The brown thumb legacy

Sunday, August 24, 2014 Permalink

So, I don’t want to insult all of my christian/religious readers out there but I do need to let you know… I’m thinkin’ I could give Jesus a run for his money.

Oh yeah!

You see, I come from generations of peeps with a brown thumb, or two. Well, neither of my parents could grow stuff, so… #closeenough.

Although I’ve actually had a ‘few’ plants which have survived my tender care over the past year, most haven’t. #RIPpalm #RIPfloweringplant #RIPfloweringplant2 #RIPfloweringplant3 #RIProsemary #RIPcactus (etc)

brown thumb

This time last year. Sadly only one of these is still with us today…

However, despite my brown thumb, I have recently done what the big J did. I’ve brought something back to life.

Sort of.

About a year ago a friend of my mother’s planted me some rosemary. For months I tended it lovingly – chopping off bits now and then to add some greenery to my diet and watering it with some regularity. It was very healthy and luscious.

And then it was brown. And kinda dead. I don’t know why. Diabolical forces at play no doubt. (Bloody competitive sabotaging chives.)

brown thumb

It seemed sudden, but as I rarely go out on my verandah in winter (except at night on occasions when I remember I need to water my plants) it could have been months in the making. But… it came as a shock. Nevertheless I kept watering it in the hope it came back to life. (Like Norman Bates and his mother. But less creepy!)

Then one day, I stuck a stick of fresh rosemary in with the dead stuff – assuming it would be traumatised by its predecessor and expecting little. As it’s still winter and I haven’t ‘looked’ at my plants in daylight for a while I just assumed it went the way of its ancestors however… I ventured out onto my verandah in daylight the other day and… ta da! It’s grown. Brought back to life. Sort of. Or a bit like mad scientists growing a spare body part on someone’s torso. But different. And also less creepy.

It motivated me (5mths after its death) to pull out the dead brown rosemary and let the green stuff have the whole pot to itself.

brown thumb

Never heard of a grey/gray thumb.

It’s an August miracle I tell you. Of course just as I discovered the rosemary resurrection, the original rosemary donor finally got around to giving me some more so this time I can double my chances of success.

Are you green-fingered? Or perhaps a loud and proud killer of plants.

*Joining the LaughLinkUp

PS. Apologies to the religious peeps (like my mum) who may be offended that I’m comparing my miracle to those of Jesus. Purportedly. #hisnotmine 😉

20 Comments
  • Pinky Poinker
    August 25, 2014

    Both my husband and I are pretty useless. Scotto bought me a bonsai for my birthday and managed by carefully nurturing it every day to get it to last for two years!!!! Aren’t they supposed to live for a hundred years or something? Maybe it was old when we got it.

    • Debbish
      August 25, 2014

      Ah yes… am sure the plant was faulty! 😉 I had a cactus once. Supposedly unkillable. And… I killed it.

  • Char
    August 25, 2014

    For one shining spring I had a flower garden. Filled with larkspur and lobelia and various other plants that I can no longer remember. I even managed to get two tulips to flower – which is pretty impressive in Brisbane. And then my gardening powers left me and I too have joined the ranks of botanical murderer.

    • Debbish
      August 25, 2014

      Oh tulips Char – they’re my favourite flower! (I haven’t really heard of the other plants…) x

  • Lee-Anne
    August 25, 2014

    You are indeed a miracle worker of biblical proportions! Sadly, I haven’t inherited my mother’s green thumb, mine is a murky grey…I managed to kill off all my herbs, although the thyme struggled on for about a year. I’m hopeless with vegies too but am okay with flowers though only for a season (they never flower again!) Love the memes – a hit-woman for plants – LOL!

    • Debbish
      August 25, 2014

      I seriously don’t know what it is I do wrong. Three of those plants in the pic which all died were – at one point – fine. The Christmas thing with the red flower nearly lasted a year. Then my mum bought me another to replace it and it died within weeks! *Sigh*

  • hugzillablog
    August 25, 2014

    Dude, you must have a wicked brown thumb. Rosemary is literally impossible to kill. Kudos to you!!

    • Debbish
      August 25, 2014

      I know… Surely there’s some sort of prize or award!?!

  • Jess
    August 25, 2014

    I have a very brown thumb, my Mum is always asking me to water her plants when she is away and upset they all die. I seriously don’t know why they die on me but they always do.

    • Debbish
      August 25, 2014

      Perhaps they sense fear? Like children!

  • Annaleis from Teapots and Tractors
    August 25, 2014

    I love gardening but didn’t think to just strike my rosemary and replant for new bushes. I am just going to take your gardening advice and try it!

    • Debbish
      August 25, 2014

      I think I kinda knew that’s what you did… but not even sure why I tried it. I had some in the fridge and just stuck a stick of it in and – next time I looked (!!!!) it’d grown.

  • Ed @ The Tunnel
    August 25, 2014

    I killed two rosemary plants in my heyday but something went wrong with the last one and it has thrived so much that it is now the size of a small tree!

    I am sure no one will mind the Jesus references, unless your post goes viral in the US. In which case, let me be the first to say that I am appalled, you heretical plant murderer! 🙂

    • Debbish
      August 25, 2014

      I was more worried about the worshipping false idols thingy (ie. likening myself to he-who-purported created loaves and fishes and resurrected himself etc etc).

  • homelifesimplified
    August 25, 2014

    My hubby has a green thumb. I am of the black or grey variety. When I was 8 months pregnant with my first daughter hubby ended up on hospital getting his appendix out. It did not occur to me until the last day of his stay that perhaps his plants needed to be watered (killed everything). He said what are you going to do when the baby comes- hello babies cry for food, I need plants that remind me to water them!!!! Deb xx

  • Emily @ Have A Laugh On Me
    August 25, 2014

    Firstly LOVE your new makeover to the blog. And secondly ha bloody ha in regards to Norman Bates, shiver. I have a black thumb and there ain’t no changing that, I want to see a photo of it! Thanks for linking x

    • Debbish
      August 26, 2014

      Oh thanks Em. Have been procrastinating over the new theme since I downloaded it in April!

  • Ness
    August 26, 2014

    I hate all gardening, much to my Mum’s disgust as she’s besotted with it. I have these little moments where I think ‘Maybe I should start a herb garden’ and then I just laugh and go buy the over priced bunches at Coles. Or get some off my Mum. See? Why bother when I have a supplier. Ahem.

    • Debbish
      August 26, 2014

      Yes – I completely understand, though I often buy them in jars as I don’t use some herbs often enough!

I'd love to hear your thoughts