Anyway, what to talk about. Hmmmmmm....
Well, I walked into my kitchen a few days ago and got the greatest surprise ever. My gardenia that I thought I killed has actually made it through the winter. It looks pitiful, but it made it. A little back-story first then I'll show you what I walked into the kitchen and saw.
Those of you that know me that read this know that I live in Tennessee. Last year we had major flooding here in the mid-state and sorry to say but my family was affected. My nephew drown in the floods in Nashville, TN trying to get home to his children whom he was worried about and loved so much. He had a favorite flower which is the gardenia. Everyone in the family was given a gardenia plant in remembrance of him.
I love flowers and don't have any issues growing pretty much anything except this gardenia. It spent a week or so in a hot garage before I got it, and then it became infested with spider mites. I took the plant outside so I could spray it once a week and finally after about two or three months they were gone. YAY!!! Unfortunately, the leaves started to turn yellow and fall off. It looked pitiful. When it turned cold and we got our first freeze, I forgot to bring it in the house so therefore ALL the leaves got burned and fell off.
I thought that I killed this plant. My nephews favorite flower. I felt HORRIBLE. So, I stuck it out in the garage for a few months while it was really cold outside and tried to forget about it. I was telling on of the ladies that I work with about it and that I hated the thought of having to through it out. She told me to scratch some of the bark off with a knife or something sharp and if it's green underneath then there is a chance it might make it.
When I got home from work that night I promptly went into the garage, scraped it, and got really excited because it was green underneath. I immediately brought it in from the garage and put it on my kitchen counter next to the sink, where it has been sitting for a few months now. I've waited, and waited, and waited and finally I walk into the kitchen the other day and this is what I see......
YAY!!! That is why I am so EXCITED!!! I didn't kill it afterall. I'm so happy!! Now all that's left to do is to repot it with some new soil, but I may wait a while before doing that so I don't throw it into shock and do more damage to it.
Well, that's it for this post. I just wanted to stop by and share my excitement with everyone.
Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!!
Traci
