Garden Angst

– Posted in: Garden chores, What's up/blooming
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For the past two (or is it three?) weeks, I have been putting up with a strained ligament or tendon that connects from my thumb to my wrist. I can still do most normal activities, but any kind of grabbing or pushing, from using scissors to wiping the table, makes me realize that I hurt myself and it hasn’t healed yet. Okay, I have about 5 dozen colchicum bulbs that I dug up earlier this year when I could still see the remains of the dying foliage, in the expectation that I would be replanting them in better locations . . . oh, right about now. And yesterday the first part of my order from Odyssey Bulbs came–7 new colchicums. Aaaaaaaaagh!

I try not to make my kids help me garden (lawn mowing being a notable exception) unless I’m physically incapable of the task myself. Of course, volunteers are always welcome, and I have an annoying tendency (so I’ve been told) to hint for volunteers when I should really just ask for help. So I finally faced up to the fact that I wasn’t healing as fast as I’d like and asked Collin to help me put them in, after the next good rain. I didn’t hint, and Collin, for his part, didn’t scowl or whine, which made it easier.

Meanwhile, the first Colchicum byzantinum is blooming, and C. ‘Autumn Queen’ is getting ready to. Time is running out! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!

About the Author

Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She gardens in rural upstate NY, which used to be USDA Hardiness Zone 4 but is now Zone 5. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002. Find her on Instagram as kopurdy.

When dealing with frost it is always best to be paranoid. In the spring never think it is too late for one more frost to come. And in the fall never think it too early.

~Rundy in Frost

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