Spring Has Sprung!

It seems that spring has finally sprung in our area and everyone I meet is happy about it. I spotted little velvety purple flowers in my flower bed this morning. I think they’re “early irises.” Not sure. But they’re pretty. Welcome, too, after seeing nothing but snow on that spot of ground for weeks.

I love the beauty of flowers although I don’t exactly have a green thumb. In fact, whatever I plant usually dies, or at least stays very puny throughout the growing season, despite my plying them with fertilizers and water.

I blame it on the fact that I have lots of trees - too much shade - but, if you know anything about flowers, you know there are a whole host of them that thrive in shade! I’ve tried them all. Ferns, my favorite, live wherever I plant them, but never grow a new frond or get any bigger. And they seem to look even worse when I fuss over them too much or complain about their poor performance. I’m pretty sure they can hear me and refuse to grow just to punish me.
My son, who loves gardening, has the most beautiful yard from early spring until frost. But then, every moment he isn’t at his job or asleep, he’s in his yard – watering, trimming, fertilizing and fawning over his lovely flowers. Just the opposite from me, everything he touches doubles in size very quickly. If I have a plant I’m particularly fond of and it starts looking peaked, I take it to him. You might say I put it in the “hospital." When he tells me it’s ready to be released from the hospital, I generally can’t bear to take it home and watch it decline again so I let him keep it.

He’s inherited a lot of plants that way.

Perhaps this is the underlying reason I like fall and winter better than spring and summer. In early fall, I can purchase a few pots of mums to brighten things up throughout October and November, but it’s normal for them to die when it gets too cold. So, I don’t have to feel inadequate because I can’t grow flowers during these two seasons.

 My Aunt Betty, who lives in Cincinnati, is like Lee. Her yard is a flower lover's delight! Whatever she plants, thrives. She and Lee love to converse about their lovely gardens, leaving me out of the conversation. Yawn! 

Winter doesn’t stop them either. They both enjoy indoor African Violet gardens, and often send each other pictures to compare progress.

Show-offs!