Why are my thumbs green? How do I know?

It took me until last summer to actually recognize that I have a green thumb. And as I said in my initial post, I am no expert on the topic. This blog is simply me, exploring my green thumb, offering tips, and letting you journey along in my successful and failed experiments :)

Today's post is going to be more reflective than advice-full. I want to explore the idea of having a green thumb. Because maybe you have one too! After all, you ARE reading this blog... maybe you just haven't owned up to your green thumb! :)
 
 Looking back, it's pretty clear I've always had a green thumb. I've always loved nature, since I was very little. Not just gardening, but all of God's glorious creation. Going to the lake was always exciting. In the summer, to see the beach, the changes such as fish flies, high water. low water, rocks, shells, bugs, fish, things washing up on shore. Sunsets and sunrises, stars, birds, deer.... In the winter time, there were the giant icicles, huge piles of snow we dont see in the city. The frozen lake, and the ice ridge which looked like a mountain. The diamond snow glistening under  the blue light of sunset-sunrise, Hoar frost, sun dogs... I live for this kind of stuff.

at home as a child  I would wander around our block (because that was allowed back then lol) and look for treasures. Sticks, fun leaves etc... I'd watch things grow, dry leaves and flowers for crafts, make weird potions with leaves and flowers and see what happened (pretty sure I invented lilac perfume once).

I'd visit my grandma and admire all her house plants...basically a jungle in front of her patio door... She'd show me how to prune off dead leaves, how to press your fingers into the dirt to see if it needed water. In the summers, she would weed any garden she walked past, and she passionately taught me this skill (after I "weeded" some actual flowers lol).

As I grew, we did our own gardens at home, my mom and I. I always enjoyed this. I also learned and grew in my faith, and connected with God so much through nature.  God used nature to explain so much to me in my formative years. So the bonds are pretty strong for me.

But it wasn't until last summer that I really realized just how green my thumbs are. When we moved a year and a half ago, it was the end of summer. So we didnt do a whole lot. But last summer, not only did I garden veggies, but I also cultivated two new flower gardens. We planted trees, we planted berry bushes, etc... I began experimenting with rooting tree branches. I fell in love with various kinds of trees for their unique qualities. Last january when we went to Florida with my family, and the most fascinating things/ my strongest memories are the nature. Wondering at how their pine trees grow so tall and so sparse.(My mind logicalized that they get so much sun light that they grow too fast). Looking at a palm tree and understanding it's shape for the first time (as a leaf grows out and dies, the base of it wood-ifies. a new leaf grows out on top of that, creating that zig-zag looking trunk). Admiring hibiscus bushes in full bloom. Noticing every bird-of-paradise, low to the ground. trying to identify trees i'd never seen before. being really thrown off by the upside down night sky, and even the shade of blue that the sky held (much paler than our deep blue sunny skies in manitoba). We did lots of fun stuff, and I remember it all fondly. But my vivid visual memories are of the nature.

So yes, now that I look back, it's pretty clear I have green thumbs! And that doesn't mean that everything I touch grows magically well. (for example, i'm doing a pretty good job killing some aloe plants as I type this). But it means I'll grow that magic 10-20 years from now through the time and effort invested in this interest. through successes and failures. through learning my soil, my plants and my climate. Through Identifying patterns, and diseases, bugs, etc... No one starts out with a magical green thumb. But many people are born with an interest and desire for nature. That is the soil that can grow a green thumb.

So do you have a green thumb?

Having a green thumb is why I notice tiny details in my house plants. they don't die off as quickly as someone else's because I see the mildew of over-watering, or the slight color change in the leaves. I see if the plant is pulling too much toward a window that it needs more light. I research each plant, and try and give it the right kind of soil.  

I should point out that this is the  first winter I've had house plants. They have always seemed daunting to me, but you know what? I figured I could either not have them, or I could try! Even if I kill a few in the process. JUST CAUSE YOU DONT HAVE HOUSE PLANTS, DOESN'T MEAN YOUR THUMB AIN'T GREEN!

And almost more importantly JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE KILLED PLANTS (EVEN MANY PLANTS) DOESN'T MEAN YOUR THUMB AIN'T GREEN!

In-fact, I would go so far as to say the more plants you've killed, perhaps the greener your thumbs are. Because you keep trying, and you fail and you try again, and you fail and you try again, until you succeed! :) If your thumbs weren't green, you'd never try!  

So maybe it's time to answer a few questions for yourself:

1) do you like to be outisde? why?
2) do you dread your garden or anticipate it?
3) do you browse flowers at the store sometimes?  
4) do you notice the changes of the seasons?
5) do you notice the clouds? rainbows, or sundogs?
6) do you ever look up to see if you can see stars tonight?
7) do you long for the lanscape of another ecosystem (eg: ocean, mountains forest etc...)
8) do you get joy out of sucessfully growing something?
9) do you get frustration from garden failure? 
10) have you tried, failed and tried again at something green?
11)  do you notice changes in your plants or trees? (eg: when fruit trees flower or fruit, pine cones etc..)

I could go on... but I think you get the point. Having a green thumb doesnt mean you are an expert gardener. That simply comes with time and effort. Having a green thumb means you've been hard-wired by God to love his creation, and to tend it and delight in it.

So go on, give it some thought... admit to your green thumb! Thats the first step to nurturing it! Dont be afraid of failure. It's the first step to success. If you're  garden hasn't grown well before, figure out why! Try a different location! Try different soil, try watering more/less. Try different plants... You'll figure this out! :)