I had a dream — though not on the Martin Luther King scale — of sitting at my computer desk at home, gazing out into a lush garden with flowers of all colors and a soft breeze bring their scents through the open window into the room. This is what I envisioned as I set out on my latest project — beautifying my balcony.

Figuring that the building next door was not going to disappear overnight, that the owner would not go bankrupt and stop construction and that no bolt of lightning would bring it down, I decided my best option was camouflage.

What is a picture of an ant doing in this story though? I am at a loss to explain my failure as a gardener and after intensive research have come to the conclusion that it is down to this pesky leaf-cutting ant, the weather or my own ungreen (black) thumb. But I am getting way ahead of myself. Here is how it all started.

My usual modus operandi with any project begins with a long process of research, usually accompanied by a trip to Jarir Bookstore where I lose myself for a couple of hours. Yes you have guessed it; I am a diehard bookworm. Anyway, enthusiastic as I am about this project, I decided to bypass this tried and true method and head straight for the nursery. As the adage goes, straight from the frying pan into the fire! On the advice of my horticultural consultant — A.K.A. Mom — I decided not to go to those indoor nurseries that charge you through the nose for a few saplings but to try instead the Madinah Road nurseries.

I couldn’t contain my excitement as the car pulled into the nursery. I jumped out and looked around. As far as the eye could see were rows upon rows of greenery and shrubs, mingled with flowers more colorful than I could have dreamt of seeing in this country. A gardener who could barely speak my language yet whose love of plants seemed to shine from his very being, led me around the nursery, naming each plant with its proper botanical name in Latin. I could not decide what to buy. The scents and colors went to my head as I mentally transplanted this slice of heaven onto my own balcony. I am beginning to realize just what temporary insanity really means — the kind they plead in most TV trials — as evidenced by the trunk of my car, which began to overflow with all kinds of greenery: rhododendrons, gardenias, jasmines and other plants whose Latin names could not possibly hint at their beauty. Finally, a huge bag of sand, some pots and compost later, I headed home to plant my new acquisitions.

By the end of the evening I had a veritable Amazon rain forest on the balcony. But by the end of the week, the forest had become a woodland and then the woodland became a desert.

What went wrong? Here is some advice for any would-be gardeners out there.

Research, research, research. Don’t overlook the Internet www.gardenguides.com and www.yougrowgirl.com. And Ask! About watering, insect pests, the amount of sunshine and whatever else comes to mind. In my enthusiasm I bought the completely wrong plants; it appears that some plants prefer to be planted in the ground rather than in a pot — picky aren’t they? My balcony faces south and therefore gets the maximum amount of sunshine on any day. This can be a real killer for some of the more delicate plants, especially geraniums.

Don’t over water! I lost a number of plants for this reason — “drowned by love.” Makes a good title for a ballad don’t you think?

Don’t try to plant at any time between May/June and October. The weather is too hot and the plants will not adapt to their new environment, whether in your garden/patio/balcony or wherever. And if you get chosen by a colony of insects which begins eating the leaves of the plants, don’t rush out and buy an industrial pesticide. It is more likely to finish the job and kill the rest of the plants before you ever get rid of the pests!

Don’t laugh, but it wouldn’t hurt to talk to your plants as you go about watering and taking care of them. Trust me on this one.

As for me, the next few weeks the nursery became my favorite haunt. I believe that I may have become an important source of their income. Undaunted by the first failure, I tried again and again and again. By last count I have two surviving plants. And I still have a vision of nourishing my family from the crop of herbs and vegetables in the “garden” and of filling the house with fresh cut flowers. So come October, I’ll be back!