Garden Fever

Yesterday ended at midnight after Nathan finished sanding the floor with the big sander. The too-short night was spent in frenetic dreams of Nathan still sanding amidst piles of sawdust ("Please! Just stop now!" "JUST ONE MORE PASS!"). My day today started at 4:00 making Nathan some breakfast and coffee and helping him get out the door for work (poor guy...). My day started again at 6:28 when Jonah banged my door open-- "Mooooommy... I'm all wet!" Big surprise. The early-morning bed-wetting is gonna put me over the edge. But that's another story for another time.

So we got up, did some chores (and laundry) and braved the $3.99/gallon gas and headed to town. We had to return the floor sander anyway, so I got to use it as an excuse to run some errands (put off due to gas prices). Oh, and plant shopping. Definitely the plant shopping.

I look forward to this ritual every spring. I wander every garden center and plant nursery and just drool. It can be messy. Anyway. A few days ago, my neighbor clued me in on a place that's famous for their selection of herbs. So I checked them out. The only thing I really have to say about that is: "I lusted." Yeah.

They had every flavor of basil, thyme, sage and mint that could possibly exist. They had several varieties of rosemary and lavender as well as hard-to-find herbs like stevia and scented geranium (four varieties!) and toothache plant and soapwort. And I wanted them all. I don't have that kind of cash (even at $2.50 each) so I contented myself with a long-desired chocolate mint and a lemon verbena and some really cool coleus from the annuals section to feed my coleus addiction.

Then we went on to the big garden nursery where I always go zombie and wander helplessly. Jonah likes to look at the koi. I like to look at the flowers and shrubs. This place has such fantastic plants that looking at them and their price tags gives me actual physical pain. No kidding. Why do I torment myself? I'll take one of each, thanks.

I had to practice mighty restraint. I only got pepper plants and seed potatoes and corn seed (high-priced this year-- hm, wonder why) and just one pretty ornamental grass. Then I wiped the corners of my mouth on my sleeve and left quickly.

I suppose I may end up buying a flat of annuals in a couple weeks anyway, and then I'll have to settle for an inferior near-by nursery. I have my own annuals that I started, but they're just not doing well. They're spindly little weeds compared to what they should be. How do I grow my own robust gorgeous plants like the big garden center sells?

Note to self: Draw up plans for greenhouse. Convince Nathan to build it.