Future Days of Green

Let's cheer up a bit after that dreary post I made the other day, shall we? With color, and plants.

Probably, your local emergency services have a flower sale (if you're northern hemisphere) around Easter. It's a pretty typical way for them to make money. Well, I always try to buy from my town's fire department whenever they sell anything, because, well, if my home is on fire, I'd like for them to be able to afford to respond promptly. My parents plant all the bulbs out front of their house, and my mom says that looking at the flowers is like looking back at Easters past.
This year, I got tulips with bright colors for myself and some purple hyacinths (sorry, no picture) for Patrick's mom. We brought her some last Easter, and she really liked them, so Patrick suggested we get a few more this year. I said, sure, why not.

I also visited a local garden center and got myself a few things.
First, a pot for morning glories. I found a pack of morning glory seeds at the dollar store and I couldn't resist. Besides, if they never grew, well, they were a buck. Not a big financial loss. Well, in about ten days they've sprouted to about three inches high and are still going. I removed them from their small pot and replanted them in a larger one with a hand made trellis (just some pieces of dowel tied together with yarn) to keep them upright. They bend with the sun in the kitchen window.
I got some of those cardboard-y, biodegradable pots for seedlings, because I also have some sunflower sprouts that are on the up-and-up. Those, though, are going up to Emily because as much as I really, really love sunflowers, I have nowhere to put them when they eventually reach six feet in height. But the autumn beauties will be in lovely reds, oranges, and golds, and even though the flowers of this type are smaller than the typical yellow sunflower, they grow in bunches instead of singularly. Plus, they self-seed, so she won't lose them when they die off for the winter.
I've been planning this one for a while, but I set up a long planter-pot with some herbs.
I can't have a real garden because the property owners probably won't like it if I till up some grass and put down plants. So I made up a small one for myself.
It sits right under the kitchen window, which gets all the morning sun.








There's apple mint...













...sweet basil...














...rosemary...

















...and "husky cherry red" tomatoes. Well, only one tomato plant because Patrick won't enjoy fresh tomatoes. But I will!


I'm looking forward to these small plants growing over their planter, ready for me to use them. I want to hang some to dry, especially the mint, which makes my kitchen smell so wonderful. I also know that rosemary is one of my dad's favorites, especially with pork and figs, and that with all the snow in the last few winters, his rosemary plant has finally died. I'm going to save some choice stems for him.
The tulip bulbs, when they die off, will go to my parents as well and add to their garden. Another Easter to remember next year.

Have a wonderful holiday if you celebrate it; and if you don't, have a glorious Sunday.

Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes.
~Unknown