Now that the pressure of BRAF has passed, I finally felt like I could indulge in a little gardening time.  The past couple of years I have been trying to get some perennials worked into the beds around the house thinking that someday they’ll all just pop up in the spring, perfectly arranged and poised without any assistance from me!  (Ha! like that will ever happen!)  Anywhoooo…as I was saying…I finally was able to take the time to weed and see which leafy troopers have been tough enough to take our west facing, field-exposed winters and who the panty-waist quitters turn out to be (over the years, too many to name!) 

And so, as a treat for all my weeding and moving around, how do I reward myself?  Well, with more plants of course!  I pop into my favorite roadside nursery, Garden Thyme, and chat with my pal Kim, who gives great advice and is just fun to talk to.  I love her place because its built right next to one of those falling down brick school houses.  It’s really cool and kitchy without being tacky.  We pick out some plants that I’ll give a try for some earlier color next year:  A low pink Phlox (“Anita Kistler” ) and Salvia (“May Night.”)  Kim assured me that this Salvia is hardy, even here on the windy prairie, and shows me some nice specimens in her beds next to the road to prove it. 

Then I pick up some more tall white Phlox (“David”) and some Shastas (“Becky”) for some white accents later in the summer.  I pass on “Alaska,” I have one good stand of it, but the starters I put in last year petered out.  Kim says “Becky” is a better choice and was plant of the year in 2003 — or something like that.  But the fun part happens just as Kim is totalling up the green for my green.  In pulls this big dually (that is a dual-rear-wheel pickup truck for you city slickers) with what must have been a 40 foot trailer.  Kim says “who the heck is that and how is he gonna get that thing out of here?”  This smiling, good ole boy jumps out and waves to Kim.  “Ohhh,” she says, ” the metal guy.  Come look!”  The guy opens the trailer and inside is all this hand made garden art.  (Now remember, I just was at BRAF where much of garden artwork being sold was priced like a recently discovered Picasso. ) So as I looked at the all the wrought iron work I thought to myself “cool, but that’s out of my budget.”  Meanwhile Kim is looking through the work picking pieces she thinks her customers will like and setting them aside.  In this mix of artfully twisted metal are three small armillaries on graduated conical bases.  Together they look like a set that shouldn’t be separated.   The artist in me is already wondering what customer is going to come along and buy only one of them and break up the unity of the set of three.  I think of the sets of nesting bowls and canisters I have taken pains to create in perfect proportions, only to have a customer only buy one piece, then a later customer come looking for a set.  My heart goes out to the little trio.  I tentatively murmer to Kim, “those three belong together, are you going to sell them as a set?”  She shrugs, “well, you know how people are… “  I do know.  Always looking for just a little something, a snack purchase to satiate that shopping hunger.  They will get separated…

So, with a little more boldness I ask, “ummm, Kim?  How much for the set of three?”  Kim turns to the metal man and then she replies to me with an amount which astonishes me.  “Really?”  I say, “at BRAF those would go for four times that!”  “Shhh! Don’t tell anyone!” she hisses with a smile.  “OK, I promise, its our secret.”  In my mind I am already evicting some old fashioned tiger lillies by the front porch to make room for the artwork.  I also think about a bronze leaf wigelia I can cut back and move beside them to give them some low visual weight.  In the end, I take the trio of armillaries and a larger green cousin for the front.

 I feel good for being at the right place at the right time.  But most of all it is gratifying to have good relationships…, no, make that friendships…with people who make our lives rich and help make our gardens beautiful too.