A Pea Plant Grows Indoors

A Pea Plant Grows Indoors

I buy as much organic food as I can. I figure I’m supporting responsible farming, Mother Earth, and my family’s health. I try to plant my garden responsibly each year so that when it’s harvest time, our veggies are the best they can be.

But it wasn’t planting time yet when I discovered a green pea that gotten lost in the shuffle of the vegetable bin. It started to grow on its own so I put it in some dirt, in a small pot on the windowsill, just to see what would happen. At first it remained the same, a tiny bit of green peeking up from its gritty bed. But then it started to grow. And once it began, it continued sending up a delicate shoot toward the sun. Then leaves sprouted and viney tendrils began reaching for anything they could grab onto. And then a pea pod appeared with one beautiful, plump pea inside! How exciting! We had our own sugar snap pea plant. It makes me eager to get into the dirt and get the garden ready.

I am always amazed at how food grows. A seed gives no hint of what it will eventually look like but holds all of its potential wrapped inside that tiny package. Sometimes, like the pea, you can see its final form but it first must grow into the plant to take root and nourish its development. The cycle assures the survival of the plant. 

And not so far from our own survival as a species. We can see our roots in our children from the genetic resemblances to the acquired characteristics. All of nature passes along what keeps things going in our evolutionary process. Parents to children to grandchildren and beyond. Pretty wonderful, I think.

Here is how to grow your own delicious snap peas:

http://www.gardeningblog.net/how-to-grow/sugar-snap-peas/ 

Periwinkle Flowers Again

Periwinkle Flowers Again

Our periwinkle (vinca) has blossomed again, as it does each year. It is a groundcover that takes its mission seriously. Given no interference, it tends to take over, which can be a good thing depending on where it is planted. It sends out vines and, well, covers the ground. It is green even in the winter months, a bright spot when everything seems dark and dreary. What a treat to see it peek out as the snow melts, reminding us of greener times to come.

And now, when spring is confused, sending us cold days alternating with warm days, it thumbs its leaves at the weather and sends up tiny, exquisite purple, blue, pink or white flowers. That is only the start of the options. These plants are adaptable. They like semi-shade but will grow in deeper shade or sun. They are exuberant, growing wherever they are placed and head out for other parts of the garden if not contained. Some homeowners use periwinkle instead of grass for their lawns – no mowing required.

I like vinca’s feistiness. It seems to know its destiny to grow and goes right at it. Wouldn’t it be great if we were all so confident in our own providence? We would all flower from within, allowing the world to see our potential as we embrace it ourselves. There is so much to learn from nature; periwinkle is one reminder of our own possibilities.

How to get started planting vinca:

http://www.seriouslyflowers.com/periwinkle-flower.html

Hibiscus Potential

 

Hibiscus Potential

The hibiscus flowers have been delighting us all summer. They are big, exuberant, brilliant red blossoms that cause comments by anyone who comes to our house. One plant greets visitors at our front door with a gracious floral welcome that is so prominent, it cannot be ignored.

There are seasons for everything, however, and even as buds are still developing, many have already flowered and gone leaving behind the empty leaves that held their glory. There are no more buds forming this season but they were prolific and the promise of each was extraordinary.

The last flower is about to bloom and I feel both sad and exhilarated. I know the plants will be back next year, probably expanded, as they tend to spread their beauty. But I am left with an awareness of how each tightly closed bud starts with potential and grows to be all it is meant to be. I cannot help but think of how it relates to children, how they start off with their potential contained and then blossom into the world, and how the process continues as we grow and mature into the beautiful creations we are all meant to be. 

Cultivation and maintenance instructions:

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/flowers/hgic1179.html