Reflections

TIRED OF THE SNOW--HANG OUT AT A NURSERY

The poor groundhog is being called out of the old burrow to play weather forecaster just as record storms are rampaging from the Great Plains to Maine. Even the Super Bowl festivities were impacted by bone-chilling cold in Texas. If we can’t head to the tropics to escape the relentless white, some creative green therapy might be just what the doctor ordered.
REPOT A PLANT. I tried it today with a very sick looking Christmas Cactus that I had adopted. My mom had threatened to leave the thing exposed to the elements over the Wisconsin winter for its poor performance. All the project took was a bag of potting soil, a plastic garbage bag on my kitchen floor as a work surface, my ungloved two hands and a large new faux terra cotta pot from the hardware. I made a heck of a mess, then hummed happily to myself as I vacuumed up after myself. I’ve been checking on the plant every hour on the hour since. Can’t be sure it looks any better, but I sure feel better.
HANG OUT AT A FLORIST. Valentine’s Day is always a great excuse. Walking the moist and humid aisles is enough to brighten anyone’s day. If we invest in a plant or two and gift our nearest and dearest, we even spread a bit of that cheer around. Best of all, unlike the poinsettias of Christmas, the plants of choice this season are usually cut flowers. That means greatly lowered expectations about their longevity. When a rose or carnation is done, it’s done. We get over it and move on.
ASSEMBLE A SEED STARTER OPERATION. In a classic case of avoidance and denial, for over a year now I have postponed growing the seedlings my husband needs to take the photos for an upcoming children’s book I’m planning. Last week I was fed up enough at the weather that I splurged on a dozen seed packets. Even the big-box stores have stocked them for the season. By the time I find the peat starter trays from last fall’s end-of-season sale (and now buried somewhere in the garage), it should be warm enough to get down to the actual planting. Meanwhile, just the sight of those gorgeous perennial photos on the seed packets is enough to make me smile.
DON’T TAKE ‘NO’ FOR AN ANSWER. I like the fact that they call bringing branches in out of the cold and putting them in a pot of water so they will bloom, forcing. It can also be done with bulbs. A friend tried it at Christmas and now has a gorgeous amaryllis blooming on her kitchen counter. My weaving instructor just installed a clump of forsythia branches in a pickle crock on the trestle table in her studio. Can’t wait. I’ve been thinking of crawling over the massive snowbank the plow threw up to my own forsythia any day now.