The last two weeks, my garden has blossomed.
I thought it was doing pretty well before, but now, it’s better
than I could have imagined. The tomatoes are ripening; the oregano
has gone from being a sad, crispy brownish-green to a lush plant
with new stems; the honeydew is spreading and has a few flowers;
and even our strawberries, which I had given up on after getting
six berries off five plants, have new blossoms.
The last two weeks, my garden has blossomed.
I thought it was doing pretty well before, but now, it’s better than I could have imagined. The tomatoes are ripening; the oregano has gone from being a sad, crispy brownish-green to a lush plant with new stems; the honeydew is spreading and has a few flowers; and even our strawberries, which I had given up on after getting six berries off five plants, have new blossoms.
I’d like to take credit for all this new growth, to say, yes, it’s my bright green thumb that has resulted in such bounty. Alas, such is not the case. The case is, in fact, that my boyfriend’s mom was staying with us for the last two weeks, and while we were at work, she was taking care of the garden – weeding, planting, pinching back, beautifying.
I wish I could have observed her for those two weeks, so that I could replicate her success. I’m not quite certain what she did, but even our squash, which I was fairly certain couldn’t get any better, is going crazy.
And while normally I would feel guilty about having a guest work in my garden, for Kate, it was a treat. See, she lives in Costa Rica along the Pacific, where it’s pretty difficult to grow anything that’s not a native tropical plant. She once had a basil plant that lasted about two years, and there are plenty of banana trees and coconut palms around, but there’s no rosemary, no tomatoes and definitely no lettuce.
She missed gardening, and working in ours – even weeding and mulching – made her wish she had a garden back home. I was happy to oblige.
And her enthusiasm for the work and for the fruits of labor made me appreciate even more what we have – a beautiful climate conducive to growing just about any fruits and vegetables we could want – all right in our very own back yard, and ready to pluck for a fresh, seasonal, flavorful dinner.
Kate went back home this weekend, and we’ll miss her, of course. But our blooming plants will be a reminder of her visit and her gardening prowess, and will provide a goal for me to work up to. One day, I’ll be able to drop in for two weeks and leave behind a garden that was better than when I arrived.
A girl can dream, can’t she?
