A Facebook friend posted a picture of purses repurposed into planters onto my page. She knew that I was in "gardening mode" since I'd been posting so many pictures of my yard. Once the weather finally warmed up for good, I went a little nuts with buying flowers. The other day I went out and bought marigolds and zinnias, which is nuts since they are so easy to grow from seeds, but it was too late for that and I really wanted that old school feeling I get when I see flowers that were popular amongst the gardeners in my neighborhood. My mom cared nothing about gardening, quick to point out that she got enough of it when she was "growing up in the country". Nope, she never planted a thing, but became well known for her amazing green thumb INSIDE the house. Sweaty windows and all, she latched on to growing houseplants when I was about eight and I have to say that it's the only legitimate hobby I ever remember her having.
I looked to my neighbors on either side for guidance. Irma Steele, the nice lady who moved in on one side of us was a mail carrier and a swinging single gal. She really liked me, and I liked her style. Out of uniform, she dressed in sharp pantsuits and had a boyfriend named "Sully". He smoked cigarettes, drove a convertible and listened to jazz. He was cool. She was too, but she kept the down-home vibe going in her yard. An avid gardener, she gave me my first cabbage plant and from there, I was hooked. I never went far with the vegetable gardening because my mom hated them. She said that gardens attracted snakes and---you know the rest---"I got enough of that when I was growing up in the country".
Miss Steele also gave me red Salvia plants, although I don't think that's what she called them. I tended to my four salvia and one cabbage religiously, and grew to love my "garden". We had a white lilac bush, a forsythia bush and one of those red sticky bushes by the back door. A few years later my Dad let me plant gladiolas which provided many years of statuesque beauty right outside our living room window. I met a girl named Alice when I was about ten and her family was from the south. Alice was like a little old lady and she knew a lot about gardening. She shared some mint plants with me one summer and little did I know that I'd have a yard full of mint in a couple of years. On the upside, our "grass" smelled really good. I have mint planted now, but I'm careful to keep it in a container, and trimmed so it doesn't accidentally find a spot in the yard to start an invasion.
Mrs. Reid, our neighbor on the other side introduced me to marigolds and zinnias. These are very simple, old-timey flowers, but their simple beauty and vibrant color still make me smile. I've planted marigolds here and there, but not since childhood have I even bothered to look at a zinnia. When I saw them recently at Home Depot, they reminded me of my neighbors back in the 60's and 70's when summer was a time to sleep late, eat homemade popsicles, round up a crew to play jumprope and when I just wanted to be alone, tend to my tiny garden. The memories have been almost overwhelming this year, and I couldn't leave without them, but since I've been planting so much, I had a little trouble figuring out where to put them. As it so happened, I finally got around to switching out my purse today. I've been carrying a straw bag for everyday, and while the straw is in great shape, the handles are torn, probably from carrying too much. I really felt like making something today, so I got my fix by taking my friend's idea of purse-planter and making a special spot for my flowers. I just sprayed the straw with clear enamel several times, used plastic garbage bags to line it and put the tray of flowers inside. I will plant them in a rectangular pot when I find a lightweight one, to stretch the flowers out better, but I needed to get this done. It was quick and looks so pretty!
And tomorrow is tea party day. I still don't know what I'm wearing but you will be one of the first to know!
