Flower Zen
Ah, the simple flower. Its power to uplift, to change your mood by its very presence, is beyond compare.
The other day I was wandering around in my flower gardens and a newcomer surprised me. Three years ago, a lady in Georgia sent me a little bitty wisteria vine start. This year the plant is much larger and vining all over the place, but no blooms all summer. Suddenly I saw a deep purple flower cluster. Seizing it eagerly, I sniffed and inhaled the pure ecstasy of wisteria for the first time in my life. It won't be the last!! The fragrance is intoxicating. I went from a ho-hum mood to one of joy all because of a little flower blooming where none had been the day before!
You don't have to be a gardener to have fresh flowers in your life. They are as near as your grocery florist case. What would it be like if you had one simple fresh flower in your home every day, all year long? Add it to your grocery list as life support right along with the bread.
If you do want to grow your own flowers to enjoy, there are some very easy houseplants to try that you can get to bloom indoors! One very easy one is a shamrock plant, widely available around March for a couple of dollars. You can find them year-round in good nurseries that carry indoor plants. It has phases every few weeks where lovely white flowers covering the plant. The plant will periodically die down altogether and then reseed itself and come back! It likes to be watered once a week. Bright sun to shade!
You can also grow herbs that flower when they put out seed. One lovely example is dark opal basil. It starts easily from seed. Maintain it in a sunny window in a clay pot and water it every 4-5 days. If you allow it to go to seed, the seed clusters are covered with tiny flowers in shades of purple. Lovely! The scent of the basil is heavenly too, it will fill your room with scent anytime you touch the plant. Of course you can toss a sprig or two into your spaghetti sauce! Another fabulous herb to grow indoors is fresh peppermint. If you are a mint lover, you will find dozens of ways to use this plant!
Look around and find ways to bring fresh flowers into your life. It's worth the effort!
Written by: Sheila Talley © 2005
