Commentary by Holly Lindzy
May 2013…Garden decent, most things returning. However, bloom envy stalks through me. Every turn is photo-worthy – tulips, crabapples…
Right now, the lilacs are in full bloom. And, I don’t have a big, fragrant and terribly wonderful lilac. Yet, I must have blooms for my vases. So I have no choice. Tonight, I’m marauding lilac blooms.
No lilac is safe from it, either, be it common, white or Sensation. I’ll take one of each, please. Well, maybe not the dwarf Korean. I don’t DISlike it, I just don’t prefer it.
A few blooms from a huge, neglected roadside lilac will fill my house and family with joy. And, yes, I’m probably stealing (or whatever), but I’m not ashamed of it. As soon as people know what you’re doing, they’re like, “Hmmmm… I’m totally gonna do that, too.”
Anyway, I only rob neglected lilacs, abandoned shrubs. It’s not like I steal from my friends or neighbors (unless they’re neglecting it). And I’m almost doing the lilacs a favor, since I’m obviously going to prune them correctly. Corrective pruning, that’s what I’ll call it.
Robbery, schmobbery. Some things are just worth it.
I absolutely NEED to be up close and personal with flowers. Inhaling the fragrance and admiring the veining, feeling the petals and checking out the foliage. I realize this is not everyone’s idea of a rousing Saturday night, but enjoyable nonetheless.
I guess that’s why some people plant things purposely to cut and enjoy in their home, such as Oriental lilies, zinnias and the like. You can throw together some great combos on the fly, although some flowers, like daffodils, won’t tolerate the company of other flowers. They ooze some gook that causes other flowers to wilt – another thing I kind of envy.
Anyhow, by tomorrow my house will be filled with lilacs and the bloom envy will subside.
Except the peonies are just about to bloom, and I don’t have any peonies. Must have peonies.