Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Tallying Up a Week of Neglect

"Aw... You missed me!" Big smile when I spotted the pretty pink blossoms of my re-blooming Orchid. She decided to flower while I was off on vacation.

First thing I do when I return home is race around to see who survived my favorite pair of house-sitting yahoos. As in my darling daughter and her cute as a button boyfriend who can somehow sit in my living room and watch tv without noticing my desperately thirsty flowers!

Shocking, I know, though they are fully capable of committing such heinous crimes...
Rats! R.I.P. dear Cymbidium.

This was a particularly challenging week for the flowers ~ indoors and out. One yahoo forgot to put the emergency brake on her car. It rolled down the hill and parked itself in my street garden!

I have not, as yet, tallied up all the damage though I can definitively say it's gonna cost her big time. As in a full summer of pro bono weeding. Plus, manual labor digging a new fish pond if the little Windflowers don't make a happy comeback.

Double rats! Huge apologies go out to my dehydrated indoor roses.

Success! I double bucketed this very special Azalea. She was treading water half the time I was gone.

Hot Tip: If your kids are in charge of indoor watering be sure you own a lot of Moth Orchids. Awfully hard to kill 'em...

22 comments:

KC said...

Bummer.....but it was the perfect time to run over the street garden. In good old Park City I doubt they had thought about poking their heads up yet. A few shovels of compost to fill in the tire tracks hopefully will take care of it. I'll keep my fingers crossed for the easy remedy and take heart next time I'm parked on the hill!

Noelle Johnson said...

Oh dear. I am glad some of your plants came out of this experience with your sister, unscathed. I do love moth orchids - I have two and they are pretty easy to take of, so far.

Anonymous said...

Garr! That is painful to even look at. I'm sorry, Kate. Those flowers are your children, too... :(

jan said...

Yahoos! Ya gotta love 'em anyway!

Victoria said...

I always enjoy your posts! AW..poor thirsty ones..it happens! They still look beautiful! Adventures in gardneing never end!
Have a happy day!
Kiki~

Amy said...

Kate, Welcome home! I can remember leaving my beloved pets (plants) to the care of my teenage daughters - a real disaster usually! You have a way with words that makes me smile.

Snowcatcher said...

I laughed all the way through this, though I drooled over all the incredible color. Kids... Holy cow, don't they ever grow up?!?

We've just received a plot in the community garden (our yard is clay), and others have said we cover for each other when someone goes on vacation. Gosh, I sure hope so, but I think I'm going to be prepared for the worst...

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Kate girl ! every time I come here it looks amazing : )
Hey .. I can't even manage one poor orchid so I do the right thing by them and not BUY them ! LOL Joy wink wink

Melanie J Watts said...

OMG! Kate my daughter is going to be watering my plants ,and tomato seedlings which are just starting to sprout, when I go on holiday in a couple of weeks. Luckily there is no hill for her car to slide down:) The Azalea is beautiful.

Johnnny said...

You have such beautiful pictures. I really like your background picture for your top title section. It's gorgeous. Happy April 1st!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

KC -- How true, how true. But, let's not make this too well known. I want to guilt her into a whole lotta garden chores this summer! :D

Hi, Noelle;
I avoided Moth Orchids for years, assuming they were very fussy. But, they are quickly turning into my favorite houseplant. Months and months of gorgeous color.

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Titanium; I was bummed about some of the seedlings but it's actually for the best. I think I started them too early so now I have a good excuse to play in the mud all over again.

Hi, Jan!
Good thing the dog can take care of himself. Ha ha

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Thx, Kiki; You're so right. 'Tis a good excuse to buy some new ones! :))

Hi, Amy; Thx for the sweet compliment. Teens and flower care... a dangerous combo!

Snowcatcher -- How fun! I'd love to do a garden plot with a group of fun gardeners. Fingers crossed they'll coddle the little babies when you're gone.

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hey, Joy; I was none too thrilled about the Cymbidum Orchids (too much work) but I bet if you gambled on a Phaleanopsis you might be thrilled. :)

Hi, Melanie - Perhaps you've trained your daughter better than I. My little tomato seedlings kicked the bucket but I'm in the midst of a snowstorm today. Thinking they're is plenty of time to start some newbies.

Thanks Johnnny! It's April already??? Where did this month go? Happy April Fools to you, too. :)

Rose said...

Sorry about your cymbidium orchid and your rose, Kate. I lost my rosemary plant while I was in Arizona, which was sad because I'd managed to keep it alive all winter. I'm planning to take a trip to see my daughter out in Oregon soon, but I'm wondering, too, if my plants will survive. The only "yahoo" left here is Hubby, who tends to forget about such things:) I may have even more casualties in May!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Rose;
It's always a gamble, isn't it? :)

Say, that's quite a feat -- keeping a Rosemary plant alive for so long. I have the worst luck with those things!

Anonymous said...

Wow, Kate. That PINK orchid is stunning. I'm glad it survived the "yahoos." I love that term. May I borrow it? I've got several around here and I wish they'd do something naughty so I could get their help. LOL

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Thanks, Grace :) Yep -- that's the upside of plant mistakes while I'm gone. They owe me tons of favors when I return!

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

I'm lucky I have local gardening friends who can watch my plants when I go on vacation--they're also the first thing I check (um, my plants, not my friends) when I return home from a trip. I'm sure your other plants will recover. Happy Easter!

Friko said...

Oh dear,
how about leaving a list of detailed instructions the next time you go away, which are to be followed on pain of reprisals. There must be something these plant vandals hold dear?

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Happy Easter to you, too, Monica! I sent you a card. I hope you got it.. Who knows with spam filters the way they are these days.... :D


Friko! I loved your post today. I'm such a jaded American. Who knew? As far as the dead flowers ~ I'm pretty zen with it. Fine excuse to buy a few newbies. :D

joey said...

Come or go, I love my orchids. Time away from normal routine ... priceless! Fun to catch up, Kate. Dear friends, like our souls, are ageless!