- Anonymous
I'm not a plant person. (Or a cat person, dog person, child person). I'm not NOT a plant person, but neither do I feel that it's my purpose in life to own or raise or grow one. As a diehard commitment-phobe, they smack too much of permanence. I had given it a go in the past, and realised quite quickly that I have no gardening skills whatsoever. Things die when I get a hold of them. (You can kinda see why it's just as well I don't have pets or kids). In my mid teens I collected cacti. At first, I thought they'd be hardy enough to withstand even my bouts of manic overwatering/manic avoiding. Not so. Every single one of them died. And yet people still kept giving them to me as gifts. D'oh. Looking back now, I think it was more that I couldn't find the right balance between caring too much and not caring enough. (Story of my life, really). So, the other day, thinking that maybe it was time I grew up and stopped being a Tan Peter Pan, I thought that I could trial pot plants for a few months. If they survive my care (such as it is), then maybe I could try something a little more permanent. Like...an actual goldfish instead of an image of fish bones on my bag (see attached image). Maybe. I'm not sure. A colleague suggested I could work my way up to being a puppy guide dog walker but, really, I fear for the well being of the dog. One step at a time. Beginning with container gardening! More specifically, herbs. I went for herbs because I'm more likely to remember to look after them if I'm going to eat them one day. (One track mind here, folks). And so, if you're scared of commitment like I am (seriously, even calendars scare me, and this was pointed out to me by the calendar-selling sales assistant), try a pot plant - a teeny, tiny one - to start with. And maybe one day, I, too, will be a real live girl! You don't know how much I fear for these pot plants - as experiments go, I've had better ideas. Lucky for me I work in a library with loads of books that can help. Like these ones below. Which will hopefully help me avoid plant murder. Maybe. I think.
