28 AUGUST 2023 NEVER ENOUGH

In my mind, one could never, ever have enough flowers. I collect gardening catalogs. I refuse to throw them out until I receive a new one. I can spend hours browsing through the catalogs and circling flowers, shrubs, trees, and vines that I want to grow in my garden. My desire to have endless flowers is not a completely selfish one. I know that the more diverse I make the landscape, the more I provide for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. I lay awake at night “landscaping” in my head. My ideal home would have lace on every window; and there would be a window facing all four directions, providing plenty of light for the houseplants. Every room would be filled with bouquets of fresh flowers and herbs.

Many people forget about their gardens once the plants are in the ground and their enthusiasm is only rekindled once they can harvest what they had planted. For me, each season presents new gardening possibilities. Now is the time for me to begin ordering garlic and spring blooming bulbs. They will be planted just before the ground freezes. Summer snowflakes, winter aconite, early tulips, and snowdrops will emerge through the snow bringing delight to our winter weary senses. Later on, hyacinths and daffodils, mid and late spring tulips, will be joined by flowering shrubs, redbud, dogwood, crabapple, plum, cherry, and other fruit trees. Some of them will bloom almost overnight and after only a couple of short weeks the flowers are gone. This makes me sad, but it also signals that spring is here to stay for a while and makes it’s promise that summer will follow.

It is the gradual changes and the emergence of early blooms that help us get through the last bitter weeks of winter. Throughout the winter I can grow paperwhites and amaryllis indoors to brighten the dull weeks of cold temperatures and post holiday blues. The brilliant colors help to carry me through and lift my spirits. With a little effort I can surround myself with flowers year round. They are the gifts that we have been given to balance life’s challenges. I know that as long as I have an endless supply of flowers (and organic dark chocolate) I can face almost anything.