Plant Snobbery

Years ago, when i really started to become a plant maniac, i began to feel like less of a gardener if i planted 'common' annuals, such as Marigolds, Petunias, Geraniums (Pelargoniums), things like that. i sent for all the uncommon seed and plant catalogs, and thought, "Why would i plant the average stuff when i could be growing Salpiglossis and Clarkia, Bacopa and Euphorbia and Datura and cool things like that?!

 i would look down my nose at Impatiens

( Note to a few of my fellow gardeners - they are not "Impatients"! Impatient is what i get with people who mispronounce it!)

....and roll my eyes when everyone rushed out in May to purchase many flats of Salvia and Rose Moss. Not me- for me there was Zea Mays and Papaver Somniferum (grown by me from seed), variegated Abutilon, Persian Shield plants, and "Flirtin Skirts" hybrid Coleus from Glasshouse Works or comparable unique plant purveyors like that. So here i am, Ms. Master Gardener, Ms. Plant Collector, going along for a few years like that, some of the oddball plants did OK, and some-not so much.

*Note to novice plant maniacs- beware of Thompson & Morgan- while they DO have unusual seeds and exciting descriptions, don't get carried away by them. One warning - when they tell you a plant has "very fragrant" blossoms, keep in mind that "fragrant" means it has a smell - doesn't necessarily mean a NICE smell! Learned that the hard way. LOL   - Also, they'll stick photos in the catalogue that look like dinner plate sized blossoms, and when your little seed grown guy blooms after months of constant care under fluorescent lights, you find out that you SHOULD'VE read the rest of the description, which tells you that those huge looking flowers in the book actually could just about cover your little fingernail!*

Anyway, my  "unique" plants didn't seem to have the stamina that, well, plants like Marigolds had. I started to realize that there was a REASON that everyone planted these "boring", run of the mill annuals! They're dependable, long lasting, and long lived. Well, like today, November 21. Today i passed a flower bed with orange and yellow Marigolds that almost looked as good as they did a month ago. Didn't see any Datura still blooming...

So, these days, myself, being slightly more mature and slightly less manic than i used to be, i have Marigolds, Petunias, Pansies and all those Walmart standards AS WELL AS the collector plants. ~PLUS 'tunias are nicely fragrant! :-)