But I am also not looking to disappoint my child, so when the school sent home a plastic cup with a label that proclaimed the contents to be a marigold seed planted by my own offspring, I felt unduly responsible for its well being. I watered it even though it never seemed to do anything. When JD would move the cup, I would remember to find it and make sure it has been watered recently enough to keep the soil wet.
That game went on for a while-- me taking care of the thing, and it giving me nothing in return. Then, all of a sudden it seemed to explode with green above the soil. Even looking at the soil through the clearish plastic cup I can see lots and lots of thin green lines-- the damn thing grew. Even more amazingly, it started to flower. The first bud appeared right before JD and Monkey left for the Old City. I took pictures almost every day while they were gone. They came back yesterday, and now we have two blooming flowers.
I have no idea why watching the thing bloom in that plastic cup makes me so happy. It's small, it's confined, and I didn't have to do anything except water it. But it's just that I never had anything grow from seed for me before. Do you think it means I am ready for more challenging projects? And what do I do with the marigold now? Will it continue to be happy in the cup, or am I supposed to move it somewhere?
This post is part of Mel's Show and Tell. Go see what the cool kids are showing and telling, and, if you are so inclined, jump in yourself.
26 comments:
hooray for blooming marigolds! and you didn't *just* water it -- you intended and remembered to care for it, provided sunshine and nourishment, etc. it's always a tiny miracle when life blooms from seed. now you can re-plant it to a slightly larger pot, add some fresh soil, and it will continue to grow...
Go YOU! I do not have a green thumb at all.
Nice work! I have no idea, but I'm thinking Luna's right. It's lovely.
What lovely little flowers! I am not a gardener myself but can appreciate that sense of achievement!! I hope it will inspire you to do some outdoor gardening!!
I always feel a sense of accomplishement when a plant lives despite my black thumb.
i have just finished killing off most of my house plants...so there will be no advice from this corner.
but it is beautiful, that little marigold.
Now is definitely the time to re-pot into a larger container. Use some potting soil/compost to fill it in with and that combined with the extra room will really help it to grow strong and produce lots of blooms. Pinch the flowers off once they have died - this will help more flowers to come through.
I have what my father likes to call a "black thumb". Every plant that I touch dies a horrible death for some reason. I envy your marigolds!
Thanks for the Show and Tell!
Julia, I happened to 'click' here from another blog's 'show and tell' (I'd never checked that out). However, I was intrigued that I came upon another blog within 2 days of someone whose had a similar loss as I (after MANY years with an RE; I also have PCOS) .
We had a son, born still, 4/30/02. That event will never leave my memory. It changed my life.
When those buds appeared and then bloomed must have been absolutely thrilling for you! I love it something I've tended to finally blossoms.
Thanks for sharing!
Watching something grow into something more is totally fun - I am the biggest garden dork who stares at her garden ALL the time!
When you repot make sure you have a pot with holes in the bottom for drainage otherwise there is a risk of waterlogging. You have also coincidentally given me the germ of an idea for my own blog post topic for later - thank you.
The marigolds are beautiful. I too have a black thumb; however, I one day aspire to grow marigolds with my (not-yet-conceived) children.
As someone who has never been able to keep a garden (or even a flower in a pot) growing, I am very impressed. It's the small things that are the most beautiful.
you might should put that sweet thing in a bigger pot.
That's inspirational! Our front walkway is covered in clover because I haven't been able to commit to planting anything in the bed. Maybe marigolds are just the thing.
See, all you needed to do was start small, now the possibilities are endless!!!
Either pot it or plant it outside. Marigolds are good to ward off yucky bugs in your garden.
Saying hi from NCLM! I love to plant seeds and watch them grow. It is very satisfying to be able to keep something alive. But also quite upsetting when it dies! I try to garden organically and it means bugs get their own way a lot of the time - but I guess that's all part of the circle of life.
Nice marigolds. What are you going to try next?
here from naclomleavmo.
I'd say your thumb has been holding out on you- it is, indeed, a nice shade of green.
Well see here I bought my marigolds in flats as I posted pictures of everything we tried from seed (dried up and shriveled). So you're way ahead of me. I cheat.
In some ways growth is always a miracle. And when the result is something beautiful, it makes sense that you were excited to watch it!
Here from nclm...
hi
I'm here from NaComLeavCom
I am sorry for the loss of your son.
My daughter was stillborn too in 2004.
That is a precious little bloom of marigolds - they should be planted out to garden or a large pot... freedom to grow and bloom more!
My Little Drummer boys
warm regards
Trish
Growing things is immensely satisfying. Growing things and eating them even more so I find. Marigolds remind me of my grandad.
I love that first picture.
Oh, the marigold. The Eldest's marigold grew amazingly, and I eventually planted it in the side walkway. Where a squirrel came along and ripped it up within hours. So much for metaphors of growth.
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