floracide

About a year and a half ago, one of my friends offered me a plant.  It was a debate as to whether or not I'd take it.  On the one hand, it was one of those vine plants that my roommate Amy had when I lived with her and I really like how they look.  I thought it would look especially good in my library.  But on the other hand, I come from a line of known plant killers.  My mother has never been able to keep plants alive.  We cringe whenever she gets plants as presents from well-meaning, yet unsuspecting people knowing the plant's days on the planet are numbered.   She even managed to kill a cactus once.

In the end vanity won out over practicality and I accepted the plant into my care.  It really did look lovely in my library.  The first year of ownership went swimmingly well.  Mostly this was due to the fact that I lived with Rachel, aka, the plant whisperer.  There was seriously no plant that she could not care for.  She probably could have nursed any plant to good health.  So my role in caring for my newly acquired plant was to let Rachel take care of it.  Once she asked me to water it, and all her other plants, for a week when she was gone, but I'm pretty sure I forgot and she had to do damage control when she got back.

Now that Rachel and I are no longer roommates, about once every week or two (or longer) you'll hear this from somewhere in my apartment 

"Oh! My damn plant!"

(Sorry, mom, for using "the d word" in the above paragraph.)

This exclamation will occur when 1. I notice my plant and 2. I remember that I have not watered it for one or two weeks (or longer).   I really have no idea how this plant has managed to stay alive under my care.  I definitely have my mothers genes.  I know nothing about plants, not even what kind this one is other than "vine".  And if you want to get technical, I think my vine plant is actually two plants.  Perhaps vines originated from the desert and don't need much care?  What would I know - I really know nothing about plants.  All I know is this looks pretty good: