Okay, I have to admit, I can't grow my fingernails to a glamorous length because every now and then I find myself digging into dirt... I mean, soil.
My parents are to blame. My father was an agriculture graduate and he spent most of his time rigging trellises, trowelling earth and planting vegetables. My mom, on the other hand, actually cultivated and sold flowering plants, ornamental plants, exotic plants, and even aquarium plants. She can make any flora grow! My father practically competes with my mother's garden for attention.
So, it's really no wonder that I learned to love and care for greens as well. I've taken care of various cacti, ornamentals and exotics, including vegetables, in open soil, outdoor pots, indoor containers, on window sills, screened patios and office cubicles.
My gardening articles were initially concentrated on indoor gardening. I wrote more than 20 office gardening pieces (half of them humorous!) for Windowbox.com, and a few for the defunct WhOOdoo.com.
Ben Swett of Windowbox.com gave me permission to post copies of these articles here. Read some of them:
Office Gardening Articles
* African Violets
* Rigging Hanging Plants
* The Planter Drainage Conundrum
* Moisture Balance
* Plant Rotation
* Fertilizing
* Plant Grooming: How To Clean Foliage
* Office Garden Art
* How To Plant A Container Plant At The Office
* How To Decorate Your Planter
* Watering Your Office Greenery
* Office Room Plantscaping
Office Gardening * HUMOR *
* Ask Thumbelina Greene: Office Gardening
* Drainage Disasters and Famous Last Words
* Bonding With Your Plants
* You Know You Have Too Many Office Plants...
* Boston Fern's Lament
* Letter From a Concerned Officemate re: Workplace Humidity
* Confessions Of An Office Pack Rat
* Cubicle Composting Guidelines
* What to Do With Those Leftover Half-cups of Coffee
In 2008, eHow.com signed me up as one of their Home and Garden Experts. In May 2011, eHow revamped their format but has retained some of the 187 articles I wrote for them.