Hello, fellow lovers of all things green,
“Seems timely,” wrote Anita from Blairstown, NJ, in her email I received with a Rose is Rose cartoon (a syndicated comic strip by Pat Brady) that leads to seed shopping tips to satisfy your Spring urges. It starts with a woman dressed in garden clothes and a wide-brimmed hat adorned with a pink bow. She’s kneeling up to her garden, gloved elbows in the dirt. The surrounding grass is spring green.
Longwood Gardens in Spring
Dreaming of Spring
In the subsequent panels of the comic strip are bubbles of her thoughts I’d love to quote here. But in the spirit of honoring copyrights, I’ll summarize her adoration of the fertile soil she holds — Soil ready for the plentiful seeds she has to plant. She’s anxious to see the tiny sprouts that will come soon after and watch them grow towards the sun. She brings the clump of soil balled in her hands towards her heart in gratitude for witnessing the miracle of Mother Nature. Then comes a dialogue bubble, “Momma.”
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is one of my favorite catalogs on https://www.rareseeds.com/.
In the next panel, her son shows up, and the scene changes to snow. Rose and her son are in winter woolies, scarves, and hats. Rose’s clump of soil is now a ball of snow. Her son nags that he thought they were building a snowman together, breaking Rose’s joyful spell of dreaming of spring.
The ending panel’s sentiment declares a gardener’s urges are not curtailed by “season or circumstances.” So true! Though I’ll admit, I enjoy the break from gardening, which correlates with my love of playing in the snow. But the comic strip recalls the joy of seed catalog shopping while sitting in front of the fireplace. (Check out a previous column on Seed Drooling Devices.)
Card-Playing Seed Shopping Tip to satisfy Spring urges
You’ll enjoy my card-playing strategy of cutting photos of desired plants, considering the space in the garden you wish to fill, and placing your cutouts on the table. Then, shift them around like a game of solitaire into pleasing combinations. Why not combine veggies, herbs, and flowering plants with a delightful assortment of colors and textures? Be cognizant that companion plants you dream about need to be appropriate for the same cultural environment –sun versus shade and preference for moist versus dry feet (roots, that is). Imagine how they will look and grow in the garden come spring. And how they will sprout and reach for the sun. Relishing the miracles of Mother Nature.
Of course, paper catalogs are scarce nowadays as online shopping has taken root. But you can do the same game of solitaire if you’re savvy on the computer. Take screenshots of plants you’d like to include in your garden (I have a print screen button on my laptop), then paste them into a Word document or whatever word-processing app you use. Or print the screenshots once you crop them to the plant image and play cards. It’s like making a Vision Board of what you’d like in your garden. Why not make a vision board of what you’d like to attract to your garden of life, too? Dream big! It’s such fun.
I adore the long shadows cast on Jacksonburg Creek in front of my home.
Indeed, seed shopping can satisfy a gardener’s longing for spring. But for now, enjoy the long shadows the glorious sun casts on our frozen landscape.
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone@gmail.com and your favorite Podcast App.
Story updated from the original Jan 27, 2019 post
There’s more to the story in the Garden Dilemma’s Podcast:
Related Posts and Podcasts you’ll enjoy:
Encouraging Self-Seeding – Blog Post
Seeds Rooted in Love – Blog Post
Ep 114. We are all Seeds Rooted in Love
