Spring is the season for flowers. A few days ago Denise Krebs wrote about native plants, how a friend was teaching her to cultivate a native plant habitat.
In the fall I attended a native plant habitat workshop by the Acadiana Native Plant Project (ANPP). The next day I traveled to their nursery to buy plants. They helped me to understand that the plants would not do much in the fall and winter, so I needed to be patient. I feel like the word Patience is the definitive word for gardening.
I started small, planting seeds in pots and a few seedlings in a front flower bed. It seems like overnight they have grown and are blooming. This pleases me so much because I have never thought of myself as a gardener.
These days with our temperatures starting out in the 60’s and slowly rising into the 70’s, it’s pleasant to be outside piddling around with plants. We’ll see if I can keep it up once the 90 degree mark rears its ugly head.
I also keep a few tropical plants around because I love their blossoms. I’ve decided that it’s okay to love both native and tropical plants. I just need to watch out for the invasive species that don’t belong here.
Are you a gardener or a plant enthusiast?
Reflections on the Teche 
Margaret, this makes me smile. I love the idea of encouraging native plants and creating a habitat for them – – I remember Denise’s post clearly. I have often thought of you as a gardener and remember your Bleeding Heart you posted one spring. It was lovely. I think you have a green thumb and don’t give yourself enough credit for the nurturing you do. I know you grow wood ducks, who may have jumped and I didn’t see it. Or maybe they are about to….? In any case, thanks for sharing your lovely blooms.
Like writing, my garden is always aspirational. I’m watching the box carefully these days. The eggs should be hatching soon, fingers crossed.
Color! Color! I feel like I’m in a desert dying of thirst, but it’s my eyes that are dry and needing more COLOR! Thanks for sharing some of yours here. It’s all mud-toned and snow piles up here still. Though, I did notice some daffodils coming up, just barely poking little green stems from the ground. I started pulling a few weeds from around them and my fingers were itching to garden. It’ll be a while…
Gardener! Obsessed with flowers, but not always successful at nurturing and growing unusual species. Give me a sturdy marigold, zinnia, or vinca, and I’m good.
You always amaze and inspire me. When the frost is gone, I am in the market for drought and deer resistant plants. I have a list thanks to AI and a l8vely master Gardner neighbor.
I definitely love plants more than I love gardening! (And I also wrote about the plants in my yard today) I like the attitude about loving both native plants and others, while of course trying to keep the invasives at bay! I saw that you wrote in a comment that your garden like your writing is aspirational–I’m keeping that idea in my back pocket. What a great description!
Seeing your flowers make me smile. Just yesterday I was reading a Southern Living post about low maintenance perennials and dreaming about growing them. I’m not much of a gardener; that’s why I was dreaming. Maybe. https://www.southernliving.com/hardy-perennials-11911478
Such lovely flowers! I am slowly trying to transform into a native plants only gardener, but I will continue to enjoy all of the non-native plants that were already here or that I planted before I discovered the importance of native plants. And a wise reminder about the essential nature of gardening: patience!