Friday, July 18, 2008

Shhhhh! Don't Tell It.

I can't grow vegetables. I've tried for decades to grow tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, radishes, beets, squash, peppers, carrots, and more - and with some tiny success - but mostly with ghastly results and disappointment. And let's not even think about the Swiss chard.

But I can grow flowers and shrubs and even get rare and difficult plants to thrive, like crambe cordifolia, or the graceful Japanese maple I've been slow sculpting for ten years in the front yard in full sun (which is not supposed to work). And my true love is even better at this than I am, raising various lily species from seeds and handling finicky wildflowers like toothwort, butterfly weed, and cardinal flower.

So I've officially given up vegetable gardening, and she bought me this lovely Italian pot this year for my April birthday (which we celebrated in May, even though I was born in December - but that's another story) and these lovely flowers to plant in it. The plants droop a little, and the flowers are not very showy, but they make an interesting specimen plant. I'll have to cut those seed pods off, though, before they spread seeds all over the front walk. Wouldn't want these things to start growing in the cracks and between the flower bed stones like the balsams, forget-me-nots, cardinal flowers, and hibiscus all do. I've heard that the best time to prevent the spreading is just after the pods turn red.

>>>> Appendix de Grenouille #4 <<<<
It's Friday night, and Grenouille is going out on the town. His idea of a great date is to take a green head frog (preferably with a soft Southern accent, that drives him wild), or perhaps an exotic leopard frog (even humans understand how sexy those spots can be) to spend an evening beneath the street lamps at a big public fountain. His personal favorite is the fountain at Meredith College, because of the colored lights and the rising and falling jets. The colored spray, the girlish laughter from the dormitories, the unusually large flies of Raleigh, NC... such a romantic setting. And for the lady frogs, what could be hotter than that broad smile above a bow tie.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Growing things can be very tricky. I can grow both edibles and decorative, but about every four years, I have to take a break and I just let things go. Then the next year, I can be an obsessive gardener again.

This is my off year. I just went out and looked at the large garden, especially the her garden, and sighed. Lost cause 2008.

I think Monsieur Le Frog looks dashing in his tie.

Life As I Know It Now said...

my hubby has the green thumb in our family. I kill even hardy plants which I just don't understand since I love green and growing things so much. Maybe I love them too much, eh?

Unknown said...

Steve: I wanted to thank you for your fine comments on my blog. This is a busy weekend and comments like yours deserve well-thought out responses. I'm looking forward to re-reading your comments and putting in my humble two cents.

By the way, you wouldn't happen to know a little something about art, would you? ;-)

Peace,
Pagan

P.S.to Lib: your comment made me smile. I could have written that exactly.

L'Adelaide said...

thanks for the laugh with the froggy in a bowtie! I needed it...you seem to have frogs on the brain, is that normal ?

your plants look healthy to me but I thought it was a pepper plant! maybe it is...a thought....

you "desk" is great...loved all those rocks and wood and STUFF all over the place...reminds me of my desk, if I had one :)

Steve Emery said...

Ladies - many thanks to you all.

Dcup - I understand taking a year off - my wife doesn't take one, though. She sticks by the flowerbeds and the perennials when I'm taking time off to paint, or start a gallery, or whatever... I admire her commitment, and her gardening talent.

Liberality - Maybe our plants do well because we have way too many to love them all too much. And maybe when I try veggies I love them too much. You've given me a clue, there.

Pagan - I would love the replies, but please feel no pressure. And I confess I have been to art school. Twice. That was before I got practical and changed my major and graduated with a degree in Philosophy...

Linda - I don't think anything about frogs is normal - particularly not Grenouille. I imagine it will get stranger as this progresses. And I hope to see more of your art on your blog - and that you will get well - all the way well.