Plant Your Seeds Wisely

This Saturday will be a work day at Holy Cross. I'm really looking forward to getting to dig in the dirt and to hang out with my brothers and sisters at the same time. One of the tasks I hope to work on this weekend is the planting of flower seeds in the area around the fountain. (Many thanks to Becca for repairing the fountain's pump!)

Sometimes the hardest thing about gardening is deciding what to plant and where to plant it. Some flowers are already blooming in the four corners, bulbs and cold-hardy flowers that were planted last fall. Those were a natural choice. The plants were the only ones that would survive the winter cold and then bloom early once the freezing temperatures were over. Someone in the church donated the bulbs -- our first ever irises to bloom in Iris Park! Bulbs are so easy because the work they require is minimal and is done in the coolness of autumn. They will also continue to multiply year after year, with little to no care besides a little bit of fertilizer.

If you've ever gardened, you know that the really hardest part is getting the soil ready. Last year we took a shortcut and planted wildflowers around the fountain without getting all of the weeds removed first. Sure enough, the blossoms were beautiful, but were soon crowded out by the less beautiful, but easier to grow, weeds. The biggest problem with weeds is that they have a tendency to take over. So in our new flower garden area, they will have to go. To do that right, they must be pulled up by their roots, which sometimes dig down deep or run rampantly in every direction. That will be my biggest job this Saturday. If you have any aggression you need to get out, you're welcome to come destroy some weeds with me.

Since it inception, Iris Park has been slowly evolving and will one day be a wonderfully diverse environment for our enjoyment. Lack of volunteer labor and available funds have taught us to be more efficient and to plant wisely. I've learned to only plant things that need very little human care and to opt for seeds rather than plants.

This Saturday I hope to get the circular fountain area weeded and then seeded with flowers that will bloom all through the heat of the summer. It will take a little time to see the results of our labor, but isn't that the way it often is with life?