Plants can fill life, garden with memories (05/01/06)

A lady asked a fellow employee if the newspaper owned the lot behind the building. When told that they didn’t then the response was that she was going to go over there and dig up some of the lilacs.

Thank goodness she was promptly informed that it was private property and that it was a really bad idea just to go over and remove someone else’s plants.

I think that what bothers me most about this is the sheer audacity of it. It doesn’t matter who the property belongs to, if it isn’t yours then leave it alone. If you want a plant then ask for it and we will be happy to provide you with a cutting or a start if we can. However, there are some plants that are just getting established and are definitely not up for grabs.

We have a big wine-red lilac on the corner. It took me many years before I found one that was that particular color and that was also fragrant. It hasn’t spread and reseeded itself and therefore if you want one, the variety is called Charles Joly. I’m sure that local nurseries can find one for you. Be warned that the original shrub wasn’t cheap.

Lest you think that I am the only plant fanatic around, one of my friends sat down and cried after a neighbor mowed down a row of her rose starts. This particular rose had been passed down in her family over several generations and had a great deal of meaning for her. The starts were to be handed down to other members of her family. Luckily the original rose bush was bigger than the neighbor’s lawn mower. The neighbor has since been informed that his lawn mower is not welcome in her yard. Ever.

I know these are just plants and they will live and die according to their own schedules. That is not the point. The point is that these things have meaning and memories attached. For my friend, her roses are a bridge to her ancestors. For me the lilacs and other flora are a connection with the happy parts of my childhood. They are not just plants, they are bits of the past we can touch and smell.

I doubt if my friend’s neighbor intended to cause harm just like I doubt if the lady who covets our lilacs intended anything other than to give them a new home. Perhaps she thinks they look neglected or something. I can assure her that they are very happy right where they are. I do have a mulberry bush that sprang up courtesy of the birds that I would be more than willing to give away. Perhaps I could interest her in that.

Even though I am stingy with the plants I might be willing to loan out a calico cat on occasion. She is seriously into hunting bumble bees these days. I’m not sure how they are getting in but I find them curled up on the floor with all the life batted out of them. I have no idea how she keeps from getting stung or how I have managed not to step on them in the middle of the night.

If you do take the cat you should know that she likes chocolate covered cherry blizzards, peaches, mandarin oranges and Girl Scout cookies. She also is a bit of a curtain climber which is not a good thing as she is too heavy to hang on the drapes without tearing them.

As for toys, she likes balls that she can get her claws into and will play fetch on occasion. She does need to be home by bedtime because she has taken to sleeping on the bed along with her one-eyed stuffed snowman. The snowman will get lonely without her if she is gone for long. As everybody knows, there is nothing worse than a lonely one-eyed stuffed snowman. Oh, did I mention that she is terrified of car rides? Maybe she better stay home with us.

If you want something, be it cat or plant, please ask and don’t just take what you crave. I get offended when people destroy things or appropriate them for their own use with no regard for anyone but themselves. Sometimes people don’t realize that a flower or shrub is more than just a plant. It is a memory that will fit in a vase.[[In-content Ad]]