Monday, November 4, 2013

Imperfection Visualized) or “As Is” Gardening



I was told by a mentor / friend that Claude Monet, had a signature use of misplaced color.  He purposefully interjected, “islandized”, “orphanized” or in some way “stranded” a color somewhere in every painting.  He did this because he believed it was necessary to do this as a reminder to the onlooker and himself that “It” whatever “It” may be, is never perfect. We have to accept life and gardening “as is”.

I had come to like this thought process because whether I liked it or not it had already become part of my “style” of designing/ gardening. Perhaps it began as an AADD symptom, a lack of follow through, a short attention span or just being a newbie without the necessary skill set to be sure to check every tag in a flat when choosing pre-flowering plants.  But an odd thing kept happening, as my design opportunities “grew”, so did my “mistakes.” ( Humm, a true refection of life, - the longer, the more!)

 And I began to relate to the unintentional rebel!  I saw the randomness as a natural portrayal of marking the birthplace of a future plant colony. I thought in my youth “well someone has to be first”, this to me was God’s Hand and His placement of a pioneer plant.  It became a visual of how I saw myself, an ambassador, a pioneer, but never an orphan, like my mother.  I had family, even if there was, at times, significant distance between myself and my siblings.

Now with my mother gone and my dad passing do I see this “As Is” gardening with a glimmer of pessimism.  Did I sentence those plants to a life of loneliness?  Was I simulating an imagined promise or portraying nature’s allowance for a certain percentage of efforts to come to a natural real life, historic end. Are these imperfections the reflections of my own relationship flaws?

In my effort to do things right, I have made so many mistakes.  I followed work plans, business plans, family plans, and now my dad’s plan.  I followed directions so well I am stranded, islandized and practically orphanized.  I am staring at another completed project that has left me alone.

I can see I have become for real the unintentional rebel.  I am in what feels like a wrong or wronged place.  It is scary to be away from the familiar.  I don’t know how it actually happened but I am here and they are elsewhere. The gap is huge so I look for comfort in my God who knows me and controls everything for my best.  He knows my flaws and loves me “As Is”.  So as I walk pass a flowerbed with a lone stranded color I remember all the imperfect places where  I’ve left my mark and wonder what ever happened and am grateful that gardening is an “as is” process never finished and I too am a “work in progress”


Saturday, August 17, 2013

WHAT IF YOU WOKE UP TODAY ONLY WITH THE THINGS YOU WERE THANKFUL FOR YESTERDAY

Ok, I am trying something different- actually I am holding on to what still feels good to me regardless of a the day, week, year, person or persons and place- gardening. I am thinking about it, looking at it, digging, cutting, planting, talking about it and being thankful for my relationship with friends, family and this green heart of mine.

 I lost my focus, had my attention redirected, my mind cluttered and my energy poured out in more ways than I can’t count.  But funny thing, it’s all had some good come from it, especially from friends, family and the kids.  Even my recent pity party revealed a friendship I didn’t know I had and a reminder that Vitamin F (Friends) can keep you on a blessed path.

For me there is a deeper component to Vitamin F, it is the complex that binds F to your heart, body and soul, the essence of Vitamin F, Vitamin R: relationships.  It is the connector that allows F to be stored in times of stress.  It strengthens the affect of F and most importantly it ties into heart health and it is what I am most thankful for every day!  (It may even explain my new fondness for my smart phone where I can visit with friend or family, even when they are busy or asleep.  It lets me reach out and touch, remember, renew and begin relationships. ) 

Does it sound strange to say I am thankful for daisiedic was on the Wednesday before he died.  When I got his mail he was feeling conversational. Sometimes he would pick a topic he knew would get a reaction from me.  He knew me well and although it might have sounded like an argument, I was not arguing with him.  He was complaining how “everyone” preferred the complicated, the novelty and extremism of non-daisy flowers.

 I had felt uncomfortably lumped into a category of collector enthusiasts.  It certainly sounded insulting but it had an edge of truth.  I had been feeling disconnected and maybe had withdrawn from horticulture with a sour grape comfort in thinking that I was not missing much because nothing was new or different any more.  A lot of “sameosameo”.

The few times I had slipped away to get my hands dirty my mind was preoccupied I know but it felt like the plant shelves were just a blur of “what did they do, just renamed that” and “oh they are marketing that floppy failure as trailing form now?”

