Re: Weeding, in theory
To all who commented about in-laws, out-laws and others in their gardens, I
must add my little story. I live on a ranch, where my husband and his
brother are the third generation of owners. The house that my husband and I
share is the house that he was raised in, so this house was my
mother-in-law's house and my yard was her yard. She was not an ornamental
gardener, though she planted a few lovely things given to her by friends
who were. During the 13 years I've lived here, I've cut down trees, planted
trees, created extensive mixed borders, and turned former livestock pens
into vegetable gardens and yet more flowerbeds. And I cringe at
garden-tours with my MIL. I have heard her tell people that my rhubarb was
burdock, and that my lovely sweet woodruff was "beggar lice", a common
weed. A couple of years ago, I was giving her a garden tour, and of course
she had to comment about the roses that looked sick. Why, why, do people do
this? When I am at someone's home, I would not dream of making negative
comments about anything in their home or their garden. Even if all their
flowers were lined up like soldiers, I'd bite my tongue...and that would be
difficult.
My mother spends a couple of months here every summer, and she likes to
weed. She winters in an Arizona condo, so really welcomes the chance to be
outside, communing with goldfinches and wrens. Fact is, she has weeded out
several perennials that I was trying to get established, but I said
nothing. I would rather order new plants the following spring and then
point them out to her that summer. My Mom's weeding is much more important,
to both of us, than a few dollars worth of plants.
Myrna, Zone 3, Montana (tree peonies in fabulous bloom here, along with
forget-me-nots, saponaria oxymoides, phlox subulata, late tulips, iberis,
Jacob's ladder, some early iris, blue flax, and the ever-present pansies)
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