Gardeners

Ah, May.
The flowers are in bloom, the birds are singing, and everyone is just itching to get out and plant. We stopped today to stretch my husband’s golfing muscles, sadly unused during the winter months and to pick up flowers to plant on the patio.

Now thirty of my fifty flower boxes and planters are full of pansies, roses, petunias, tomatoes, peppers, onions, strawberries, and peas. One planter has pepper onion and tomato planted in one box. I thought it was funny when I bought a new pepper called “Salsa” so I have a planter filled with most of the ingredients for my own salsa.

Because we have a wrap-around terrace, we put the patio table and the flowers where there is sometimes shade and the veggies in the full sun warmed by the brick building. When company comes, my husband takes them out to show them the "south forty”

What is it about a garden that makes people stop and talk to each other? At the nursery we were complimenting each other on choices, and saying “Ooh where did you get that??
At church we say “Have you planted your tomatoes yet?” You should come see my hydrangeas” People are more willing to stop and talk in parks and gardens.

One Christmas my mom and dad gave us each a garden ornament. It was a cement book with a garden quote on it. Mine said “You’re closer to God in a garden than any place else on earth.” And after all we started in the “Garden of Eden!”

My sister’s says, “To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes
To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow”

Some other thoughts I found about gardens are,
“Always try to grow in your garden some plant or plants out of the ordinary, something your neighbors never attempted. For you can receive no greater flattery than to have a gardener of equal intelligence stand before your plant and ask, "What is that?"
- Richardson Wright

When gardeners garden, it is not just plants that grow, but the gardeners themselves.
- Ken Druse

The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing something better than they have ever done before.
- Vita Sackville-West, 1892 – 1962

Our prophets have told us to plant a garden, even if its just a tomato plant in a pot on the balcony.
So grab a trowel and join the fun! It’s May