I always thought Petunia was a pig's name....

Ok. Sunday. 

Blog day and the pressure was on after releasing a blog last week. 

I’ve had some lovely messages from people saying they enjoy my blog and I just ran into a gorgeous friend who told me she couldn’t wait to read this weeks blog!!

No pressure!

What was I going to load off on today?

Then I decided to let you all in on my new obsession. 

It started last week. I set eyes upon something and wanted it. Now. And with Scotty away for the whole weekend I decided I could indulge myself and hope he doesn’t notice too much of a difference when he gets home. 

Now, I never thought I’d be THAT person. You know….the obsessive type who went a little crazy. Someone who secretly went to a place I’d never really been before.

But, alas……I am. 

That place….Bunning’s gardening section.

My new obsession is…….PLANTS.

Yep…I’m a little slow. Indoor plants are a huge thing. But they scared me. All that watering, finding the right spot, the right pot (self watering or non self watering???), finding a plant hardy enough to live despite my obvious lack of any knowledge when it came to anything green. 

I mean, I have dabbled. I have a little indoor (real) plant that has survived around 2 years. A little one given to me when I was team manager of my daughter’s netball team. I received it on a stage and made myself smile and look excited, all the while thinking that these people don’t know me very well. A massage voucher was much safer. But this little plant is thriving!! Every now and again, I give it a bit of water and move it to different parts of the house to encourage growth. And it is still pretty! And green!

So where to start? I already had a pot……it was grotty and dirty and was full of old dirt from goodness knows where. And every time I looked at that pot I saw potential. Flowering potential. 

So off to Bunning’s I went.

Now…you know how in previous blogs I spoke about my little sister being the creative one? Well, my big sister is the gardening one. She has a gorgeous garden and she works in the gardening section of Bunnings! So my excuse for never trying gardening was that I would never know as much as her! I would never be “good” enough. If I didn’t try, I didn’t fail. But I really want a nice garden! I love other people’s gardens! And that myth that you get good at gardening and know the name of every plant that ever lived as you get older is a load of crap! I thought it was a built-in phenomenon that appears at around 45 years of age and produces blooms galore in your mind and then at your house. But it didn’t work on me. 

OR HAS IT?!?

Because this weekend while Scott has been away, I have probably spent around 4 hours at nurseries! I even ran into my mum and her two friends who thought I was at the nursery to get a coffee! They all had a giggle at my enthusiasm and lack of knowledge but I forged through that nursery determined to buy some plant love.

And I purchased stuff!! I’m pretty sure my sister thought I was lost when I turned up in the garden section of Bunnings. But I told her I wanted to plant and she lovingly pointed me in the right direction, humouring me with encouragement. 

Potting mix, pots, little plants with names I don’t know but had pretty coloured flowers. All I know is they all tolerate full sun (good for where ‘m placing them) and they look gorgeous (at the moment, under professional care at Bunnings).

Last week I even bought a peace lily for inside! Now that’s optomistic! Because that one cost me $37.50. It must live! 

I figure, all our kids have survived me bringing them up….surely some plants can benefit now from my nurturing now that my kids are bigger?!

So our barren front yard is getting a makeover The pot plants are just the beginning. A little piece of prettiness on our front verandah which has been significantly neglected over the years. It’s not much, but I love it. We are also going to need a garden. Fortunately my big sister has offered to help with that part.  I have no idea where to start. I just know I want shrubby things, and some flowers and colour. And I’d like it if I don’t have to weed a lot. I’m more than happy to be bossed by her as to what to get and where to put it. And I may even learn something. Like the names of plants other than lavender. 

It’s another lesson for me in started something I know nothing about, something I’m not good at, but want to learn. I’m prepared to accept help. I’m prepared to fail with some of my “experiments”. Because a nice garden will be worth the effort, worth the time, and worth going out of my comfort zone and doing something I’ve not tried or been good at before.

But that’s what life is all about…right? 

Trying new things, getting things done. Done, not perfect. 

And you never know….gardening may just become a passion! 

P.S. Feel free to hit me with tips and tricks and maybe check in with me in a few weeks so make sure the plants haven’t met with untimely deaths….

Have a great week! 

Love,

Cherie with a C.

XXX

Stay peaceful, Lily.

These plants have survived the first 24 hours with me as their mum!! Go me!