When I moved into my own apartment back in 1989, my aunt gave me a house plant. It died.

A co-worker thought my computer lab was too sterile and I told her that I couldn’t keep plants alive, she thought she solved the problem and gave me an air plant. It died.

I used to go walking with friends in Pearl City and once we walked past a home and I admired the beautiful, fragrant gardenia plants blanketing the property line. The owner heard me and after telling us, “Wait, you wait up,” shuffled down her driveway with a potted gardenia plant telling me her re-pottings were especially hearty. “You no can kill ’em.” After finishing our walk carrying a potted plant I thought, this is it. This one will live. It died.

I had pretty much given up on growing anything until in 1999, KidC was born and I guess my family and friends thought “Well, she grew a baby in her belly, surely all these orchids attached to balloons and stuffed animals have a fighting chance.” Thank goodness orchids are drought tolerant. And thank goodness when my mother and mother-in-law came to help with BabyKidC, they also watered those orchids because here I am 14 years later and I still have those orchids.

Not only do I have those orchids. I have a lemon and lime tree. I have eggplant and chard and tomatoes and green onions and mint and basil and rosemary and strawberries. I have a garden!

So inspired by this newly acquired and time-tested ability to keep non-sentient things alive, I’ve expanded my plantings to our front courtyard. Yes, instead of having our yard guy continue his landscaping labor. I determined to undertake the small section by myself. Inspired by the aromatics of having mint, basil, and rosemary I decided to use herbs to landscape. I’ve got rosemary, sage, thyme, lavender, and green onion!

It pleases me to go outside to water my garden. I love putting on my gardening gloves to weed. I talk to my plants and tell them to grow strong. I wave as my neighbors drive by or walk by with their dogs. I am amused because I’ve become that old lady in the garden. You know what? I’m pretty proud of that!

I’m posting a blog every day this month for NaBloPoMo!

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