People who don’t know much have sometimes told me I have a green thumb (and what a dumb expression that is). Sometime friends even come to me for gardening advice, which I used to think they actually wanted.
Now, however, I understand they are actually soliciting some hocus-pocus variation of “eye of newt and toe of toad”. What they really hanker for is permission to claim the care of such and such plant, which they have already killed, is so exotic that they are absolved of all responsibility in their failure.
Others ask for identification of a mysterious plant which they describe with much inaccuracy and flailing of arms. When I can, I name the plant correctly for them (virtually impossible without seeing it). When I can’t, I bite my tongue to keep from inventing some likely story that might please them even more. I’m convinced most of the more colorful names (John Lauter’s walking stick, lovelies bleeding, red hot poker or grandpa’s long-handled drawers—no wait, I made that last one up) come from just such incidents; a green thumb gardener, no doubt embarrassed by lack of knowledge, just made something up on the spot.
The thing that pleases me is how most visitors will gladly take home cuttings of nasty invasive plants I am trying to purge from my own garden. I know, that sounds like an evil trick to play on one’s friends. Really? Do you have any I idea where I got these bad boys in the first place?
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I don't know what these are, but they are certainly beautiful.
ReplyDeleteR.F.K.