By Shannon Williams
I love having a garden, now that does not mean I love working in the garden. I am a fair-weather gardener. I love going shopping and buying plants of all shapes and sizes and from any place. We went to dinner the other night in Winnie and nothing would do but I had to stop at Tractor Supply and run in and just see what they might have that really need to be in my garden. The hubby was ready for his Dairy Queen ice cream and was not too excited about having to stop for me to buy more plants, but he knows how much I love to buy plants and also that I might pout if I did not get to stop and so he stopped. I ran in and out in 10 minutes and came out with 5 plants!! It is a good thing that HEB is not very close as I love to look at all the plants they have out front; if I could I would buy some each week. Of course, there is Walmart and Home Depot and I always think of a reason to go this time of year just so I can see what needs to come home with me! I try not to go to the fancy nurseries but once each season as I can really do some damage in places like those!

I kind of over bought potting soil this year and I had some from last year, so now I have several bags. I think I should go and buy some more pots and MORE FLOWERS so that soil does not go to waste! The porch is getting a little crowded, so that might not be such a good plan. I think I will just dig in the garden shed and see if I can come up with something I can plant in. If he would let me, I would have many weird things with plants in them in my yard, but he has put his foot down at me putting an old bathtub or wagon wheel in the yard for plants, and those are hard to get home without his help, so guess I will have to stick to my little pots as I can do those all by myself.

I like to water my plants and flowers for about the first couple of weeks and then it becomes a chore and I have to ask for help. It is relaxing to walk around and water them all, but you have to deal with getting the hoses out and putting them back up (Please note my husband is laughing out loud as he reads this, as I never put the hoses back up!)

In West Texas you plant on Good Friday and not any earlier so we would all take off on Holy Thursday to drive to a small town near where I lived that had a huge wholesale nursery that let anyone buy from. It was at least several football fields of green houses and with great prices. I have gotten used to shopping and planting a little earlier down here. I usually finish off my annual plant buying around Mother’s Day. Which gives me about two months of getting to buy plants. I love to trade plants too, and go to street fairs that have plant booths! Of course, my car just stays full of dirt during this time, even though I try to carry big plastic bags to keep on the plants on, they spill and dirt goes everywhere.

When all the shopping and planting is done, the W&W (Watering and Weeding) take over. I am awful at weeding and just whine about it. I have been very lucky to have found people to help with this. I say it due to me working full time, but I will have to come up with a new excuse when I retire, as I just am not into weeding in any form or fashion.

What I do enjoy is early mornings and just at sunset when I can look out and see all the color and all the blooms! It just makes the world right. It is just such beauty and I marvel at how they all grow (if I water them LOL ). I also love it when it rains and I don’t have to water and can see the plants all clean and shinning with the colors. So as I write this, I am hopeful that the promised rain will come and more blooms will.

[Apr-26-2022]