Greenhouses Are Happy Places!

   Just as I was rising at 4am, the rains started.  I knew it was to be a drippy day but had high hopes of getting in a short hike before the weather turned dreary.  Nope, the coffee pot had not even finished its job before the winds started getting stronger and the raindrops started pelting the rooftop.  Well, that was that.  I sat sipping the coffee and munching a toast with homemade plum jam.  I might as well make the day as bright as I can and a breakfast of that sort never goes wrong.

  Along about 9am, I had enough of being confined indoors.  It was time to venture out even with the grumbling of distant storms.  I knew exactly where to go...the greenhouse!  The sun was peeping from behind the clouds, the greenhouse was warm and snug and the plants always welcome visitors.  Ahh, peace!  The solitude of the greenhouse is the perfect place to soothe the soul on a Sunday morning.  Among the plants, there is very little strife.  I am not a "people" person so any other option was out the window.  

  In the greenhouse not only did I find serenity, I found tomato blossoms!  A few weeks ago, I noticed a few tiny, volunteer tomatoes sprouting in among the cauliflower.  Well, that would never do!  It is winter (or supposed to be) and tomatoes are a summer crop.  They were promptly dug from the garden and placed in large pots.  Once this temporary greenhouse was complete, those pots were set inside.  Now the waiting game began.  Would they even survive?  Would they set blooms?  Would I get January tomatoes?  Well, two out of three is not bad.  We shall have to continue the wait on the actual fruit, however.  What a delightful surprise on a rainy day!  Greenhouses are happy places!

Volunteer Petunias

   Growing up on the farm, I was always impressed by Pop's sincere love for gardening.  He loved growing things...anything.   The fields were always kept weed-free and plant happy.  Acres and acres of corn, peas, greens (of all sorts), beans, squash, cucumbers, potatoes...you name it, he most likely had it growing somewhere.  As if that was not enough to keep him busy, he raised assorted fruit trees, nut tree and berry vines.  All in all, the man provided enough crops to feed our large family and sell to others.   There were also the farm animals and side businesses that kept him going from dawn to dusk.  The man enjoyed keeping busy.  Still, all of that was not enough.  He had a gorgeous yard full of flower gardens.  It was those flowers that brought him so much joy.

  I was thinking of Pop, today, while out puttering in the gardens.  Memories of helping Pop with the flower gardens came flowing back while I weeded one particular patch.  I have several volunteer old-fashioned petunias that pop up year after year.  I never know where I will find them but I always start looking in March for my lovelies.  Pop always had these in his gardens and I was taught to carefully look while weeding.  Pop taught me the difference between the petunia seedlings and clover.  At one inch in height, they can look mighty similar.  (Keep in mind that I am talking actual clover here and not the oxalis that everyone calls clover.)  It was often my job to weed the gardens since I was small and could maneuver through the plants without damaging them.  I knew that the petunias would soon fill the gardens with all the different shades of purple that I could imagine so I was extremely careful to not pull them by mistake.

  The petunias in my gardens are of those same purples that Pop had.  They haphazardly sprout in the most unusual places so I transplant them inside of the garden borders.  Pop would be proud that I still find joy in gardening and I am sure he is equally proud that petunias and zinnias (two of his favorites) are in my gardens.  Thanks, Pop, for teaching me to how to grow things!

How Many Seeds??

   Dotted here and there throughout the gardens, a bright patch of marigolds can be found every year during the fall.  I do not plant the seeds.  These are volunteers from the original plants.  Nigh on ten years ago, I bought a little box of marigold seeds from DollarTree not knowing if they would even sprout.  Well, every last seed sprouted!  Marigolds were everywhere!  Knowing I should dead-head plants to prolong blooms, I decided on a whim to save a few seeds.  My thinking was that if I saved the seeds from year to year, I would never have to spend that big dollar again. I saved seeds.  I saved pint jars of seeds.  That grew into quart jars of seeds that very first year.  Finally, I just gave up and let the plants do their own thing.

  The next summer, what do I see?  Hundreds of tiny marigold plants popping up in the gardens...and in the lawn...and even on the gravel path.  Marigolds were everywhere!  Now...what was I supposed to do with quart jars of seeds?  I definitely did not need to plant them so I gave seeds to everyone...the neighbors, friends, family members, complete strangers...anyone who would take them.  

  Fast forward here ten years and marigolds come up in the most surprising places. They are like little drops of sunshine that pop up to bring smiles. I still do the same thing about seeds. I dead-head the plants to encourage new buds and save the seeds.  So far this year, I have at least a quart of the tiny seeds and the plants show no sign of stopping any time soon.  Who knew that cheap seeds would give such lasting results?  I am seriously thinking of broadcasting the seeds over the entire yard and letting them grow where they wish.  No more cutting grass!  After all, I cannot cut down flowers, can I?  In all reality, I probably will collect enough seeds to do at least 5 acres!  These things are relentless!  This is perhaps the  best dollar ever spent!

