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We made a very ambitious plan yesterday: get up, get dressed, and conquer the garden. And somehow, against all odds, we actually followed the plan. We marched outside like professional landscapers and came back as sweaty, dirt-covered garden warriors. Final score: one 90-gallon trash can stuffed with trimmings, seven old tomato plants evicted, and two humans questioning every life choice that led to this level of productivity.
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We ended up with a box of tomatoes, including a few LARGE green tomatoes, which we will turn into fried green tomatoes.
Tomorrow, we are going to Roger’s Gardens to get a Disney Rose and have lunch at the Farmhouse with Bob and Robin. While we are there, we will get seven tomato plants to replace the ones we removed today.
We eventually went out to the patio, and Mary planted the violets Donna had given her.
Here are some fun violet trivia facts:
• Violets are edible — both the flowers and leaves of many violet species can be eaten, often used in salads, teas, syrups, and candied decorations.
• They symbolize modesty and faithfulness in the language of flowers.
• Napoleon Bonaparte loved violets so much that he was nicknamed “Corporal Violet” by some supporters.
• Violets can “self-pollinate” using hidden, closed flowers called cleistogamous flowers that never fully open.
• The scent of violets seems to disappear and return because a compound called ionone temporarily numbs your smell receptors.
• Ancient Greeks associated violets with love and fertility, and they used them in perfumes and medicines.
• Violet is the state flower of several U.S. states, including Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.
While Mary rested, I put away the folding chairs and worked on the drip lines, making sure all the plants could get their drinks!
