Sunday, May 17, 2015

Plant more flowers!

This is my lesson for the week--plant more flowers!

Just ran across this little jewel from Fran Sorin's blog. Fran is the author of DIGGING DEEP: UNEARTHING YOUR CREATIVE ROOTS THROUGH GARDENING, a book I just purchased to amuse myself while on vacation.

"Research has shown that being in the presence of flowers increases your level of optimism and sense of security, helps to decrease stress, and can have a significant effect on your ‘happiness’ factor."

Hey, I'm all for that!

Although I've planted scads of native plants and herbs that flower and bloom, it wasn't until we moved into our vintage cottage that I started planting flowers again.

Over the last few years, abandoned flower bulbs have popped up here and there on the property, and with the recent rains, have flourished. An ancient scraggly bush hidden behind some "trash" trees started blooming. Turns out, it's a very old spirea bush. Hurricane lilies popped up beside the driveway and a few lonely hyacinths popped up under the pecan tree. Poppies in the front lawn, grape hyacinths in the side yard and spider lilies in the overgrown flower bed--then the irises started blooming again.


Several yahoos have delighted themselves with telling me how our property USED TO be covered with flowers when the former residents lived here. Well, yeah. Sorry, but they don't live here anymore.

But I did get inspired. So I'm starting with a simple packet of zinnia seeds, and hope they don't drown before they have a chance to bloom. Flower seeds are SO inexpensive and you can find them almost anywhere these days. So, do you still have an excuse for NOT planting flowers?  I didn't think so. :-D

Go dig in the dirt! (And if it's too wet, put 'em in a pot!)

bobbi c.



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