I know now I was not being fair.  I was doing what I dislike the most “lumping”.  I was lumping feelings, lumping thoughts, people and past memories.  And now my dad was “lumping” me!  I couldn’t stand it.  I couldn’t argue (after all he was a sick man) Instead I listened, for some reason I cried and the next day I went looking for daisies for him.  I did not know he was probably watching me right then from above and smiling.  He won as usual!  (By the way, it was never a fair fight, he was smarter and a faster thinker and I was always trying to be polite)

That Thursday morning I reassessed my own garden- counting my “daisy type flowers” hum, I did have a good number, especially considering my condensed amount of space.  I also noted I had regularly made a mental note of my pleasure in a strong performing coreopsis by my patio and recalled a few I had planted in other gardens I had a hand in designing.  Hah, see I didn’t think anything was wrong with daisies, and with something short of satisfaction at the crack of dawn I headed out to purchase daisies for my dad!

Last week, on my mom’s birthday I planted one of my purchases from that Thursday, the day my dad died.  She is in the little landscape bed on the corner of my dad’s villa.  Her name is Coreopsis 'Full Moon'.  I had been caring ( well only caring a little)  for a small collection of nursery stock that had found their way to my back porch that very long day.  There is a pale purple cone flower (mo native which reminds me of my heaven-like day at Hamilton Seed) and old fashioned variety of actual daisy (one that Raintree Nursery use to carry and that Gloria Fridley,  liked a lot and her, a new and so called improved variety of the lance leaf coreopsis with big soft creamy blossoms.  The plant-friends have been waiting patiently for me to get to that place where I could accept the task of cultivating some new relationships.

I placed her for a moment in her new space, evaluated the spacing and admired her soft but full willowy build and fair creamy complexion.  She looked good next to her neighbors and I liked her simple style-I DO like daisies!  I re-shoveled the edge, shuffled the mulch and soil around the anchor plants, snipped off her current blooms and settled her in her new space.  As I watered the bed with both hose and tears I felt peaceful and surprisingly still in my heart.  Apparently, there is nothing wrong with daisies and if this is any indication, she and I will keep on growing…blessed tomorrow because I am thankful for today…. 

PS my hort heart is still beating.  It helped me choose my plant selections that Thursday at Greenscape Nursery.  Not forgetting the headache that comes with a new variety of coreopsis.  I couldn't help remembering one that was marketed as a perennial but didn't make it through its first winter-anywhere.  Oh the outcry despite its continual bloom and surprising fall coloration that was like spun gold.  It was planted in the MoBot trial gardens where every year I invested my heart and hope in relationships that were sometimes very temporary.  Ah but those new varieties that turned so many heads- miss you MoBot and yes I truly miss all my hort friends- all of you, plants and people!






Monday, July 29, 2013

Unbearable My First Birthday Without Parents

How I can feel like an adult orphan sounds as strange as it feels but it has made me feel more serious than
 happy about getting older.  I feel full of opposites, a bundle of feelings ready to burst and with and without words, very empty and disconnected and yet very present, hurt and accepting, solid and peaceful and yet a shadow of anx crowding me, ready to take over.   I feel mostly reflective on my life, its lessons and the great job my parents did with so few tools.  Bless God and all who have crossed my path and helped make me who I am today- THANK YOU.  I hope this next year is blessed with everything I need to be the person I am meant to be!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Pat Plants

Mother's Day, family gatherings and his time with Nana has influenced this set of greens thumbs to the point that my "Pattycake" cried as we went past some flowers on the way into the grocery store yesterday because I wasn't buying more plants!  Oh no, what have I done?

I couldn't resist turning his project into a  series of "how to" steps.  He's a natural!

Here he is telling me where the plants will go and showing me his basket and pink bacopa.  He was frustrated that all the plants didn't fit on the table.  He finnally let me put some in the chair. (See them in the background)


 He had some trouble keeping the potting soil going into the basket.  It was almost as if he didn't care where it went just that he could scoop up more.  Needless to say as much potting soil was on the table, the patio and his shoes as went into the basket!

I let him pick out which flowers to put in the basket from  the plants I had on hand.  I had started trying to do a pink and blue theme but there wasn't enough hot weather true blue flowers for a morning sun basket.  However there was tons of pinks in every shade- and he used every shade of pink I had gathered.

