Thursday, August 28, 2008

Impatiens 'n' Geraniums 'n' Begonias, Oh My!





Today I am a gardener again. Oh don't get me wrong, I am a gardener everyday. But today I am a flower gardener, and I'll tell you why. I found a sale. Yup, yesterday I found a sale on flowering plants over at Canadian Tire. It is their annual time-to-clean-out-the-greenhouse-and-get-rid-of-all-the-bedding-plants-that-didn't-sell sale and I decided to check it out. Oh, and I didn't tell Richard I was going to. We went to the store to check out prices on a cooler that plugs into the lighter in the van and on the way in, my eye was caught by a sign that said "Up To 70% Off".

"You go on into the store," I said to Richard, "I just want to look at these plants for a minute. Go ahead and check out those coolers, I won't be long."

No, my nose didn't start to grow. And really, I was just going to look. But then my other eye was caught by another sign that said "all plants 25 cents" and I was hooked. Bear in mind, these are plants that usually sold for anywhere from 99 cents to $1.49 each - and they were clearing out for 25 cents. My eyes glazed over and I began to salivate.

The next thing I knew, I was walking into the store to find a cashier with 40, yup count 'em, 40 plants. I would have bought more, but my cart runneth over and I couldn't get at some of the ones I wanted because they were buried behind immovable objects, sigh.

Richard walks up behind me. "Um, found some plants, did you?"

"Oh, um, well, yeah, um, I did, but guess what!? They were 25 cents each! This whole cartfull only cost me $11.20 including tax," I replied.

"Well, as long as you had fun," he grinned, "but what are you going to do with all of the...what do you have there anyway?"

"Oh my goodness, I got such a deal! I got 17 New Guinea Impatiens, 1 Brocade Leaf Geranium - there were more that I wanted but I couldn't reach them - 7 Variegated Impatiens, 1 Tuberous Begonia, 6 Gazanias - you know the one in the yard with all those yellow and maroon flowers you said was so pretty? Yeah, them - 1 Martha Washington Geranium, 6 Apple-Nutmeg Scented Geraniums and 1 Lemon Scented Geranium. Did I mention there were more I wanted but I couldn't reach them? And I can over-winter them in the back porch, living room and dogs room like I did last year. That will save so much money that I don't have to spend next year on flowers," I breathlessly replied.

"Uh huh," was Richard's only comment. "Say, didn't you just get some plants last week over at Walmart on sale? Some...roses was it? 10 of them?"

"Yeah, so, what's your point?" I replied. He just shook his head and drove us over to Walmart. "What's that pretty smell," He asks as he parks the van. "Apple-Nutmeg Scented Geraniums," I say with a grin. Then I sneeze 3 times. "Um, think those ones will stay in the porch this winter," I comment.

We unload the plants at home onto the little front deck. I admire them while dead-heading and removing dried up leaves, all the while making plans to look
tomorrow once more for more plants before my doctor's appointment.

So now it's today, um, that is Thursday, and I am back at Canadian Tire again. I browse through the plants slowly, just in case I see something more I wan...er, that is, need. I really wanted the rest of the Brocade Leafed Geraniums I saw yesterday but, they were way at the back of the rack, on the bottom behind a bunch of other plants, with a rolling rack in front of them. Hah! They don't know me if they think THAT will stop me. First I move the rolling rack. Then I grab two trays of plants I don't want and put them elsewhere. Then I reach waaaaayyyy back at the back of the bottom rack and snag a corner of the tray I do want and drag it forwards. Pheewwww! That was hard work for 8 Brocade Leaf Geraniums!

Now I look around to see what else...ohhhh, hey, is that...It is! Gerberas! 5 of them, and into my cart they go. And there, on the bottom of that rack, Begonias, some of them Dragon Wing Begonias, I get 13 of them to go with the one I have at home. And two more Gazanias. There, that will do it. 68 plants, $70.50 worth all for $19.04 including tax.

Of course Richard spots them as soon as I drive up. He just raises his eyebrows, shakes his head, and asks where I think I'm going to put these ones.

Yes, I'm done now. No, really I am. I have to transplant these into the pots I have and find places to put them in the yard until it's time to move them indoors. I think the house is going to begin to look like a plant nursery before long. Richard's talking about closing in the front deck with heavy duty plastic and using it as a greenhouse to over-winter some of them. Sounds like a real good idea to me. It's either that or...

...hey, Richard, how do you feel about plants stored in the bathtub and your bedroom?

What do you mean, NO!?

Hmmmm, you know, there were several flats of Fibrous Begonias over there, and they overwinter well in the house. Maybe tomorrow....

No comments: