Green Blues

This article appeared in it’s original form in the February 2005 Issue of The Landscaper

 Green Blues

By Laura Ann Harrington

 It’s funny how the color green grabs your attention this time of year. Your psyche seems to crave it. Green seems to quantify your life and return the slate cleaned of stress.

 As you sail through Home Depot for the rock salt and snow shovels, you do a double take at the indoor plant aisle. The opulent bromeliads catch your eye as do the Golden Pathos.  You think to yourself, ‘O yeah, plants, that’s what we’re in this for.’ 

 Seeing those plants reminded me of the Herbaceous Plant Identification course in college. Studying indoor plants, and I couldn’t imagine why. Who cared? It was bogging down valuable brain cells I needed at the ready for the plants I’d actually have to garden with.

During that spring semester, I was lucky enough to travel to the Florida Key’s for a long weekend. My husband was already there on business and picked me up in Fort Lauderdale in the late afternoon and we drove into the night toward Key West with no specific plans or reservations.

 As we pulled into the parking lot of The Kon-Tiki Hotel that would’ve made Thor Heyerdahl spin in his grave; I thought to myself, “I’ve turned down way nicer places to stay than this; even if it is almost midnight.”

 While my husband was inside inquiring about a room I stared blankly out the rental car window.  Along the sidewalk under the yellow glow of the parking lot lights were many of the houseplants I had to study for the Plant Id course. The Scindapsus was a thick lush groundcover. The bitterly poisonous Oleander was well over fifteen foot tall.  Variegated Silhouette plants looked like giant Dr Seuss trees.

 Here were all the plants I was struggling with! Here they grew to their full potential, not like some puny mutant pot-bound waifs. Here they thrived and multiplied. It was the perfect review session for my class.

 When my husband came back to the car I shouted and pointed wildly out the window, ‘Look!’

 “Uh-huh, plants,” he said flatly.

 ‘Not just plants! It’s Plant ID test one and two! Look Sansevieria and Monstera deliciosa! Here they grow like weeds! Like grass and oak trees back home! Don’t you realize at home these are houseplants? ”

 “The hotel offers free paper umbrellas with your complimentary daiquiri,” was all he remarked.

‘Hmph,’ I replied.

  As we drove on into the night I settled back in my seat and I couldn’t wait till morning to see what other plants I could identify.

 When morning arrived there were all the plants I had memorized. It was like being greeted at the jet way by old friends. I could see these plants in their own habitat and I had such a new appreciation for them. Bird of Paradise marched around yards peeking over pickets. Hot pink Bougainvillea flirted up and down wrought iron fences with abandon. Every variation of green imaginable transcended all other colors and permeated all my senses. From emerald and lime to celadon and sage. Pea, jade, olive and sea. It was intoxicating and sublime.

  No matter which street we turned down I always had a point of reference because I recognized some of the plants growing there. I found you never know where life will take you, and it doesn’t hurt to learn as much as you can along the way.

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