Gleanings from the Editor

     Springtime always makes me feel so wealthy! When I can go outside every morning and pick big, generous bouquets of roses, iris, verbena, cosmos and other wonderful flowering things, it seems like the most luxurious life possible. Surely no moguls, movie stars, or sports figures have any more bounty than this.

I like to gather bouquets and give them to friends. It is a nice thing to do for them, but mostly it makes me feel like Lady Bountiful. Although I have little to do with the beauty and scent of the roses, I get to take credit and feel very clever for having these wonderful things growing in my yard.

This year I am practicing "selective looking" in the garden. In addition to the beautiful flowers, I also have a great crop of weeds that are tall and unsightly. Though I pull weeds every time I go outdoors, they continue to stay ahead of me; my new approach is to focus on the flowers and let the rest of it fade into a blurry background green. Living in the country as I do, my lawn is large, ungainly and rather wild. So I think of the tall, aphid-covered thistles as trap plants for the aphids and lures for ladybugs. It seems to be working. There are lots of ladybugs around and few aphids on the plants I want to grow. I also realize that these succulent spring weeds will soon burn up and go away when the weather gets hot and I won't have to worry about them for another year.

Meanwhile the veggies are coming along beautifully. We've had lettuce that could hold up its heads in gourmet magazines - and I've enjoyed giving lots of it away too. Broccoli is just finishing up and the tomatoes are coming on strong. It looks like when the flowers subside, the vegetables will be right behind and I can continue my feeling of prosperity for a few more weeks. I hope your garden brings you joy this season. That's what gardens are for!