my green thumb?

I don't have much luck with plants, but I still have it in my head that I could have a gorgeous garden someday. Someday, just not this day. In the meanwhile, I practice on things that are supposedly impossible to kill, but this isn't always the case.

For instance, bamboo. I had a bamboo that I bought at Eastern Market more then two years ago. It was growing like a champ. In fact, so champ-like that it was getting too big for its container. So, I googled "how to transplant bamboo" and figured it wasn't too tricky. I had a larger container and bought a bag of those smooth, polished stones and lifted it out of the old to move to the new. Meanwhile, I noticed that the roots were a bit stinky, maybe from being so cramped together, so I decided to rinse them under the sink. Maybe that was the downfall, because soon after, the bamboo died an untimely death. The leaves were yellowing and falling off, and the stalk was black. It also was really stinky. I had to toss the entire thing.

Last spring, I bought one of those herb kits from Whole Foods. It came with four small pots and bits of soil, and four seed packets- rosemary, thyme, parsley and oregano. For the first few weeks, they too, grew like champs. Then, they dried out and died too. The same day I planted those, I also had two pots where I planted wildflowers. Same story.

Last October, while waiting for my flight back to DC at the Orlando airport, I found a palm tree plant in the gift shop. I thought I so desperately needed it, so back to DC it came. I can't tell how it's doing, it looks about the same it did then, but it could possibly grow to be five feet tall. I'd totally love having a five foot palm tree blowing in the spring breeze of DC. I also have a new bamboo plant that is okay so far.

Just now, I ate an avocado and "planted" the seed. We'll see if I end up with an avocado tree to add to my nursery.