Do You Become Attached To Your Plants ??

[Naturally]

No I don't mean like fruit hanging off them, attached D'UH

I have never been a plant person and feel badly about that. Plants don't seem to thrive or even do well under my hand. I had pots of Yuletide Camellias in front of my house but either over watered or over fertilized them and they are just about g.o.n.e. gone. In fact I gave them to the plant lady across the street to do with as she would like.

I just this week replaced the Camellias with Wintergreen Boxwood. I choose Wintergreen Boxwood because they are said to be low maintenance and the Wintergreen is supposed to be the most cold tolerant of the Boxwood clan. Trying to set myself up for success and not failure ... again. Shoot

So far the only plant I've had success with is the Blue Bottle tree in the picture below.

Anyway, I named the plants ... Bobby Sue Boxwood and Cindy Lou Boxwood

As I'm concerned about over watering, I purchased a moisture meter and it arrived TODAY. No batteries required, stick in the pot and almost immediately observe moisture level. The watering guide that came with the meter says Boxwoods should be at a 5-6 reading. I checked as soon as I got the meter and it registered dead on 7. I had watered Bobby Sue and Cindy Lou yesterday.

The thing is, we got a little thunderstorm this afternoon and more rain. Good news is that the pots have good drainage holes in the bottom and my hope is that the moisture level soon returns to normal. I shouldn't have to water the Boxwoods for a couple of days or so. We'll see. But the good news is that I will be 100% sure if they need water or not.

Finger's crossed and prayers for Bobby Sue and Cindy Lou

 

[Naturally]

While choosing the Boxwood plants a few days ago and wandering around the garden center ... there were two ladies arranging and watering all the plants they have.

I interrupted them and wondered, if I could ask them a gardening question? ... the leery look I got from them should have told me all I needed to know ... I told them I planned on potting Boxwood plants but had no idea what kind of potting soil to put in the pots. They have so many different potting soil choices. I was just confused by the multi-selections available.

After some thought, one of the ladies volunteered that well, since Boxwood is a shrub, use Tree and Shrub soil ... and that's what I got.

Then home and AFTER getting both plants set up in pot and calling it done, I decided to take a look at the back of the Tree and Shrub soil bag. LOW & BEHOLD ... Tree and Shrub soil is intended to mixed with ground soil when putting plants directly into the ground. There was a notice on the Tree and Shrub bag that said, "Not For Potted Plants".

SOooo I pulled the plants back out of the pots and dumped the soil in a low spot in my landscape. Then I did some research online. Back at the garden center, I chose Miracle-Gro general purpose potting soil. I'd also researched "mulch" and found Boxwoods prefer pine bark. The thing is though, pine bark is available as "Nuggets" or "Mulch". After research of each, I decided to go with the pine bark nuggets for my purpose and circumstance.

Just trying to set Bobby Sue and Cindy Lou up for the best potted life possible.

 

[Muskrat]

Well i am no help…tend to have real hit and miss luck. Good luck

 

[RadishRose]

Well, a little.....

 

[Paulina]

No.

 

[Naturally]

In 2010, I had six pots of Dwarf Boxwood, two pots of False Bamboo and a couple of baskets of Impatiens.
... and a tub of some of the original stuff that was there when I bought the house. Some kind of grass type plant stuff.
Had to say goodbye to all of them at some point. They weren't thriving.
The Dwarf Boxwoods and False Bamboo went to the plant lady across the street who put them in the ground.
They ARE thriving over there. The rest got tossed without ceremony.

Also said goodbye to a whole bunch of trees around the house.
100ft pines made me nervous during bad storms.
I've personally seen strong wind snap off pine trees like matchsticks.
DID NOT want one of those beasts coming down on my house. Shoot

And I bought the house and property barely seen in the left of the picture.
Tore the house down, cleared and fenced the lot. It was a low cost rental and some tenants weren't nice.
Problem solved.

Life goes on and 15yrs later, I'm trying harder with Bobby Sue and Cindy Lou Boxwood (posted above)

And a current pic of the front of the house taken this week ...
Besides all else different from 2010, there's a new metal roof on the house
Well, new from about 8yrs ago.

 

[jujube]

There's no use getting attached to them....they'll be dead soon enough.

Plants have been known to commit suicide in the back of my car on the way home from the nursery. I can hear them moaning before I even get out of the parking lot.

I have a thumb so black that Crayola had to invent a new name for the color.

 

[RadishRose]

Your place is so cute. Nice area, too. Are those people still across the street?

 

[Aunt Bea]

I have two house plants that I inherited from my Mom.

It’s been over 15 years and they are still hanging in there.

One of them is a Christmas cactus that she started from cuttings that were given to her in the 70s by an old friend and the other is a pothos of similar vintage.

I water them and cut them back every few years, we get along.

I’m not sure what the future holds for any of us.

 

[Naturally]

Your place is so cute. Nice area, too. Are those people still across the street?

Thanks Rose !!! ... always a work in progress with something to do.

The lady I gave the Dwarf Boxwood and False Bamboo to, lived and raised a family of six children for over 35yrs across the street. Sadly, Doris and Ken passed away in 2014 and 2015. The house over there is a rental home now and a nice woman lives alone over there. She's a plant person though and I've given her a couple of potted Yuletide Camellias for hopefully better care or pot repurpose as she pleases.

