Davis Islands Today

Garden Club Green Thumb

by Irene Potter

If there is one negative quality of gardeners, it would be that we tend to invest a great deal of our energy into the future; we’re forever waiting for a seed to sprout, a flower to bloom, or a transplanted clipping to root.

In fact, a good amount of the work we do in the garden has little to do with the here and now, but more to do with what’s coming next season.

Do you find yourself doing this in your day to day life too?

A few days ago while at the Garden Club, one of my club colleagues pointed out that the orange and yellow ixora plants have been stunningly gorgeous this summer! Everywhere they are planted is an explosion of star shaped flowers; how happy they must be to bloom for us!

I sheepishly admitted that I hadn’t actually noticed, and instead had been too caught up in the over abundance of weeds this summer. Have you been caught up with the weeds in your life too?

On a walk through the village this weekend, I noticed a charming purple petunia hanging gingerly onto life in a flower box planter at Estella’s.  All of the other petunias had long since yielded to the August and September sun, but for some reason, this stalwart little plant bloomed in spite of the heat. I overlooked the ghostly remnants of the other plants that hadn’t quite made it, and marveled at nature’s resiliency. Would you choose to persevere when those around you had long ago called it quits?

Life and nature become what we perceive them to be. Planning for the future is a necessary and prudent thing, but not at the expense on missing out on today. There will always be weeds in the garden, but an incredible showing of ixora blooms happens only occasionally.  And in the midst of summer despair, an impetuous purple petunia blooms.

As a society, we focus a great deal of our energies on personal improvement, which tends to focus on pulling the weeds, or removing the thorns. Instead, why don’t we nurture the flowers in our “garden of life”-won’t bigger, stronger blossoms overshadow those weeds?  It wasn’t that long ago, before they became so popular with trendy California chefs, that herbs were considered weeds, too! It is truly what we perceive to be life’s imperfections that make it really interesting.

Come join us at the Davis Islands Garden Club! We’re hosting a seasonal demonstration on Autumn Floral Design with Bess Treadwell on Wednesday, October 1st at 10 a.m. You do not have to be a club member (or even know a club member) to attend!

This month, take a closer look at your own garden-admire those orange ixoras; compliment the white crape myrtles, and just maybe, some of those noxious weeds in your life may just start to wither on their own.

Irene Potter was born and raised on Davis Islands, and is the first vice-president in charge of membership for the Davis Islands Garden Club.  Learn more about the Garden Club at www.digclub.org

PHOTO CAPTION:  Star shaped blooms of an ixora super king