La Casita: One Step at a Time

My new life as a person who grows things is unfolding bit by bit. I'm trying not to take on too much at a time. My little avocado pit hasn't made much progress, but I'm going to give it a few more weeks. In the meantime, I brought these little guys home:

They're jade plants, and they are growing like crazy. At first I had them on my desk, which is in a south-facing bay window that gets very sunny, and they did great. Then I moved them into our northwest-facing bathroom which doesn't get much direct light at all, and they are still doing great. I've been watering them once a week, which I consider pretty low maintenance, but it's possible they could do with less. The only problem is that they are growing so fast I think I'm going to need to re-pot them into bigger containers, which is a new frontier for me.

I also managed to prune my philodendron without killing it. I know that doesn't sound super-impressive to people for whom tending to plants is second nature, but it's a big deal for me. I bought this plant in July to hang out on the balcony but have basically neglected it since then, leaving it outside until well after the weather got cold and then watering it only very occasionally. Somehow, the plant has survived, although its trailing vines had gotten completely out of control and it desperately needed a haircut. So I gave it one, going on instinct and the little I had read about pruning, and when I was finished I was sure that was the end of the plant. But now, a few weeks later, new leaves are starting to sprout at the places where I pruned! I think this is a miracle.

Finally, tonight I started this fun little project:

Lavender is one of my favorite scents in the world. Not the artificial stuff, mind you, but the honest-to-goodness flower and the essential oil that's made out of it. Ahhh . . . so calming. In my lawyer days I kept a tiny bottle of it in my desk drawer so I could treat myself to a little aromatherapy when I needed it:

But this particular lavender came in a bag, not a bottle. It's a Garden-in-a-Bag, and it's supposed to start sprouting within a few weeks. It won't flower for awhile, but I'm happy to wait. It couldn't have been easier to plant:

These are the "coco chips" (from the looks of them, little pieces of coconut shell) that you leave in the bottom of the bag for drainage.

This is the soil that you plant the seeds in. It was light and fluffy and smooth, unlike any other soil I've ever seen, and it smelled earthy and wonderful.