Long Live Fuschia!

Today's post is by my friend Sima. I thought it would be fun to have guest gardeners chat about their planting experiences from time to time and she's the first one. Thanks, Sim!

My two-year-old daughter's version of gardening is to take flowers, pull out the petals one by one and collect them in a flower pot alongside her Play-Doh. I think she gets this from me. My approach, though less direct, often wields similar results. Every plant I have brought into the six apartments that I've lived in over the past ten years has died aside from one or two branches of bamboo. Even the eighty-year-old snake plant that my grandfather gave me as he assured me it was easy to care for keeled over after getting caught in the rain. I moved it outside because it looked like it needed more light but what it didn't need was a NY in April storm's worth of water poured on it.

I'm not going to let this deter me. Creating a small terrace garden has been a goal of mine since I moved to NJ in September and ordered my copy of the Cook and the Gardener. And I don't want just any old greenery. I want color and beauty and some herbs or vegetables to bake into something delicious. Like Jen, I'm into projects and I'm always very optimistic when taking on a new one. The biggest challenge to this, besides my gardening skills, is that my terrace only gets full sunlight in one tiny corner, so I have been on the lookout for plants that can thrive with limited sunlight.

On a Sunday trip to the supermarket, I discovered fuschia- pendulous pink globes that will one day burst open into flowers suspended from deep green leaves like paper lanterns . At least fifty tiny worlds of possibility packed into one pot! And the best part? The directions specifically indicate that they like full or partial shade. How could this fail?



When I brought home my fuschia and removed the plastic it was looking a bit droopy and sad but I found a special place for it and watered it thoroughly. I've been checking on it every day (at least once) and today I noticed that my first bud was opening! See those luscious purple curves? Isn't she the sexiest little flower?


I prefer to think that I over-love rather than over-water. So far the fuschia has survived my tending. Now all it has to do is survive my daughter.