What You Don't See

  Today I was going to talk to you about my garden. I was going to show you some before and after pictures, but my mind went off in another direction. No not another attention problem, quite the opposite actually. It went in a more creative direction, or so I think. You all can be the judge. Feel free to let me know what you think at the end!

This is not the actual plant!

  What do you see?

  A dead plant?

  What you don’t see…

  A dumb redhead that knows better than to relocate at this time of year. Then she leaves town for a few days with nobody to water it. Another thing you don’t see is the replacement plant I put in its place!

  What do you see?

  A pot with flowers?

  What you don’t see…

  My love for Hummingbirds and hardier annuals had me planting this pot. A few days ago I was deadheading and watering it when I noticed some moss under the dark green leaves. I went around to the side to see if I could get a better view. I found a nest of some sort nestled under the plants. Curiosity got the best of me. I had to stick my face in closer to possibly see what built in such a cute little spot. I suddenly heard wings fluttering so I quickly stood up. A little wren flew out of the nest right into my chest. It held on for a quick second then probably felt my heart about beating out of my body, or my rather loud scream, and took off. I don’t know who was more scared. (I’m telling you, I cannot make this stuff up. My neighbors probably got a really good laugh from that one.)

  What do you see?

  A rather tattered hanging basket?

  What you don’t see…

  A tear that has fallen from my eyes onto a leaf. This is an Angel Wing Begonia that was given to me. Last year. It was a birthday present from my brother. Little did he know that is one of my favorite plants. Little did we know that a few short months later he would leave this life, and put on Angel Wings of his own. I tried to root it but was not successful. When winter came and the plant died I put it in my potting shed to get rid of at a later date. Well, we had a warm winter. A few weeks ago I noticed the plant had life to it. Little by little leaves would start popping up. Now I hung it back up where it was last year. It may not be a full, beautiful plant to most people. To me it is. The tear on that one leaf is a tear of joy. I believe that he sent me a sign.

So, now that I just showed you a side of me that I probably shouldn’t have, tell me…

What are some things people don’t see around you? If you look hard enough what do you find?

W.P.I.-When transplanting a shrub, tree, or perennial, make sure you get as many roots with it that you can. A good rule of thumb is to go at least as wide as the canopy of the tree, or as wide as the shrub. Wrap the roots in burlap to protect them. Plant it in its new home as soon as possible. Water is an absolute must. J