Sunday, May 4, 2014

Game On!


With my next door neighbor Nelda  finally back from her year abroad, or rather Afghanistan, the garden games commence.

We are both competing with handicaps, my shoulder surgery and her recent flare up of tendonitis.

We both go to physical therapy, we both work slowly and we both buy too many annuals.

My hidden weapon is Elle.

Her mother is also a gardener, so Elle grew up reluctantly weeding and tilling the soil.

But she doesn't seem reluctant to get her hands dirty in the clay soil of Virginia.

Plus her father is a physical therapist so she's always being admonished to not let me do too much.

Lucky me. Double lucky.

Yesterday she showed her mother the pink lily of the valley opening in the garden.

 
Her mother was enchanted. And in the proper spirit of gardening, wanted some. Immediately.

Today, on both sides of the ocean we rushed off to garden centers.

We bought tomatoes and basil and other tender herbs.

Her mother bought all pink annuals, I seem to be on a white kick. Well, white with hints of blacks and greys.


 We all planted, we all watered. Then Elle's dog Denver ate all the new plants.

Who knew golden retrievers dogs were herbivores?

There's a damn good chance I will walk the garden tomorrow and find cats lolling in freshly planted window boxes or digging up cilantro.

That will level even the International playing field.

That and the collection of seeds I was recently given hot off the presses from Giverny.


 May 4th. We're off to the races. The Derby's got nothing on us!

Bonne chance.


 






19 comments:

  1. Fun post, merci. Seeds from Giverny? Merveilleux! who
    knew ... Why is a French golden retriever named for my town, eh ?
    Enjoy your hands in the dirt time and I will look forward with interest to following your "race"
    w. Nelda!
    A bientot,
    Diane

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    Replies
    1. P.S., a big belated Whoo hoo to you!
      D in D

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    2. With Nelda and the French mama.

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  2. Your lilies of the valley are so lovely. We're already heading into lavender and lychnis. Which means July is great and September/October kind of our butt-end:).

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    Replies
    1. Who are these people that keep a garden looking great all seasons?

      Mine's a bust by Memorial day.

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  3. Lily of the Valley are my birthday flower, and one of those things everyone can grow but me. They languish in my garden. (Like radishes.) Lucky you.
    Ray

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    Replies
    1. Are you a May 1st baby?

      Don't fret, I can't grow radishes either:-)

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  4. Did the dog eat Nelda's plantings too? The Lily of the Valley looks stunning.

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    Replies
    1. No, the dog is in France. We're all safe here.

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  5. My Lab Daisy used to break into my garden and eat the broccoli. l sympathise with Elle's Mom. Seeds from Giverny? Nasturtium among them?

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    Replies
    1. No dammit...oh well it's too hot for it here anyway.

      Gearing up?

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    2. Yes. Wedding down, MD in prep then another wedding. Mother's Day my favorite. Good thing that shoulder is on the mend… be careful - not too much longer to baby it for full recovery!!

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  6. That lily of the valley is solo pretty. What fun that you are connecting with Elle's mom.

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  7. Reminds me of a previous maintenance guy at my apartment complex. He was out spraying weeds--including my grape hyacinths. I've never wanted to use a sprayer on someone so badly in my life! I still have a few grape hyacinths, but the biggest bunch is gone. Justification was the mowers would have to mow under that Rose of Sharon ;)

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  8. Your Lily of the Valley is so delicate and lovely. Thinking your white garden will sparkle in the moonlight. Enjoy your garden time, but don't overdo!

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  9. It's always hard to judge how many annuals one needs, always too few or too many.

    Lily of Valley...if it only lasted longer!

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  10. Ooh la la, pink Lily of the Valley, tres manifique! Mine is plain ole white/ivory, still tres manifique though. I always say, if I were getting married today my bouquet would be Lily of the Valley. Happy Gardening!

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  11. I really want in on some of that pink Lily of the Valley action too. I grow the white version in some gorgeous pots so that when they are in flower we put the pots on the table outside so that we can appreciated the scent and beauty up close. Hope the PT is giving you some respite from the surgery. xx

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