TIME AND SPACE

 TIME AND SPACE

  It’s time for my annual herb pot re-do, and I think my old clay pot is in its final season; it’s spalling and flaking away at the edges because it’s spent about 20 years living on my deck in rain, snow and sun.  Even back then, it was an expensive pot, so I actually treated it with water sealer so it would be more durable. I’m not complaining, 20 years is a good run!

   This spring I’ve talked to a lot of customers in the nursery who are replacing their rosemary plants; this winter’s snow and rains were a little much for some of the Mediterranean herbs we love, but I’m pleased that my oregano and rosemary, sage, chives and thyme survived. 

   Of course my chocolate mint endured, and I’ve ruthlessly ripped out a lot of its roots and pulled up most of its spriglets, but I’m under no illusion that I’ve taken it all out. Mint is a survivor! I had my fling with chocolate mint, and I find it a little too…minty. This year I want to try strawberry mint, so I’ve planted some of that. It has a much gentler flavor, although the tag says it has notes of chocolate. I’ve eaten a few leaves and I’m on the fence about its chocolate properties, but it definitely has berry tones.

   I have herbal favorites that are annuals and don’t survive the winter so must be replanted every year: pineapple sage, rose scented geranium, and lemon verbena. Lemon verbena usually shows up in our nursery in late spring, so I’ve left space for it and perhaps one more wild card herb that catches my fancy.

   And speaking of space, you can see that my 20” pot will be jam crammed by July, because I like to break the rules. If you look on the back of nursery tag you’ll find a wealth of information, including how far apart to space plants.  Pineapple sage alone wants 24” of space between it and its neighbors. If I followed the rules, I’d need a horse trough to plant my herbs in.

   Are there down-sides to breaking the planting rules? Yes, there can be, but most herbs are very forgiving. I probably have to water my herb pot more frequently in the heat of summer because of all the roots competing for water. One problem I might have anticipated has been a non-issue: the drought tolerant Mediterranean herbs and the thirstier plants actually seem quite compatible. Some plants can be susceptible to mildew if they’re spaced too closely, but again, that hasn’t been an issue.

   Gardening is a beautiful experiment where you observe and participate in the cycles of nature, and with the information you gain, you can learn when to bend and finesse the rules. 

   We’re in the run-up to Mother’s Day this week, which is the high point of the flowering basket season for us. Our nursery is beautifully draped with lush, colorful baskets, and literally overflowing with carefully cultivated plants for your garden. Every year for…decades, Linda and I have said that we need to step back after a month of hard work and take a moment to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us daily. 

   It can be difficult for us to appreciate when there are trucks to unload, days off that get missed,  signs to be made and thousands of plants to water, but tonight we’re actually doing it, having an after-hours YFM party. Amongst the flowers we’re going to see what our nursery looks like by candlelight, with glasses of Champagne in our hands, and appreciate our hard work and each other. Flowers are special. They speak to us. Their short and colorful life cycle reminds us that ours is, too.

   Thank you to all our customers who give us the opportunity to do work that we love, that is fulfilling and beautiful. Thank you to all our growers. You have to care a lot and make sure you produce a quality product when your name is literally on the pot. I’m thinking of you, Steve and Lisa Hoskins, Chris DeSanto and Steve, Taylor and Brenda Thompson, and our friends at Henry’s Plant Farm. We’ll toast all of you all tonight.

   So: space and time. When you come right down to it, it’s all we really have: the space we occupy and the time we’re here. Mother’s Day is not an unalloyed joy; it can be tinged with sadness for many reasons. Two of my friends have buried children this year, and  several friends have lost their mothers. 

   Take a deep breath on Sunday and appreciate the beauty around you. Feel the love that’s sent your way. This is your space and your time. Break some rules, face the consequences, and do what brings you joy. You don’t need anyone’s permission, but I give you mine.

Fruitfully yours,

KARIN

   

The life so brief, the art so long in the learning,

The attempt so hard, the conquest so sharp,

The fearful joy that ever slips away so quickly—

By all this I mean love, which so sorely astounds my feeling

With its wondrous operation, that when I think upon it

I scarce know whether I wake or sleep.

—Geoffrey Chaucer