Sunday, September 19, 2010

Plants for Brown Thumbs

[This is a work of fiction, but could describe any number of people I know.]

My sister has green fingers; I have a brown thumb. She has only to look at a seed for it to germinate; I once managed to kill a cactus left in my care. She buys me the hardiest plants, tells me how much I should water them and how often I should put them out in the sun. I follow her instructions to the letter, but nothing can stop the inevitable. I could never tell who was more distressed by it- my sister or me.

The other day, we discovered artificial plants. Now I too can surround myself with greenery.


_____
drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

13 comments:

Mason Canyon said...

Oh I know this pain. I have actually killed several cactus before. After several years of somehow having a beautiful Pineapple Sage grow, I allowed it to die. My thumb seems to be getting blacker (if possible). Love the photo.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

Laura Eno said...

Hah! I too, have killed cactus. Great drabble.

Anonymous said...

Rayna - What a funny ending to this Drabble! You made me smile :-). And it's interesting the way you weave in the contrast between the sisters, too. I like that about it.

RA said...

There are so many ways of gardening. You, Rayna, are a gardener of words, making them grow to sentences and chapters, blooming with images and ideas. And those never whither away...

Beautiful picture! :)

Unknown said...

Because I'm a horrible gardener as well, I've been thinking of buying fake plants. It's funny you say that.

CD

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

My wife is a big fan of plastic plants!

Jules said...

I have brown thumbs and it seems to have gone all the way up my arms. :)

I just admire the neighbors greenery.
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

Jemi Fraser said...

Love the image! I'm pretty good with indoor plants, but I don't have room for them once they grow & I end up having to get rid of them. *sigh*

Kathryn Dyche said...

I'm yet another with a brown thumb and also managed to kill a cactus . . . . funnily enough the only thing I've ever managed not to kill was a plant called mother-in-laws tongue!

Ann said...

I can grow lovely things outdoors. Indoors is a whole other story. Watering is the problem. I can nearly hear my indoor plants groan, just let me die in peace, when they see me coming to try and revive them.

Natasha said...

@ Mason- you know what, sometimes, plants just sicken and die for no reason. And that happens even to the greenest thumbed people. You don't have to kick yourself for that. And cacti are easiest to kill- all you need to do is overwater them.

@ Laura- like I said, cactuses are actually very easy to kill. Neglect is better for them than care.

@ Margot- thank you. It was a fun drabble to write, precisely for the contrast.

@ RA- thank you so much- that was really kind of you.

@ Clarissa- fake plants are perfect for anyone who doesn't want to give TLC to plants every single day.

@ Alex- sensible lady!

@ Jules- and I bet the neighbour is really happy to share the view.

@ Jemi- isn't that a pity. I hope you are able to find good homes for them.

@ Dyche Designs- why do you think it is called mother-in-laws tongue?! And that too is a cactus of some kind, unless I am mistaken.

@ Ann- I admire anyone who can grow plants indoors- like you, I have stopped trying

Tabitha Bird said...

he hee :) Oh me too. glad you worked out how to have greenery in your world.

Natasha said...

@ Tabitha- but the charm of plants is still in their unpredictability :-(

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