. I love plants, but I don’t do blooming in-door plants. Because when they don’t, it’s just too sad. And in my house, they don’t.
Apparently in door bloomong plants don’t bloom for me either since it took years for this one to do its thing. Hopefully this is not a once a decade kinda thing.
Yeah, some flowers need to be sworn at , yelled at, and have fists shaken at them. Thankfully most of mine are the gentle sort that grow just because they feel like it. I still say goodnight to my plants every night. 🙂
Violets are temperamental plant-people, don’t worry about it.
Maybe I need to wish them a good night. I have tried the other stuff. I have told the other 2 violet plants that they can be on my blog too—if they bloom.
Go you . . . and your purple thumb! Love the kitty cat at the top. Meow.
That would be Miss Dolly. She checks out all the plants. I grow catnip for her to try and keep from eating the pretty flowers. Try is the operative word here.
And seeing those blooms, Patricia, today I think you got one! So beautiful! My Mom used to raise African Violets – she would propagate 1–‘s of them and then give them away. There was never a plant that came her way that would not thrive and grow lavishly and lushly! Unfortunately, that trait did not pass down to me. Try as I might, no dice. They take one look at me, and say “Nix, nada, not here, not on your life!”
Some people are just plant peeps. I wonder if plant people smell different or have an aura about them that plants appreciate…
Ha..Ha.. I love that…..”Today, I think I need to get a life.” Yeah, you and me both, sister. Anymore, I consider it living on the edge if I stay up after ten. Woo-hoo…Mama’s kicking it up tonight!
Oh, I am a night owl! I have a hard time giving up and going to sleep. But I am not doing anything exciting…sigh…
That’s too funny Patricia, Gramma Lillie’s tongue-lashing seems to have done the trick. Here’s to Violets, big, bright and overflowing from now on. 🙂
Maybe we have come to a turning point in my life with violets.
Well, I guess maybe I need to too . . .because I was all excited about it too! 🙂 And just think about Gramma Lillie dancing in heaven knowing her babies are blooming happily again.
I hope she is taking time to dance. She was a bossy little thing. I think she probably tried to rearrange something when she got there.