And just for comparison...

Apparently I'm not awful at keeping herbs alive...check out the progress of the herb bowl in just over a month of living in my yard!
And the Insiders, Belle, Draco, and Banana, since I mentioned them last time but didn't feature pictures of them:Those were taken about two weeks or so ago and I think Draco's filled out a bit since then.

Alas, there will be no pictures of Brummy, the bromeliad, because I clearly didn't do enough homework on taking care of him and I think he's on his way out. What they don't tell you at nurseries (and shops like Lowes) is that if you get a plant with a flower already on it, you're seeing the end of the life cycle of that plant. Green green green, then flower, then produce offspring called pups, then that's it. Bromeliads only flower once in their life cycle. I think that was an ambitious undertaking for me here at the Black Thumb...and an expensive one at that.

Sproing!

Spring has hit here at the Black Thumb in a big way. Kinda like a tidal wave, really...we have gotten a LOT of rain lately, and the plants are loving it. So without further ado, here are the Outsiders...

The Herb Bowl at my back steps:

Simon's Dill and Green Bell Pepper:

The Magical Mystical "Holy COW it really smells like" Curry Plant:

And more here. Click that link for a slideshow of all my garden pictures.

As for the Insiders...Draco and Umbrella are thriving when not being nibbled by the cat. There is one shoot of Jade left...he's been dying off bit by bit. Purple whatzit has gotten taller...we rescued a friend for him of the same species from Lowes for a quarter, but it was too far gone. Belle is trying her best to burrow into a picture frame but I keep thwarting her progress. The others not mentioned...are gone. Some plants I'm just not supposed to keep I suppose...but I do have Brummy, a collection of bromeliads that I need to photograph.

Gardener

Gardener
Originally uploaded by Nancy Allen

Sadly not all of these plants pictured have survived...over the winter we have lost YaYa, one of the Jades, the Daisies, the Rosemary, and Caracas. New Kid is not looking so great, and Big Banana is less of an umbrella and more sticks with a few leaves.

I'm afraid the Curse of the Black Thumb is returning...thankfully Simon will be here soon and can maybe put things right.