Thanks Santa!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas yesterday. Mine was lovely. Dinner was tasty, and my family shared a few laughs while opening our presents. All in all, it was a nice day.

As usual, "Santa Claus" spoiled me again this Christmas. :) Among my awesome new gifts was the AeroGarden7 I wanted. Not only did I receive the garden system, but 2 seed pod kits, spare bulbs, and the dressing/marinade blender as well! Now I just have to decide what to grow first and where to put my cool new garden. :)

Check back soon to hear more about my new little garden and see pictures of the plants' progress (once I start the first kit). I'm so very excited to start growing the indoor garden!

By the way, the picture in this post is of my umbrella plant, Herman. Sitting down for the holiday festivities, I noticed he had some new growth. It was so cute and little, I had to take a picture. :) By the way, yes, I name my house plants... I also have Gerardo the palm tree and Chloe the clover in the living room. I haven't named the new Christmas pine just yet.

Potted Pines

Shortly before Thanksgiving and after my return from Europe, I visited my local Walmart to browse the garden area turned Christmas department. Initially interested in purchasing one of the many beautiful poinsettias, a small shelving unit with small red pots caught my eye.

The festive pots provided homes to some adorable evergreens. Their small size and overall healthy appearance, coupled with a decent price tag(around $5 each), lead me to bring one home.

Fast forward to the present: My little tree looks to be thriving so far in its spot by the window. Eventually, I know the plant will outgrow its home, leaving me with one of two choices: plant it outside and let it take off, or turn it into my first attempted bonsai specimen.

I'm leaning toward the second option. The art of bonsai is intriguing and I've read that different pines are commonly used for that purpose. After a bit more research and a few answered questions, I will make my decision.

Here are a few of my questions if you would be so kind as to help me out:
1. Is a "Christmas" pine (living, roots attached, etc.) a feasible option for learning bonsai or would the mere act of trying kill the plant?
2. If the "Christmas" pine is not a feasible option, what is a good plant for a beginner like myself?
3. What are you supposed to cut in the pruning process?
4. What can you tell me about the bonsai process in general?

I will post a picture of the little tree once I've had a chance to photograph it. Any information you can provide in the mean time would be very much appreciated.

Thanks and enjoy the holiday weekend!

Indoor AeroGarden

I'm excited to see if Santa brings the AeroGarden 7 I've been looking at. From the fabulous review it received from a good friend to the mostly positive reviews on the website, I can't wait to give it a try. Theoretically, the AeroGarden should be a somewhat portable, space saving item to help me get my gardening fix, even in the dead of winter. I wonder how it will work in practice...

We'll see if the description and reviews are too good to be true. A system that produces highly productive plants with few maintenance needs and basically no dirt sounds completely bonkers! However, if the system works as it's supposed to, this could be a match made in Garden Heaven! Fresh herbs in the middle of a Pennsylvanian winter, without selling my liver on the black market to afford them at the grocery store? Count me in!

Hopefully the system will work as well as it says. I like the compact design and variety of options. It may just prove to be a perfect addition to any room in the house! We'll have to wait and see what Santa brings for me. :)

I ordered this little cutie as a Christmas gift for my aunt. She lives in Ohio, so the winters are just as depressingly plantless as they are here. The AeroGarden3 is adorable and I was able to find a special bundle pack that included 2 seed pod kits at no extra charge! She'll be getting the Salad Greens kit and the Italian Herbs kit with her brand new lime green AeroGarden3 when we visit shortly after Christmas. Hopefully the delivery time proves to be true!

The AG3 is much smaller than the AG7, but it comes in a variety of pretty colors and fun designs. With the current deal of 2 seed pod kits with purchase plus $10 off the original price of the systems ("new" colors only, not the dog, bee, or ladybug), it makes a perfect gift!

The images in this post came from the AeroGarden website.