Hello Fellow Readers,
“Seems timely,” wrote Anita from Blairstown NJ in an email this morning with a Rose is Rose cartoon (a syndicated comic strip by Pat Brady.) It starts out with a woman decked in garden cloths and wide-brimmed hat adorned with a pink bow. She’s on her knees up to her garden gloved elbows in dirt. The surrounding grass is spring green.
In the next panels of the comic strip are bubbles of her thoughts I’d love to quote here. But it the spirit of honoring copyrights, I’ll summarize her adoration of the fertile soil she is holding in her hands. Soil ready for her plentiful seeds to be planted. 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 being able to witness the miracle of Mother Nature. Then comes a dialogue bubble, “Momma.”
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, one of my favorite catalogs. Also on https://www.rareseeds.com/.
Her son shows up in the next panel and the scene changes to snow, both 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 gardeners’ 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 a fire. (Check out a previous column on Seed Drooling Devices.)
We’ve talked before about my card playing strategy of cutting photos of desired plants, considering the space available in the garden of course, and placing them on the table. Then shifting them around like a game of solitaire into pleasing combinations. Why not combine veggies, herbs, and flowering plants in a delightful assortment of colors and textures. Being cognizant that companion plants you are dreaming about are appropriate for the same cultural environment. Meaning, 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.
Views overlooking Jacksonburg Creek, on which I am blessed to live.
Indeed, a gardener’s impulse can be satisfied by seed shopping. But for now, enjoy the long shadows cast by the glorious sun on our frozen landscape. Sorry if I broke your spell…
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone@gmail.com
