by Meg Lynch, Editor

Last year I planted Johnny-jumps-ups (Viola cornuta) in my front garden. This year, true to their common name, these annuals have reappeared, “jumping up” from seed last year’s plants dropped.

Or at least I thought their common name referred to their tendency to self-sow and reappear. Now I’m wondering if it has anything to do with their ability to climb. See, the plants in my garden this year have grown much taller than the 6 or 8 inches typical of Viola cornuta. They are using my perennial sneezeweed (Helenium ‘Mardi Gras’) as a ladder. The tallest bloom is about 16 inches high.

The sneezeweed won’t bloom for a couple more weeks, and neither will the nearby coreopsis and nasturtiums. The Johnny-jump-ups have been a great filler, with their purple and yellow blooms.  

I didn’t plan on this – I wasn’t even sure the little violets would come up at all. So it’s a great example of the way plants can add to a garden’s design all on their own.

How have plants surprised you in your garden? Leave a comment below or chime in at our Forum.

6/23/2008 11:52:43 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [3] 

by Jessie Gridley, Associate Editor

I fell in love with the botanical world while working in a flower shop as a water girl eight years ago. The job was simple: water, deadhead and try not to kill anything while the florists were away.

Prom time came with Mother’s Day the very next day. For those of you not in the floral business, Mother’s Day is the pinnacle of busy days—trailing in sons and daughters of every age. An extra set of hands was needed to patch together tardy corsage orders for brace-faced boys. I did OK, which meant that it was time for me to be taught the florist’s trade.

From that point on, I looked forward to spending my holidays home from college, where I switched majors from plant biology to journalism, working creatively as a florist.  I discovered that every fresh-flower customer had a story, which I know is the same for all of you avid gardeners.

There was the widower, a kind crouching old man who came in at the same time and day every week to by a single red rose to lay on the grave of his wife. The regulars did not need an occasion to decorate their homes with fresh blooms. And of course there were the celebrators, grievers and countless lovers, whose special moments (good and bad) I was able to be a part of.

Being around flowers and those with similar passions enlivened me, just as I know working with Horticulture as an associate editor, and with all of its passionate readers (yes, you), will too. Time has passed, and although I’ve switched to the journalism field, I’ll always be a water girl.

What is your story? How did you become enamored with the botanical world? Leave a comment below, or post your thoughts in our Forum.

6/17/2008 4:08:22 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]