What About This Blog?

This blog belongs to my children.  My children have been watching me do stuff with plants since they were born.  I've talked about plants to them since they could understand spoken words.  They liked to play with dirt and flowers when they were little.  But as they grew up I figured that they detested gardening because of the chores that defined it.  My husband and I involved all of them in jobs like weeding, raking leaves, pruning, mowing the lawn, and fixing the irrigation system as soon as they can.

Beginning.  About three years ago, I planted three tiny Japanese maple seedlings in small pots.  I asked S to bring them close to the sprinkler so that they'd get watered.  This was her job to make sure that water reached them.  The plants grew and time came for us to transfer them to bigger pots.   Meanwhile S saw Japanese maple for sale at Costco and she thought that she could sell the plants that she's been watering.  At this point she decided that she now own these plants.  Time went by and we had to transfer them to even bigger pots.  Now these plants are in five gallon pots and they are almost five feet tall. 

Inspiration.  Last month we toured Filoli.  At the entrance to the gardens there was a small display of plants being sold to visitors.  A lot of the plants were succulents.  S looked at them and the checked the price.  She thought that she could sell the ones I have already propagated in small pots.  I responded positively and even planted the idea of selling at the farmers' market. 

Action.  We came home.  She was inspired.  I was pleased.  My husband was fast - he ordered 150 pots (3 & 4 inch) and trays.  I helped S plant cuttings and plantlets of some succulents that we already have growing in our yard.  We planted maybe seven trays in all.  To see her get excited about these plants is amazing!  Few days past and B offered to transplant the numerous Japanese maple seedlings under the big tree into pots.  I gave him some technical assistance just like I did with S with her succulents.  He potted seedlings until he exhausted all the potting soil.

Collaboration.  When her two siblings are doing something, M refuses to be left behind.  Today she also started helping them.  So I suggested that she propagated some Christmas cactus so that she has something of her own.  Everyone was happy.   One of the things that came about was to start a blog.

Growing Gardeners...it is all about my three children, their experience, and their thoughts on this new interest in gardening.