How Does My Garden Grow?

I have recently determined that I want a green thumb. I'll readily admit that my track record has not been...let's just say that of the plants for which I have been responsible have met their maker rather sooner than later. But I am determined to succeed this time! I want more green in the house. The idea actually began when I watched an episode from the second season of the Mary Tyler Moore Show. In Mary's apartment she had a shelf full of green growing things, presumably plants. And presumably living (therefore the growing). It just looked so cheerful! I decided I needed a little more vegetation in my life.

I already had inherited this li'l winter guy from a previous roommate. Seeing that it had managed to survive a year, I figured I would be game to try my non-gardner thumb on some other plants that aren't so quick to die. (The mint plant beside it has long since passed way. We don't like to talk about that one though.) I'll admit he had me a bit worried that he wasn't going to be blooming but about a week ago some blooms appeared! One success. Now time to move on.

What you see above are three of another roommate's plants and my first orchid. It's our shelf of plants! Hurray! It has begun.

I figured that orchids can't be too difficult to kill off since they only need to be well-watered once a week. The pink orchid above came from a trip to Trader Joe's.

This sort of tiger-looking orchid is from the Alemany Farmer's market. I, of course, have no talent for picking out plants and immediately settle on two moderately-sick looking plants that had no extra buds and not much of a root system. Two things which I have come to learn are important when selecting orchids. Oh well. I will nurse them back to health! I hope. The other orchid to which I've been referring is the other plant you see in the picture above. It's flowers have died, but the leaves look great. (Just not terribly photogenic.)

Last, but certainly not least, and also a tin bit sickly, is my sort-of-African-violet! This guy was chosen to reside on the new shelf in our bathroom. I call it a "sort-of" because I thought it was an African violet, but doubts have grown so now I just don't know. Whatever he is, he's hearty and green. That's the goal!

And that, my friends, is how my garden grows. Next item of greenery to acquire: something fern-like.