The family went for a bike ride last night to my mom’s house. Riding up I was hit with how beautiful her flowers are, all in bloom. I had to of course stop to take a picture and make a video, and whine about my flower envy to all of you. Talk about garden goals – my mom’s flowers were putting on a show. As soon as I hit the driveway, there they were: beautiful pink peonies so pristine they looked like they had some sort of beauty deal with a magazine.

Then came the little purple flowers, standing tall like they had their act together. Meanwhile, in my yard, plants resemble weary soldiers returning from battle. It hit me hard: “Even her daisies have their lives more together than I do!”

In comparison, my place? Plants practically send out SOS signals. I mean, a succulent shouldn’t be that hard to keep alive, right? Wrong. Even those end up looking like they’ve seen better days. True story, my husband bought me succulents a month ago, and I’ve already killed one! HOW!! It’s like my garden is where plants come to contemplate their existence and then decide, “Nah, I’m out.” I stood there, wondering if my mom had some secret deal with a plant wizard or a garden fairy godmother. How else could everything be so perfect? It’s not like I haven’t tried. Really, I have. But my supposed green thumb is more like a thumb-in-training.

I’ve overwatered begonias, turned petunias into sunburnt crisps, and managed to make even cacti look sad. My mom? She has houseplants that have outlived some ancient civilizations. Standing in her garden, all I could think was, “Wow, my plants would totally revolt if they saw this.” I imagined them with tiny protest signs demanding better care, like, “We want to live!” So here’s to my mom, the ultimate Plant Whisperer. Her garden is a constant reminder that while I’m good at many things, keeping plants alive isn’t one of them. Maybe one day when I grow up I’ll be able to keep my plants alive. Maybe I’ll share photos of my backyard sometime. Or not. -Tonya Cherry-