Southern Sundrops

   I have a strong interest in night-blooming plants.  Perhaps this is because I prefer nighttime over the daylight hours or maybe it is because I find it curious that there are so many lovely flowers that very few people ever see.  Not many folks go traipsing about marshes, swamps and woods by the light of the moon.  In the gardens, there are the usual night-bloomers that are cultivated to become showpieces but, out in the wild, there are those that are equally as lovely.  It just so happens that, since I leave the place sort of "wild and woolly", wildflowers often make their way into the gardens.  I noticed a rather weedy looking plant growing next to the gatepost a couple of weeks back and was curious as to what it was.  It had sprouted up right next to a couple of wild Goldenrod that were allowed to stay so why not let this plant have a chance to prove itself, as well?  

  Since my days begin long before daylight, the first blooms on the "invader" were noticed as I headed to the pier.  A mental note was made to photograph the blooms on my way back to the Little Bayou House after fishing.  That did not happen as the blooms were withered by the sunlight.  I would have to try again.  Then, along came (wannabe) Hurricane Sally and the plant was forgotten for a few days.  This morning as I went to check on how the boat was fairing with the storm, the blooms were gorgeous!  Even with the occasional gusty winds, the plant stood strong and proud!  Yellow blooms were waving in the breezes and dripping with raindrops but I got my photos!  

  The Evening Primrose is a native plant that pops up anywhere that birds drop the seeds.  The bright yellow blooms open quickly at dusk and will wither equally as fast just after dawn.  The nectar is a food source for many moths and the seed capsules are sought by birds.  For humans the greatest use is as Evening Primrose Oil which is being studied as a possible healing aid for some conditions such as arthritis...(that would be nice!).  

  For now, the plant is welcome to stay where it is.  Eventually, it will be moved to a more convenient place as it sort of blocks the gateway.  Having useful and beautiful plants is what gardening is all about and to have another night-bloomer is an added plus.  

A Bright, Red Daisy To Help The Healing Process

   I am gradually getting back to my old, cantankerous self once again.  There are still things that are difficult to do but, hopefully, given enough time, all strength and agility will return.  Perhaps the most noticed and humiliating thing was not being able to reel in a large redfish that I had hooked.  I caught a small one just fine but when that big one bit, the fight nigh on did me in.  I was grateful that Mark was there for me to hand off the reel to so he could finish the battle.  I was purely spent.  

  Working the gardens is much the same.  Two months ago, I was shoveling gravel, building fountains and putting up fences by myself with no problems.  Now, making rows in the vegetable plot is a tedious chore.  I do it.  I try not to complain (too much).  I am exhausted by the time a couple of rows are dug.  That said, I can always resort to weeding.  Weeding is easy.  The time spent pulling unwanted grass is usually done while sitting on the ground so I am good to go! 

  This morning after the fishing fiasco, my time centered around the gardens.  There was no use in wearing myself to a frazzle.  While weeding around the birdbath, a bright red flower caught my attention.  Where did that come from and how did it get in my garden?  There was no recollection of any such gerber daisy ever being planted but there it was blooming in all its glory!  Well, there was nothing to do but to give it a bit of TLC.  A little weeding, a dab of fertilizer and a good dousing of water should help it flourish.  

  It is strange how occasionally a plant will appear in the gardens.  Years back, there were odd lilies with long curly petals.  Last year, purple dahlias...lots of purple dahlias bloomed.  Now, a red gerber daisy has appeared.  Perhaps odd seeds come in packets of things I do buy or perhaps birds "plant" seeds from the neighbors' yards across the Bayou.  Who knows?  I am grateful for the bright spots in the garden and will care for my abandoned babies as if they were my own!  Bright red gerber daisy...hmmm?  How?

Pop's Petunias

  Back on the farm, Pop had knowledge of just about everything.  He always claimed to be a "Jack of all trades but a master of none".  I have to disagree with him on that one.  He was a true master of so many things and gardening was one.  How the man had so much energy was beyond me.  He kept the fields planted and tended, took care of the farm animals, helped Mom with the kids, had a side business repairing small motors and still had time to have gorgeous flower gardens.  Even when he had become aged, he still worked from sun up to sun down.  I truly wish I could be like that.

  It was those flower gardens that came to mind today while I was out picking figs.  I could see beyond the fig tree, across the garden fence and under a peach tree where a pretty little purple flower was blooming.  This is a volunteer that comes up every year somewhere in the yard. I never know where I will find the tiny petunia plant but I always cherish it.  You see, this plant is one that originated in Pop's gardens.  He had petunias spilling out of every garden in the yard!  For some reason, he was partial to the plants.  Each year, he would scour the beds to find the tiny seedlings then transplant them in between other plants such as zinnias and marigolds.  The petunias would "fill in" any bare spots.  I always remember only purple petunias.

  This year, two volunteer plants came up.  One was under the grapefruit tree and the other in the back vegetable plot.  Since I had no flower beds prepared yet when I found the tiny plants, I potted them both.  Neither plant is doing as well as Pop's but, then, I am not the gardener he was.  I am just happy to find the plants each year so I can enjoy a little "throwback" time to the old farm.