Now I Remember or I Know Where the Ranunculus Are!

Well, well, well. Guess I was right about one thing when it comes to gardening: If you forgot where you planted something don't worry, eventually they will bloom and you will then remember where you planted them. So, about those ranunculus. I found them planted at the front door of my house and they look beautiful along with the tulips I planted several years ago. I forgot about the tulips too, but my, don't you think they look pretty with the ranunculus? Ha!

Gardening 103 - Well I THOUGHT It Was A RANUNCULUS -

My friend Diane R. has gotten kick out of this so I thought I would share my ongoing gardening experience with all of you as well. She knows that I froze dahlia bulbs in my garage freezer section for quite awhile...like about a year and a half! (I didn't know they would die if they were in there too long, did you?) Only to discover that they weren't dahlia bulbs, but ranunculus bulbs (only I don't think they are called bulbs, but I don't know what they are called.) Anyway she is Miss Green Thumb and she laughed and laughed at my silly mistake, but together we planted them to see if they would bloom and the answer is: much to my sorrow they never did.

So guess what she sends me for my birthday last fall? Yes, that's right- the very thing I am loathe to talk about. But, I was dutiful, and I did have my weekly lawn crew guys plant those ranunculus bulbs a week later just to see if Diane's bulbs were better than the ones I bought. Ha! Well, a few weeks ago I told her, that I thought they were blooming, but honestly I don't remember where the guys planted those bulbs. I figure when they bloom I will then remember. Then this week I went to check on that plant and much to my disappointment it was not a ranunculus, but a common weed found here in So. CA! When I told Diane about another gardening mistake, note: this is a perpetual problem for me so I don't think I am a gardener do you? -- She, of course laughed and laughed again. Ain't it nice to know you can make someone happy?

In any event here is what ended up growing : Enjoy! I am okay about this really---Just don't send me any flower seeds, clippings, bulbs, or whatever, OK?

Gardening 102

My gardening skills (or rather attemps at gardening) are as yet unpolished and I certainly admit that I lack some basic intrinsic understanding of what to do to be successful. Bottom line translation: I really think that God decided when I was created to just let me sit back and watch and let the experts do their job. For example, last week I decided to get going on some very much needed hedging on the multitude of shrubbery esconcing our yard. (Esconce, pretty good word huh?) Anyway, I wanted to get it done before my husband arrived home from work and mowed the yard. Later on in the evening we were expecting 7 of our good friends over for dinner and socializing in the back yard so I wanted to do my part to make sure the backyard looked great and well tended.



I decided since the yard is pretty big to use our longest extension cord, the bright orange 100 foot one. Not finding an outlet outside I plugged it in, in our kitchen and left the back door open slightly for the cord to snake through. Next, I grabbed the hedger, plugged in the cord and spent the next 40 minutes or so hedging away. Okay, let's put it this way...I trimmed a good 10 to 15 shrubs on a very steep incline before I decided I was done for the day. On my way back down the slope I pulled a few weeds and noticed one of our longest shrubs could use a little trimming, so I immediately began to give it a grooming. All of sudden the hedger threw sparks everywhere, and I gave a good shriek! Our neighbor next door has a tiler working on installing an outside barbeque bar, so I am sure he wondered what the heck was going on. Anyway, I was sort of shook up and decided that the hedger had finally gone bust. I remembered we had purchased it in Oregon so I calculated it was at least 8 to 9 years old. Oh well, time to get a new one. After setting the hedger down on the wrought iron table I elected to wash down the teak patio set since so many of our friends were coming over and we would need both patio sets. So I washed it all down, and then realized I hadn't collected the length of cord off the lawn where Robert was going to mow shortly. I started pulling the cord up to the patio area and then stopped when I thought I should get the weeds I pulled out of the way first. Well, when I bent down to pick up the weeds I suddenly saw about 2 feet of the extension cord lying on the ground severed from the rest of the cord! Well this was good and bad news. The good news was the hedger was not dead after all; the bad news was I had unknowingly killed the longest extension cord in the house and it was the one Robert needed when he came home to do the edging. Ohoh! Then I realized the cord was still plugged into the kitchen wall and I had left a live wire on the lawn while I had washed down the patio set! Well, then there was even more good news! I had not set the lawn on fire nor had I electrocuted myself. Yea God! There was only one other piece of bad news and that was telling my loving, adorable, understanding spouse what I had done. Needless to say I was laughing very hard when I tried to call him and let him know before he came home. Only problem was he had already left work. I had to call someone so I called my friend Chris and I was laughing the whole time, when suddenly I heard the garage door open...Oh no! My husband was home and I had to tell him the truth. Yikes! Needless to say, he could only shake his head, and with that stunned look on his face, "Nance I don't know how you do it." Quite frankly, I don't either, it's a talent I have when it comes to gardening!

PS One of our friends took the 2 feet of severed cord and laid it on my pillow later that night--- I guess to wish me sweet, electrifying dreams. Ha!

Gardening 101

Well, the story of a hopeless gardener begins here:
I promised I would write about the ranuculas that I planted with my friend Diane. Well actually that isn't quite true. Let's just say that she is the gardener and I am a great admirer of those who can make things bloom, grow, and tend to garden beautifully. I am a "wannbe gardener" but just don't have the drive, or ambition to do all that labor intensive stuff. Plus, I am not wild about weeds, dirt under my nails, sunburn, fungi, and bugs or creepy crawly things. Then there is the watering, fertilizing and weather to worry about. I guess it comes down to..."it's a lot of work." But I sure love the flowers that God has orchestrated to bloom. So many beautiful blossoms, in every shape and color, with many different perfumes all their own, and all through the year!

Now about those darn ranuculas. Here's the story: About 18 to 20 months ago, I decided to go to our local nursery and pick up some bulbs to plant before the end of fall. Well, I got the tulips planted and for some reason I delayed planting the ranuculas. I think I was actually going to call Diane in Oregon and ask for some pointers about where and when to plant them. Well, I never called her and so my ranuculas just sat in the garage for a season or two. Then Diane and her husband came for a visit recently, right after we had cleaned out the garage and I set those ranuculas in plain view to get planted while Diane was here. Oh, one more thing: I had decided they needed to be frozen in the freezer section of the refrigerator in order to get them to bloom, so for about 2-3 weeks I had put them in my freezer. Okay, when Diane heard everything I had done to those poor ranuculas she cracked up! It turns out they should have been planted right away and you should never freeze them. Well how would I know that? Anyway, we went to the local nursery and they said you can try and plant them and see what happens...so my dear sweet friend Diane, did just that. She planted them in less than 5 minutes and told me to be sure they get water..."yes ma'am!" That was about 2 weeks ago now. So far, nothing has happened, but I sure am hoping. My job is to make sure they get their water. Which I have been pretty good about--which is a surprise even for me. I always start out with good intentions, but then somewhere along the way, I just forget or get too busy. I have my fingers crossed though that those ranuculas are going to bloom just for me. Sure hope so. So for the novice gardener: first rule of the green thumb...plant your flowers right away, that way no one will laugh at you 2 years later.

That ends the tale of the ranuculas for now, but check out my next escapade in gardening that I did last Friday. It was a "spark"ling performance to say the least.