It’s that time of year; the urge to play in the garden is almost overwhelming. The ancients planted by the full moon; I am not nearly so exacting. Anytime the weather is mild and the bugs are few is digging time for me. Did you read Laura Lee’s column in this paper’s last issue? Her enthusiasm for gardening is infectious and she had me running outside to take inventory of what was blooming or just catching my eye this week.
When we plant a garden planning is paramount. Where to put the posies and when to plant what? There are all kinds of gardening axioms that may be followed.
• Plant in odd numbers, small things in front, use complementary colors, and give perennials space to fill in.
• I would also like to add that pretty is as pretty does. Plants can be beautiful and do something too.
Camellias have always fascinated me. They are blooming when other flowering shrubs are asleep or just waking up. We see them in parks, homes and gardens across the South, and there are International and American Camellia Societies with local and regional chapters.
Do you remember our editor Margaret Evans’ New Year’s lament about resolutions a few weeks ago? Dear Margaret ranted about the futility of resolutions and wrote of her dreams of having a beautiful flower garden and the challenges of achieving her dreams while being a busy working mother. That’s a lament a lot of us can associate with.
A common plant question is: “Why doesn’t my plant bear fruit? It might need a pollinator or pollinizer? A pollinator is a separate plant which donates the pollen and a pollinizer is an agent or facilitator which carries the pollen.