"It's a wonder that they stay at all," a friend said, reflecting on the husbands of women going through "the change." I don't mean the hormonal one - I mean the passionate interest in gardening that wells up in a woman when she hits the big 5-0 or so.
Me, at age 51, I didn't know one end of a hoe from the other, let alone what one was. And then I came across the site flower-gardening-made-easy.com by Yvonne Cunningham from the Hamilton area. She says that in 1991 she barely knew a forget-me-not from a weed. Now she is an award winning gardener and a nationally known gardening magazine writer, and the author of "Clueless in the Garden."
I ordered this book and started reading, but couldn't work up the courage to stick my mitts in the soil. I needed some hand-holding so I asked a popular garden centre - Holla's in Blezzard Valley - if I could volunteer there one day a week. "Sure, no problem," was Carole's response.
I arrived decked out in what I thought was gardening gear - bug jacket and hat, plaid shirt, light coloured paints, running shoes that were practically steel-toed, bug dope, and sunscreen. I looked like I was moving in - from the bush in the far North. Everyone else was dressed in Ts, shorts, and sandals. You see, this farm-filled area is in the centre of the Sudbury basin, therefore, the topography is more like southern Ontario - flat, fewer trees, lots of breeze, and no bugs until dusk.
On Day One I learned the difference between an annual (have to plant every year) and perennials (if you're lucky, they'll come up next year on their own) and bulbs (plant in fall and hope the squirrels have gone south for the winter.) And I learned some plants like suns and others shade. This accounts for why, last year, the sunflowers planted at the side of our home never showed up, and my begonias be-goned when I planted them in the full sun.
And I also learned the joy of hanging baskets. Pick the right kind and all you have to do is hang it and water it. I had one hanging plant left over from last year - I had tried to nurse it through the winter in my kitchen. Alas, what I did was provide it with an overwatered grave. Carole suggested it would make for good compost. I had one wonderful planter of cascading "million dollar" flowers from Tina's in St. Catharines. It made the grade. Only six more to go - our balcony has seven "windows of opportunity" - you'd have to see it to understand. Carole picked me out a mini Garden of Eden in a 10 inch basket.
I got the temperature nice and comfy in my car for my multicoloured new friend, and headed home - stopping by at the local hardware store for hooks and chains to secure the second of what would be seven floral acquisitions. Hubby heard me arrive - the joy of driving an eight year old car - and looked nervously over the balcony. I asked him, "Did something happen?" And he said, "No, I just expected you'd have lots of stuff to carry."
I showed him the newest addition to our garden green family. He looked relieved - he had anticipated I would bring home the makings for an entire back yard greenhouse. He didn't even protest rigging up the hanging stuff. The next week, however, the other gardener's clog dropped.
Jan Carrie Steven, MA, RSW, is Counselor, Mentor, Chaplain and Volunteer.
Visit her websites and columns: http://www.basic-counseling-skills.com and http://www.smallthings.ca
Jan has a passion for small churches, shelter pets, counseling or visiting lonely people, and building free, informative and fun websites.
Her mission statement is borrowed from Mother Teresa: "We can do no great things. Only small things with great love."
Contact her at jan.carrie.steven[at]gmail.com
Buying A Functional House
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