A Little TLC

I'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE to grow hardy cyclamen. I have several educated guesses, which I define as guesses forged in failure, as to why.

First, they came as frail, newly dug plants from generous friends. Having no reserves to counter whatever neglect followed a typically frenzied planting session, they simply disappeared. Also, cyclamen goes dormant (invisible!) when everything else is green (visible!). Therefore, they fell prey to whatever frenzied planting or weeding sessions later took place.

But the most correct guess is probably this: I wanted them too much, thought about them too much and tried too hard. All the best plants, I'm convinced, are just like most of my high-school girlfriends were. They get freaked out by too much attention. And then they die. (The plants, I mean. Not the girlfriends.

They simply broke up with me. And then I died.