The return of the excessive gardener?

Well, after six surgeries on my left leg last year–the sixth being in October–I am finally back. Left with a lot of complications from the last surgery, I am only now conscious of my surroundings. Imagine my surprise at the number of changes to WordPress.

While away, my roommate (RM) and her son did not care for my garden and potted plants…no surprise there. All the banana plants are gone. I managed to salvage a few potted plants–hardy ones like Ixora, Croton, Mandevilla, Mexican Petunia and Crown of Thorns. My garden is a dead zone. All the Aloe vera and other succulents are in pathetic condition so I’ll probably just toss them and stick with the hardy plant varieties. It’s a shame, really. All they had to do was water some of them once or twice weekly. The potted succulents were over-watered. Go figure. What bothers me most is that RM is stupid enough to believe that I wouldn’t notice their neglect by freshly watering the plants just before my return(s) home from hospital.

A gardener has to come to terms with the conditions of maintaining plants, shrubs, trees and landscapes in general. Here in Florida, the varieties of plants are nearly boundless. Yet, one has to consider the amount of effort involved in maintaining one’s garden. When I first moved here I was guilty of over-indulging in all the pretty plants one can grow year-round here; hence, my moniker, the excessive gardener. I have quickly learned that one ought to be a prudent gardener and I’ve thought about changing the name of my blog to reflect such. However, though I might be leaning towards being more prudent, I still have excessive tastes and tendencies. So, I’ll just leave it as is.

It’s good to be back.