I was reading
”
The Storm,
”
by Kate Chopin, for an American Literature class at San Jose
State recently. It is all about the lust and forbidden passion of
two people who are married to others, but give in to temptation
during a storm. Pretty hot stuff, considering the short story was
written in 1898 by a woman author. But what does this have to do
with gardening? Well, home gardeners are often tempted by lust and
passion in the garden.
I was reading “The Storm,” by Kate Chopin, for an American Literature class at San Jose State recently. It is all about the lust and forbidden passion of two people who are married to others, but give in to temptation during a storm. Pretty hot stuff, considering the short story was written in 1898 by a woman author. But what does this have to do with gardening? Well, home gardeners are often tempted by lust and passion in the garden.
No, don’t worry. This isn’t going to be an x-rated garden column. But the fact of the matter is, a few months back I did fall in love with a black pansy. It’s a true black pansy that will stand out in any garden.
When I first set eyes on it, it was standing out amid flat upon flat at the local garden center. As if struck by cupid’s arrow, it was in my shopping cart in nothing flat. Well, love at first sight may be all right when you’re talking about a couple six-packs of bedding plants that cost less than $5, but what about the $50-worth of tulips I bought three months ago sight unseen except through beautiful pictures in a catalog? Is lust in the garden fine at $5, but a question mark at $50?
First of all, let’s admit that all gardeners fall victim to plant lust. It’s only natural, faced with the fact we’re bombarded with beautiful plants and flowers at garden centers, colorful mail-order catalogs and alluring images via the Internet. But you should be aware of pitfalls and not just give in to temptation.
For one, be aware of the source. It was a local garden center where I purchased the six-packs of black pansies. I plants looked fine and I knew that pansies will bloom all winter in our area and possibly last until summer. In other words, there wasn’t much of a risk, especially considering the low $5 cost.
The source for my $50 worth of tulips was a little riskier. I had never bought anything from the mail-order bulb company, so I did a little checking. There’s a discussion area on the gardening Web site suite101.com, where I first posted a question about the company selling the bulbs.
There’re also plenty of other Web sites, including Plants by Mail. Let me tell you, if other home gardeners have gotten ripped off by a company, they’ll let other gardeners know about it. Turns out, this company came up clean, so I ordered with confidence.
I admit, though, I haven’t always been so careful. Several years back I placed an order with the now-infamous (and happily defunct) Michigan Bulb Company. I think I was to get something like three dozen tulip bulbs for $10. That should have warned me right there. You know the old saying: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I got my three dozen tulips bulbs all right, but they were the tiniest tulip bulbs I’d ever seen. I planted them and never saw another thing!
Suffice to say, be aware of propaganda that sounds too good to be true. Other ads you may be familiar with are those that tout these flowering trees that grow enormously fast, or hedges with profusions of blooms or miracle fertilizers where plants will grow like Jack’s beanstalk. Shy away from ads or catalogs that are full of hype. Trust me on this one.
Lust in the garden is fine, just be careful out there.
