Wilted dreams of a green thumb

The cast-iron plant on my dining room table is technically not dead. But in my head, it already has moved on to the next world.

A few months ago, I embarked on a daring (for me) experiment: Try to keep a few houseplants alive.

My previous record with houseplants is not impressive, which is why I don't buy them.

This time around, I selected hardy plants, including a Chinese evergreen, an anthurium, a lucky bamboo and the cast iron.

I picked the brains of various gardeners about the best watering techniques. I thought carefully about where each plant should go for optimal light. I checked their progress daily.

At first, I loved the greenery dotting my living room.

But after a couple of weeks and a few yellow leaves, I started to fret. The dead leaves stressed me out, and I rationalized their demise, blaming a 27-day rain streak last winter. I stayed up late surfing the Internet, worrying that I was overwatering. I asked friends to look at my plants.

Get help earning your green thumb

Here are a few resources that may be able to help novice gardeners achieve green-thumb status:

Elisabeth C. Miller Horticultural Library: Open 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays, tours available 7 p.m. first Mondays, Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 N.E. 41st St., Seattle; free (206-543-0415 or www.millerlibrary.org).

Plant Answer Line: 206-897-5268 or go to www.millerlibrary.org and click on "Plant Answer Line."

Washington State University Extension: gardening.wsu.edu

Audio tape library: The Washington State University Cooperative Extension/King County 24-hour Dial Extension tape library offers more than 200 titles at 206-296-3425. Call 206-205-3100 for a free catalog.

But despite me, most of the plants made it.

The anthurium stayed glossy and green over the months. The Chinese evergreen, which sat next to the cast iron, bloomed waxy white flowers. The bamboo was nonchalantly healthy in its dark corner.

But the supposedly indestructible cast iron — the one plant I was assured would live no matter what I did — was yellowing, unhealthy and unhappy. It haunted me.

So I cheated. I begged a landscape designer for help during an interview on an unrelated topic. He thought the soil was probably compacted, and the roots weren't getting water. He suggested I repot the plant or soak it in the sink to loosen the soil.

I tried the easier soaking technique. It fixed the problem for a while, but then the plant went back to its yellowing ways. I gave in and repotted.

That was two months ago. The cast iron looks worse than ever, drooping next to the evergreen.

Plants clean the air, soothe your eyes with their beauty and are supposed to make you happier. I pretty much hate this plant.

I figured out recently I could possibly save the cast iron plant with plant food, one step I never took.

But I know myself. The cast iron is headed for the compost pile.

Nicole Tsong: 206-464-2150 or ntsong@seattletimes.com