Last acts of a desperate gardener
Yesterday, I put duct tape on a lily stalk.
I haven’t talked much so far about my own preparations for Garden Walk, but I think that statement should supply an inkling. It was a special lily, to be sure—Double Prize, an unusual hybrid with, as its name suggests, an inner circle of petals. The Lily Garden offers these freaks once in a while; owner and hybridizer Judith Freeman is a genius at creating unique hybrids that not only come up but are hardy and long-lasting. Nonetheless, even the toughest lily is no match for my inept manhandling; while trying to bend the stake so the lily would nod forward in a natural manner, I bent the stalk past its natural flexibility. Hence the duct tape.
Shall I tell more? Of the expensive jumbo houseplants—the only decent-looking things in garden centers now—I’m using for bare spots I forgot to plant? Of the six bags of black mulch I’m hoping Home Depot still has (there is always a run on this before Garden Walk)? Of the anxiety with which I count the unopened buds on each flower stalk, figuring out what, if anything, will be in bloom by next weekend?
No, I won’t be posting an image of the taped stalk. If you want to see Double Prize as it should be seen, visit Lily Garden.
I haven’t talked much so far about my own preparations for Garden Walk, but I think that statement should supply an inkling. It was a special lily, to be sure—Double Prize, an unusual hybrid with, as its name suggests, an inner circle of petals. The Lily Garden offers these freaks once in a while; owner and hybridizer Judith Freeman is a genius at creating unique hybrids that not only come up but are hardy and long-lasting. Nonetheless, even the toughest lily is no match for my inept manhandling; while trying to bend the stake so the lily would nod forward in a natural manner, I bent the stalk past its natural flexibility. Hence the duct tape.
Shall I tell more? Of the expensive jumbo houseplants—the only decent-looking things in garden centers now—I’m using for bare spots I forgot to plant? Of the six bags of black mulch I’m hoping Home Depot still has (there is always a run on this before Garden Walk)? Of the anxiety with which I count the unopened buds on each flower stalk, figuring out what, if anything, will be in bloom by next weekend?
No, I won’t be posting an image of the taped stalk. If you want to see Double Prize as it should be seen, visit Lily Garden.
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