My grandmother had a beautiful garden!! As a little girl, I was so excited to go visit her and help her water her plants on the back porch. It was such a peaceful and serene place. I have always wanted to emulate her green thumb and have gorgeous plants, but my talents must be in other things - not horticulture!
Throughout the years I have established a couple of “go-to” plants for our flowerbeds. The Begonia is a good one. As I have grown as a gardener, I have learned that different colors of Begonias can handle more sun than others. Despite their water intake, many of my pretty Begonias have suffered slow, hot deaths- so tragic! Besides the Begonia, a second plant that has become a staple in the Cullen yard is the Caladium. I love a good Caladium! The different colors and sizes always make me happy. My dad once grew giant Caladiums taller than my mom! Plus, this beautiful plant spreads and can take up a bunch of room in a flower bed or pot. When they need more water, a Caladium will tell you - they get sad and droopy. “Water me!!!” they will shout as I come outside. Finally, much like the Caladium, the Coleus plant is a family favorite and comes in many varieties. This reliable bit of greenery adds the texture and color that all good gardens need!
This last spring I was bound and determined to have the most outstanding flowerbed and flower pots that I had ever had! I set out with my mother for the nursery and bought an insane amount of plants. I had annuals, perennials, vines, and all sorts of blossoming beauties! I got home and put combinations of every plant I had together to make giant arrangements and planted my go-tos in the ground knowing this was the year I would have a garden like my Gram!
As the spring turned into summer, I was strutting around like a proud mother. My gorgeous plant babies had grown and flourished way more than I had planned! They were stunning! My neighbors even commented on them! I was in my happy place and enjoyed just sitting outside looking at them.
Then it happened……the summer heat of 2022!
We have had 40+ days of over 100 degrees this summer! No amount of water or moving my plants will save some of them. I have been so sad coming out to water and seeing another plant wilted over. On the other hand, the good news is that I have had some plants that I‘ve been nursing just barely survive. With the fall coming around, I think they just might make it. However, there is one plant that I have noticed more than anything - I have named him Paul - Paul, the purple plant!
The funny thing about Paul is that I did not plant him this summer with all my beauties. He has just shown up and thrived! He is growing in a part of our flowerbed that I dug up, put a landscape fabric on and then covered in eggrock (medium sized rocks). I noticed him first as a little purple leaf sprouting up through the rocks and now he is a huge flowering plant that is coming up in many parts of the rock covered flower bed. It is amazing!!! I remember a couple of summers ago I cut a little sprig of my friend’s purple plant off, brought it home and stuck it straight in the flowerbed on the side of my house. Two years later….. HERE HE IS…. PAUL (and his ever growing family)!
I think about all that Paul has been through. He was broken off, taken from his home and family, and replanted in an unfamiliar world all by himself. I really had forgotten about him because he never really grew where I put him. Little did I know he was surveying the land, growing roots to bloom strong and thrive later on somewhere else. To survive, Paul has had to push through the dark ground, through the fabric AND the rocks! Now he is starting to take over and make the flowerbed his own. Little offspring sprigs of Paul are sprouting up all over!! Paul’s family has apparently decided that “This is where we will live and grow, do great things and make others happy!” … and they have! I smile everyday when I see him. My Gram would have loved Paul and his growing family!
Have you ever been like Paul - taken from a situation in which you feel comfortable only to be introduced to a whole new world? It could be moving schools, changing classes, getting a new job, or even becoming part of a new family? It may take you a while to feel comfortable and grow/thrive, but it is where you are supposed to be - be confident in that! You can get through the soil, the ground coverings and rocks in your life. IT IS YOUR TIME… Be like Paul!
**While writing these thoughts, I went back and forth on capitalizing the names of the plants. I looked it up and sources told me many things that contradicted themselves. Yes, they are nouns, but are they proper? Apparently it depends on the Botanical Nomenclature… the species, subspecies, genus and so on! Since I love the plants that are my “go-to” plants and feel they are special, I went ahead and capitalized their names! I didn’t want to hurt their feelings. This is why I got my only D in college - in Botany… I just really didn’t care about all that formal stuff. By the way, the purple plant is a Tradescantia pallida “Purple Heart” (Purple Wandering Jew), but he just goes by Paul!