They Grow Up So Fast...

Two months ago, I reported that Justin and I had brought a botanical life into the world by successfully sprouting an avocado pit from a fruit given to us from some family friends from their garden in Florida. We had been trying to conceive for quite some time, so we were ecstatic to become plant parents. Like any new mom and dad, we are so proud of our fledgling tree that I wanted to share a photo and an update:

We repotted our baby after its first month of life, since it appeared to have stopped growing. It really wasn't a moment too soon either, as the plant was already becoming root-bound. In accordance with advice we read online, Justin conducted some extensive pruning that reduced the plant to just the stem and a single leaf, in hopes of forcing it to grow in a more aesthetically pleasing manner.  While it was nerve-wracking to see it looking so bare, it was definitely the right call, as the tree is looking fantastic now.

I sense another repotting is in our near future, as our baby is continuing to grow every day. I also fear that my initial concern that the massive size of the seed would lead to the growth of a massive tree may ultimately prove correct. We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it, but for now, we are simply enjoying this new addition to our houseplant menagerie.

A Gift That Keeps On Giving...

Ever since we moved in together, Justin has been working on a little gardening project: he has been determined to sprout an avocado seed and grow an avocado tree. I'm wasn't exactly sure where he planned on putting this tree if it ever came to fruition, but considering the fact that his initial five or six attempts were duds, I wasn't too concerned about it. Apparently, according to the internet at least, sprouting an avocado pit is often used as an experiment to teach children that plants give off so many seeds (or fruits that contain seeds) because only a small fraction of those seeds will grow up to become plants. Our experience with the Hass varietals from the grocery store seemed to teaching us the same lesson.

However, some of you may recall that in early December, we were gifted with a pair of truly gargantuan avocados from our family friends' avocado tree at their vacation home in Florida. Though the pits alone were the size of a standard Hass, Justin was determined to see if he could get them to sprout. Due to their huge size, we could not suspend them over a glass of water, as is recommended for sprouting avocado seeds. We could only stick them in a pot with some dirt and hope for the best.

To be honest, I had encouraged Justin to give up on this latest test batch quite some time ago. The dirt appeared to be growing mold, and nothing seemed to be happening with the seeds after over a month. Since they were in the man cave, however, they were largely out of sight and out of mind, so I never seriously followed up on my request for disposal. Imagine my surprise then, when I was deadheading the amaryllis plant we had similarly located next to the man cave window, and looked over to see this:

He did it! We are finally with baby avocado child! Like any expectant parents, we are going to have to do some research on what to do with our fledgling sprout, but we are excited nonetheless. I don't ever expect the tree to bear fruit; after all, we'd never be able to move it outside in this climate, even if we did have a yard. Still, I hope it will become a nice addition to our menagerie of houseplants, especially now that we've lost two of my oldest plants, who never really seemed to thrive after I repotted them last year. I also hope that the size of the seed isn't a predictor of the size of the actual plant, or this avocado tree will take over our entire house!

Roses Are Red...

I take back everything I've ever said about getting flowers. Sure they're expensive, they die quickly, and they are part of the whole Valentine's Day commercial/industrial complex that people love to rant about this time of year, but I could care less.

Justin gave me my first bouquet of roses, and it was awesome.

Isn't It Lovely...

One of the questions I have recently discovered is common when you are dating is, "What are your favorite flowers?" And until recently, I didn't really have much of an answer to that question. Sure, I like flowers; I think they're pretty, but they seem like somewhat of a waste of money because they die so quickly. Plus, in my experience, most men usually only send them as a sort of mea culpa when they have done something wrong, or when they feel a sense of obligation, such as an anniversary or birthday, instead of sending them just to brighten your day. I am far more interested in more thoughtful, personalized demonstrations of affection than in receiving flowers as some sort of hollow gesture.

But, because so many people kept asking me what kind of flowers I liked, I did some research and came up with an answer. I've always liked orchids the best, but I've heard that they are fussy and hard to grow, so I had little interest in receiving one as a potential gift. Instead, I settled upon deep purple calla lilies -- still rare and exotic like the orchid, but without all the work attached. A couple weeks ago, as a birthday surprise, Mom brought me home a potted medium-purple calla lily plant from Home Depot, and since it's a potted plant instead of cut flowers, I've been enjoying its blooms for several weeks now. Even though it's not quite my favorite shade, it's still quite fetching, so I thought I would snap a photo and share its beauty with you.

They Grow Up So Fast...

I might not have cute kids to blog about, or even a live-in pet to take care of, but there is a small population that depends on my care and attention for survival -- my houseplants. At present, they number at five: a rather sad croton plant that has been dying a slow death ever since it first came into my care nearly three years ago, a pathos plant that dates back to my sophomore year of college, an aloe plant, my youngest, and two amaryllis plants that I purchased in after-Christmas sales at the now defunct Smith & Hawken in two different years. I am particularly proud of my older amaryllis plant, because it has recently entered its third consecutive year of blooming.

Most people receive amaryllis plants as a holiday gift, allow the bulb to bloom once, and then dispose of it. That I have managed to keep mine alive, and blooming for three years is somewhat of a point of pride. Since mine came from a gardening store, it is a more unusual varietal -- instead of the characteristic crimson flowers, mine produces white blooms with delicate pink and red edges. It's really quite fetching. Sadly, it only blooms for about a month out of the year; the rest of the time it boasts little more than a rather unremarkable-looking spray of leaves (hence the reason why most people don't keep them around for long.) Still, it gives me a sense of accomplishment that I have been able to successfully nurture a plant for so long. Its sibling still shows no sign of emerging from its dormant season, but at least I can count one achievement on my gardening resume for 2010.