Cover Me in Flowers

Who needs food? Cover me in flowers instead.

Planting by the moon has its frustrations--certain days of the month are good for planting certain things. If you miss that little window, you anxiously wait (in my case it is anxiously rather than eagerly) for the next set of advantageous days. The marathon of planting Saturday still left a few herbs and flowers that needed permanent homes, even though today and tomorrow are designated undesirable days for planting.

Forgive me moon god; I could not wait.

Anthony is the king of frugal flowers. His secret is to buy the discounted flowers at Lowe's. The snapdragons in the photo were $2 for entire flat of plants. They are beautiful. So, while I planted the last batch of frugal flowers, Anthony ran a few errands. When he returned, he had more! Three containers of knock-out roses, a third of the normal cost; two pots of Gerber daisies, less than half the cost; and an unidentified perennial in need of TLC for $1.25. I have more to plant.

But that is fine because I have always loved flowers and have dreamt of having a garden like my Grandma Kiser's. She had everything. Crocus in late winter; tulips, hyacinth, iris, and lilac in the spring; daisies, roses, poppies, lilies, blanket flower, bachelor buttons, cone flower, and more in the summer through the fall. I think it strange she didn't cut them and bring them inside. I love to look around and see flowers scattered about the house.

Our holdings are not as vast. We do have irises everywhere--they're like weeds! And I'm looking forward to their arrival along with some old pink roses and gardenia in May. There's the promise of trumpet lilies, day lilies, cone flower and blanket flower for the summer. Oh, yes! and the knockout roses! I have a feeling each trip to Lowe's will bring another blossom to our house. We're already planning to prep places for a mass of impatiens and a shady flower bed of columbine, lenten rose, and hydrangea. We just have to wait until they're "on sale."

Maybe some day soon, I'll have my own secret garden!

"Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity."

~Lindley Karstens,
noproblemgarden.com