I spoke out of turn today at a nursery out on 221-A. I go there in the spring when I need something interesting and different. I could hardly get a parking place.
Today happens to be Good Friday and this weekend several of the Church cemeteries are having their special grave side memorials. It's a big thing here in the South and every year we see an editorial about the thieves and bandits that steal the flowers left on the graves of loved ones. So sad, so mean spirited, and so spiteful.
In my home town it is usually Memorial Day that this happens and it is usually done with red geraniums and/or flags. Always beautiful.
So, I was out "hunting" something new and interesting along with Chamomile which I haven't seen in years and lost a few years back. I found the Chamomile and as I am looking over the tables of assorted perennials which were fine selections I overhear a man asking his wife,
"What is that?"
"It says Sedum," she answers. I detect a non-Southern Accent.
"It looks interesting," the husband suggests.
I jump in unannounced and tell them the virtures of Autumn Glory Sedum.
"It is one of the top 10 cast iron plants for the South, for this reason: It does extremely well in this heat and drought and has interesting foliage and you can see from the picture on the plant identification stake it has nice pink blossoms in September. Then, later on it stays on when the frosts turn the blossoms a lovely bronze and it give you that unusual late fall into winter interest . . . ."
They both looked at me stunned - having never witnessed an avid gardener elaborate on a specific species and its virtues because SHE was EAVESDROPPING.
I realized I had overstepped my bounds with this couple and said,
"Excuse me, I love Autumn Glory Sedum as well as Caesar's Brother's Siberian Iris - two of the best stalwarts for this climate." I had made my grand slam statement and turned away and went to the herb section looking for Lavender which was also on my list. [I personally hoped they would grab a specimen of Autumn Glory Sedum and later in the fall would talk about this outspoken total stranger when it really
"showed its potential". I will never know, I didn't look back.]
[I could have gone on for another two minutes about the planting location, the soil it does or does not like and how you can easily propagate it from cuttings as well as the butterflies seem to love it.]
I really LOVE talking gardening with fellow gardeners and this couple was just not the couple who wanted to talk. Often, I will stop and assist a NEWBIE in the garden center or nursery when I know the owner of the nursery and they are busy and the NEWBIE says,
"Does this like sun or shade?" They also look a little lost or helpless.
I answer Sun or Shade and then ask,
"New house?" which gets the conversation going and we chat and I help them find all kinds of things they will love as well as finding the right plant for the planting site of the customer. The nursery owner sees me chatting and slowly comes around and I hand off the new customer to the nursery owner graciously.
[In year's past on occasion I have actually loaded 50 pounds bags of potting soil into the trunk of people's cars because the Nursery owner was on short staff - those are good memories.]
The nursery owner's love me for sharing my knowledge with their customers as we are old friends and do a lot of chatting - off season.
I was at a second nursery and couldn't help it when I was picking up what I wanted and setting it aside at the purchase table under the tent.
Someone was admiring the little, cheery yellow marigold plants I had picked out.
"What are those?" she asked.
Roger, the owner of the nursery hesitated as he looked at me - knowing I would jump right on in and tell the customer what they were.
"Marigolds. They love sun and the heat and last all the way until the hard frost. Give them ample water, but don't drown them. When the buds fade, you simply snip them off - like this one. You don't want them to set seed or they will stop blooming." I showed her by snipping off the faded blossom.
Her husband said, "Front of the house - lots of sun. They will look good there. . . . " He turned and made a bee-line for the small yellow marigolds.
Roger, the nursery owner, smiled at me. [I have bought small yellow marigolds every year I have gardened and they always are work horses for me.] I slipped off to locate a few more interesting plants for purchase while he checked the couple out.
I asked the owner, Roger, "How's business? Do you think we are going to get a late frost?"
"Picking up - I can hardly get all the stock out of the green houses to sell . . . I hope we don't get a frost . . . we've sold too much."
"I always fear that blackberry-frost we have down here. . . . Okay, ring me up - I'll have to mortgage the house to pay you . . . Hey, why don't you have flowers planted around your sign . . . you slacking?" I tease him.
"Like a cobbler's children with no shoes as my Daddy used to say . . . " Roger answered chuckling at my remarks.
"Say that again, that is a new phrase for me."
Not only do I get to share my gardening with fellow gardeners, and Nursery owners, I get to learn new phrases - how wonderful.
My best to you this Spring as you plant out new stock!
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