At Christmas, I was given a plant holder in the shape of a tricycle. It joins the rooster plant holder in the front of the house and several other architectural pieces designed to add color, but without a lot of the neediness of flowers.
The tricycle has a small pot holder where the "rider" would sit. I needed the right sized pot to put in there, so off I trundled to the garden (which has yet to be planted) where there is a number of last year's pots stored and waiting to be used. In spying the perfect pot, I noted last year's dirt and dead plant remains in it. And there amongst the detritus was a plant from last season, growing. I was taken by it.
Despite the 40 inches of snow and the freeze that followed, this Hen and Chicks plant survived the winter and was prospering in a pot crowded with dead sticks and crowded roots. I had to try and save it. And I hope it will prosper this season in a new pot.
While that plant positively impressed me, the Morning Glories from last year did also, but in a negative, aggravating way. They survive by having so many seeds and such a powerful underground root system, that they survive despite my best efforts to "control" them. Now they are starting to "fight" with three rose bushes.
We live in a pleasant relationship with plants and trees. They brighten our lives even in the depth of winter. The lushness of green grasses, the chartreuse of a locust tree, the velvet colors of day-lilies all add to the quality of our lives. But, make no mistake, under that foliage and along with their beautiful pastel colors, at the heart of the plant is a potent competitor with a long history of surviving in that jungle of beauty outside my window.
“One generation plants the trees, and another gets the shade”
~~ Chinese Proverb
The tricycle has a small pot holder where the "rider" would sit. I needed the right sized pot to put in there, so off I trundled to the garden (which has yet to be planted) where there is a number of last year's pots stored and waiting to be used. In spying the perfect pot, I noted last year's dirt and dead plant remains in it. And there amongst the detritus was a plant from last season, growing. I was taken by it.
Despite the 40 inches of snow and the freeze that followed, this Hen and Chicks plant survived the winter and was prospering in a pot crowded with dead sticks and crowded roots. I had to try and save it. And I hope it will prosper this season in a new pot.
While that plant positively impressed me, the Morning Glories from last year did also, but in a negative, aggravating way. They survive by having so many seeds and such a powerful underground root system, that they survive despite my best efforts to "control" them. Now they are starting to "fight" with three rose bushes.
We live in a pleasant relationship with plants and trees. They brighten our lives even in the depth of winter. The lushness of green grasses, the chartreuse of a locust tree, the velvet colors of day-lilies all add to the quality of our lives. But, make no mistake, under that foliage and along with their beautiful pastel colors, at the heart of the plant is a potent competitor with a long history of surviving in that jungle of beauty outside my window.
“One generation plants the trees, and another gets the shade”
~~ Chinese Proverb
What a great idea for a Christmas gift!
ReplyDeleteThis year's enemy: buttercups.