I live in a quiet neighborhood with only one bad neighbor. Have I mentioned the trashy rats

 

[Naturally]

@RadishRose ... this is the house across the street where a plant lady lives.
The Yultide Camellias are difficult to see in the picture in the blue pots on the right (arrow)
They're just sitting there waiting to see what is going to be done after I gave them to her this week
The Dwarf Boxwoods and False Bamboo that I gave Doris Jerkins years ago are on the left of the picture
... where the goalpost looking annotation is ... the trashy rats live in the pink house

 

[RadishRose]

Have I mentioned the trashy rats

yes, they are the ones I was referring to.

 

[RadishRose]

False Bamboo

I read that's terribly invasive.

 

[Naturally]

yes, they are the ones I was referring to.

Unfortunately they are still there in the pink house.
About a month and a half ago, I called city Code Enforcement on them.
Nothing has changed

 

[Naturally]

I read that's terribly invasive.

Hasn't been over there in the ground. Dunno
I could be calling what it was and is, by the wrong name though.
... thought it was False Bamboo

 

[RadishRose]

Hasn't been over there in the ground. Dunno
I could be calling what it was and is, by the wrong name though.
... thought it was False Bamboo

It looks fine over there, whatever it is,

 

[Naturally]

@RadishRose ... here's a picture of the trashy rat's house taken late winter earlier this year. They allow dogs to free roam and maintain a colony of free roaming cats. That white dog was sometimes trouble when people were out for a walk and I think the police were called on them several times. They keep the dogs more under control now ... not because they want to. I get along with all dogs, so he was no problem for me but there are still city pet ordinances to follow and can be enforced.

 

[Naturally]

^^^ That picture only hints at the debris and filth over there.
I have NO idea what that green thing is. They kept it there unused for several weeks and it's gone now.

What that green thing is hiding in the picture is a broken down, abandoned truck there back behind it.
There's a man, woman and two boys living a shed behind and to the right of that house. Living.in.a.shed.
The woman that lives in the house won't let her daughter and daughter's husband live in the house. She doesn't trust them.
The trashy rats are charming BS artists who will place blame on anything & anyone except failure to take personal responsibility of their own.

 

[Jules]

Indoors, I have one plant of the three I moved here with. It sorta gets my attention by dropping leaves all over the carpet. I suppose I should change the soil.

Outdoors, the few plants and lawn are maintained by a gardening crew.

 

[Doste]

I got rid of most of my gardening tools when I arrived here, which has no garden. I now have a couple of plant pots with some plants in them outside.

 

[hearlady]

@Naturally , I've often thought I should have better relationships with my plants. They grow but don't thrive. The outside ones do better than my inside plants.
I have large box woods in front of my house. They stink which is not good when the windows are open. It's kind of an acrid smell.
My next door neighbors aren't quite as bad as yours but with five adults living there someone ought to be able to something to improve the place.
Bobby and Cindy will be fine. Haven't you seen those adoption PSA's? The kids are just happy to have their bumbling, fumbling new parents.

 

[Naturally]

@Naturally , I've often thought I should have better relationships with my plants. They grow but don't thrive. The outside ones do better than my inside plants.
I have large box woods in front of my house. They stink which is not good when the windows are open. It's kind of an acrid smell.
My next door neighbors aren't quite as bad as yours but with five adults living there someone ought to be able to something to improve the place.
Bobby and Cindy will be fine. Haven't you seen those adoption PSA's? The kids are just happy to have their bumbling, fumbling new parents.

Not all Boxwoods stink but some do have a distinctive odor. I've heard it described as cat urine, manure or a musky odor.
Also read the odor can be released when the plant is stressed, pruned, or heated by the sun.
Some boxwood cultivars are known for having a less noticeable or milder scent. These include among others: Wintergreen Boxwood ... which is what Bobby Sue and Cindy Lou are. So I have my fingers crossed.

 

[Naturally]

I don't know if the Boxwoods are male or female so I gave them combined names

 

[MarkD]

While choosing the Boxwood plants a few days ago and wandering around the garden center ... there were two ladies arranging and watering all the plants they have.

I interrupted them and wondered, if I could ask them a gardening question? ... the leery look I got from them should have told me all I needed to know ... I told them I planned on potting Boxwood plants but had no idea what kind of potting soil to put in the pots. They have so many different potting soil choices. I was just confused by the multi-selections available.

After some thought, one of the ladies volunteered that well, since Boxwood is a shrub, use Tree and Shrub soil ... and that's what I got.

Then home and AFTER getting both plants set up in pot and calling it done, I decided to take a look at the back of the Tree and Shrub soil bag. LOW & BEHOLD ... Tree and Shrub soil is intended to mixed with ground soil when putting plants directly into the ground. There was a notice on the Tree and Shrub bag that said, "Not For Potted Plants".

SOooo I pulled the plants back out of the pots and dumped the soil in a low spot in my landscape. Then I did some research online. Back at the garden center, I chose Miracle-Gro general purpose potting soil. I'd also researched "mulch" and found Boxwoods prefer pine bark. The thing is though, pine bark is available as "Nuggets" or "Mulch". After research of each, I decided to go with the pine bark nuggets for my purpose and circumstance.

Just trying to set Bobby Sue and Cindy Lou up for the best potted life possible.

I wish I knew enough to help but know nothing about boxwoods and my potted plants don't always do well for me.

However I wonder if you could have used a bottomless pot? Sometime a pot gets broken and I'll use the top rim to make a small raised bed.