I want flowers. I just do. I want the crazy daisies. I want the seaside fleabane. I want the tiny manzanita bells. I want the funky kangaroo paws and the faithful, ever-returning salvia. I want some of those outrageously pop-eyed cone flowers. I want them all, native and not. And, yes, I want the birds, the bees and the beetles they attract. I want my yard to be a year-round spectacle of flowering plants and the critters who depend on them. I want a pollinator garden.
And that’s what arrived at my house yesterday. Plants with names you could eat for lunch: Convolvuous maritanicus. Campanula muralis. Aqueligia. Ficus repens. And that cut-flower favorite, Alstromeria.
A Pet — Or a Pollinator Garden?
Some of my newly widowed acquaintances suggest I get a dog. Others say cat. Dog, cat — get yourself something that needs nurturing, they tell me. It’ll do you good.
But for me, it’s the green and growing things that bring out the urge to nurture — that distract me from that big empty spot in my days.
Plants amaze me. There they are, out in the dirt and the rain, day and night, turning muck and mud into petioles and venules. Into things living, breathing and spectacular. Into places where a ladybug or a soldier beetle might land and feel itself at home.
More insects at “A Checkerspot Butterfly in Marin — And Other Insects I Have Known and (Tried to) Love.” More flora at “Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder — But What If There’s No Beholder?”
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Beautiful, there will be so much year round activity.
We’ll see! That’s what Bryn the gardener tells me.
Me too, Barbara, flowers are my favorite pets!
Love it!
Spring brings out the green thumb and my tomato plant has two little globes growing. It still hurts so much daily but the planting helps. Others have recommended pets as well, but I’m not ready to commit to 12+ years to caring for a pet. Not yet anyway… Thanks for beautiful pictures of your flowers.
Cats don’t need to be walked, and they are cuddly. But still, you can’t leave them for an extended time if you want to take a trip. Plants, with their little sprouts and buds, work for me, too.
Your plants look fantastic. I just ordered some seeds — herbs, leafy greens, and shamrocks — to sow with my little daughter. Garden education! You’re very wise to select plants to nurture, not an animal. Our pets are great but require so much care, and really limit the ability to travel freely.
A little daughter! Now that would bring out the nurturer in me… Hmmm. Actually, my big daughter does, too.
Loved the PICTURES of all the flowers. Are those pics of what you already have….or pictures of what you are hoping it will be like once all the stuff that was delivered gets in the ground!??? ….We have a patio that is absolutely PACKED with plants….if you want to sit down, you have to bring a chair because all the flat surfaces are filled. I am sure my wife would be 1000% in agreement with this plan of yours!! God Bless!!
I took those pictures of the actual plants as they waited to be planted. Now they are in the ground and I owe you all some pictures of the results.
That heuchera is stunning! I’m looking forward to seeing them all planted.
The heuchera are pretty cool. And I finally learned how to pronounce that word. It’s HOO-ker-uh. Who knew?