Those of you who have been following my posts on Facebook know that I am in the throes of flower-mania. Yes. I am enjoying taking every picture I can of these emerging beauties that grace my hillside and valley.
But I must be truthful with you. I know dandelions when I see them. And I do recognize violets. But anything else sends me to my handy-helper Ozark Wildflowers by Don Kurz. This was not my first flower guide. We had an older version put out by the Conservation Department. It was great..lots of good pictures and great descriptions. But we were begged out of it by a friend who really, really wanted it...and besides we had this new and improved one. Sometimes, I wish I had the old one...but that is a story for another day.
No. I am not a natural flower or plant person. If you come to my house you will notice the complete lack of any flowers planted around my house. Number one reason: It is very windy up here and most plants get whipped to pieces. Number two: I kill plants just by looking at them. Most people have a green thumb. I have a brown...or even black one. The one plant I had in my classroom lived for several years. I would bring it home in the summer to keep it alive. Ignored, it hung from the ceiling in my living room where it got just a minimal amount of light. I would water it...very occasionally. And just when you could hear it say, "Ahhh...at last I am going to my reward in plant heaven.." I would resuscitate it with a few drops of water. Poor thing finally decided it had had enough and went to its reward, smiling I am sure.
However, my husband is a marvel with plants. He picks flowers and brings them to me. I love them. I cherish them. I let him work them into an artful arrangement...and I take all the credit for the lovely bouquet. I have learned something in our nearly 53 years together. He has an eye for color and space. I do not. I am prone to grab whatever pot or bottle is convenient and ram the stems down in the water. If they fall into a semi-attractive pose...I let them be.
Andy comes from a gardening family. His mom earned a Masters Degree in Botany from Columbia and was truly a master at growing anything. He was raised to be a plant person. I was not. My dad loved flowers and gardening, but I took after my mom who had no interest in growing things at all.
Lately, I have been helping Andy plant the garden and several hundred trees on our property. I enjoy getting out and putting those tiny seeds in the ground. I can hoe. I can plant. I just am not too skilled with what goes where and how you go about it. But Andy is a patient teacher. He knows my limits.
I have come to the point in my life where I have accepted my status as a lover of flowers..and plants...but definitely not a nurturing soul. The flowers and garden plants don't mind it. As long as I keep my hands to myself and admire them from afar...they are content. A truce of sorts. Just my kind of arrangement.
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