He insisted on helping me water the basket when we were done and hose down the patio.  We spent more time with the hose than it took to plant the basket.

This basket should hang low enough to look into it so I wanted some uprights to fill the top.  Also I hoped to attract butterflies
and hummers as much as possible and minimum care
 is always important as this is going to my son's house  and they are very busy!

Patrick liked the rose moss.  Hardly any flowers are open but he didn't care, he just wanted to squish the leaves.

He was in such a good mood when we met up with Greg and followed him back to his house that he didn't care that I wouldn't let him carry it from the car to the arbor.  My final favorite moment was seeing Greg stretching up on his tiptoes to see what was planted in his hanging garden.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Fairy Nice Time at Oma's Barn Last Night


If you are limited in time and space and are overloaded with imagination and the need to unwind perhaps you might want to experiment with whimsy gardening, with a focus on fairies and fantasy! 

Considered “current” with this younger generation, this old way to play is a new hot trend in gardening.

I am so glad these little gardens are catching on finally with the customers at Oma’s Barn.  I was pleased last night to share my interest in miniatures, gardening and fantasy with some interested shoppers.  We are planning another get together in a few weeks and more fun!

Like their namesake, fairy gardens are typically small. Think of them as the marriage of a table top garden and a dollhouse.  For me it was an inexpensive outlet for my overactive imagination and a play style I could share with my children with just a shallow dish, and a few small toys. 

 My fairy gardening eventually carried over to special time with my nephew Sam and grandson Patrick, and now….I look forward to sharing playtime some day with my next grand baby….who is, I am excited to announce is on the way! So last night I finished the class with a tiny garden with a baby fairy theme.  Congrats to Greg and Kristin!  I can hardly wait!


Friday, March 29, 2013

It is a Good, GOOD FRIDAY


I guess my "year"  begins with the Spring.  It is when my heart is warmed not just by the sun but by the fondness I have for those I get to share my green heart!  For me it didn't begin till this week and particularly today when I took  my grandson Patrick  to the Butterfly House.

 This week warmed up for me when I got to talk to my friend Ricki Creamer,(Red Cedar Gardens)  e-mailed a bit with Alan Branhagan, (Powell Garden) browse Dave's garden and saw my dear friend June Hutson. (Missouri Botanical Garden)

 I am ready to hunt down my gardening friends, plan a few shopping trips, start searching seriously for plants in spring catalogs, find a few flowers blooming, watch a few birds actually nesting and steal a few minutes to update my friend Glenn's blog and mine while watching the last of the snow melt!

Happy Easter and Happy New Season!



























year

Sunday, May 13, 2012

May 2012 Mother's Day and Sylvia Update


Today I am celebrating the "jobs" I am doing- to the best of my ability; wife, mom and “Nana”.   Thank you to my children and their spouses for the nice thoughts and gifts. And, Kristin- what a wonderful lunch!  I enjoyed my time with you and your mom!  I am so glad I have such a wonderful family!

For those who are missing my segment on KTRS 550 Inside Out Show, thank you for so many kind comments and for understanding my decision to withdraw from the radio show’s weekly segment.  It’s been over a month now and I continue to listen and enjoy-I hope you all do the same!

The truth is, they have it well covered and my contribution, though appreciated was taking time from others in my industry who need to be able promote their businesses.  My wish is that our listeners will continue to enjoy the show! 

Thank you to those on the show and those who continue to stay in touch.  I am still happily connected with Lisa at Oma’s Barn where I receive love and caring support from friends, along with some occasional “horticulture therapy’ which truly warms my heart!  Last week I planted fairy gardens, shared a few stories and made a huge mess!  

PS  For all of you who have tried to help me find my friend, Sylvia, I just wanted you to know prayers still get answered!  We have been out of touch for more than 5 years due to a computer crash and postal issues!

 – It ends up that Friday, Sylvia came into town from Rolla, stopped in at a few nurseries she hadn’t been to before, heard a voice that reminded her of me, turn to see my beautiful Holly-all grown up, behind the counter at Greenscape!  Sylvia had to ask if she was my Holly (last time she saw her she was probably less than 10 and she’s married now).  It was a special moment on Friday evening when Holly told me Sylvia had talked to her AND realized our connection!  Today was even more special as Sylvia and I “ re”-connected and talked and cried and cried and talked!