My Not So Green Thumb!

While at my parent's these past few days I have become depressed about my gardening skills. At first I didn't think I was that bad...but as I walk into my parents backyard plant paradise I discovered that my skills were just beginner and my plants were on the brink of death. So why is it that my mom can have the exact same plants in full 100+ degree sun as I do in not so hot of sun and hers are doing so much better. It could be her live-in full time gardener, or is that I just can't keep plants alive?

Exhibit A: Zucchini -- notice the size difference and her pretty plant vs. mine--which was bought at the exact same time, planted well before hers and now is struggling to survive!!

Exhibit B: Hibiscus (my poor hibiscus has gone from green leaves to yellow

leaves and back to green leaves finally...but the gazillion blooms it has had on it have only produced ONE flower and hopefully one more will be open by the weekend...my mom's has two open today and many more (approx 5) that will be open tomorrow!

Exhibit C: Lantana -- the first picture is her beautiful hanging basket of Lantana that I purchased for her, the same time I purchased mine, the second picture is my Lantana and the third is Lantana she has growing out of asphalt! ASPHALT, PEOPLE!! What is wrong with my green thumb. If my parents can get lantana, strawberries and geraniums to grow in ASPHALT what the heck is my problem with potting soil?!?! No, they do not plant in asphalt, but they have plants OTHER THAN weeds coming up in their asphalt on their patio...it all THRIVES!! Give it a few weeks and that wee plant will have flowers as will the geranium and as I type, I just picked two strawberries from the asphalt plants!

Exhibit E: This is a picture of my parent's luscious green grass...something I long to someday have in my yard. Whereas my yard is green, not quite so luscious, it has slick weeds and the weeds that produce goat heads growing throughout that I cannot get rid of. So we are resorting to a bit more expensive tactic of weed killer since the more we pull the more it grows! Tilling and sodding will be a last resort, however; probably won't be happening this year!!

Exhibit D: Geranium -- This is the Geranium I bought my mom for Mother's Day, in a look alike boot I planted Zinnias for myself...my thought--hardy flower, surely I can keep it alive....well it's been a STRUGGLE!!! Maybe I should have gone with the Geraniums, or maybe I should find me a live-in Gardener because I'm not quite sure the luck of the thumb is going to change! I thought next year I would have a fruit and vegetable bearing garden, maybe I need to rethink that and just have my mom's live-in, plant & harvest my garden in their alley!!