Checklist

Having your cake

There are certain comments people make in all innocence when you are young, and not so young, that have a marked influence on your lives. Off the top of my head I can think of two that stunted my already fragile development.
One time when I was straight out of school and working, a colleague of mine told me that he thought I didn’t have the “face for selling.” Just what that is supposed to mean I just don’t know, but it did put me off any type of selling in my job and private life. It’s a bit like being told that you have a great looking face for the radio. I realise now that there’s no such thing as a face for selling. If you believe in a product and don’t spit your dinner over someone when you talk, there’s a pretty good chance that you could sell anything.
Years before that in the days when I would get really excited when the iced cream van tootled down the street, I was at a family wedding and the cake was being handed around on a silver platter. It had been carefully cut into manageable slabs for people to pick up and attempt to get into their mouths in between swilling the beer and dancing rather badly to 70’s disco music.

I was offered the plate and without taking too much interest or notice, I picked a piece of cake and put it on my plate next to the left over chicken bones.

“Ooooh!” Exclaimed one of my inebriated second cousins. “Look at old greedy guts there”. I was totally at a loss. “Ian’s taken the biggest piece on the plate. Someone had to do it but trust it to be him.” My distant relation laughed proudly telling everyone in the whole room to watch their plates because I was doing the rounds. I was totally confused as all of the pieces looked the same to me.

Now if I’m given a choice of something that’s been divided up, such as a pizza (and someone’s looking) I’ll take a medium sized bit. Of course , if no-one’s looking I’ll take the biggest (and as I generally have the job of cutting them up I can also manipulate the slice so it has the most pepperoni on it).

Choosing Plants

When it comes to choosing plants, unlike pizza or wedding cake, it’s not always the largest size of plant or the one with the most flowers that are the best ones to choose. If you are buying bedding plants for the second time this year (due to the first ones being killed off by the cold winds) then picking the ones with buds instead of full flowering specimens makes more sense and you will get more enjoyment out of them staying in bloom for longer. Don’t assume that the bigger plants are always better. Many times the smaller specimens may be healthier and can transition into your garden without suffering from transplant shock.

So what to look for when choosing your plants. 

• How fast does this plant grow?
• It might look good now, but what will it look like in a month’s time?
• What am I looking for?
• How much time do I want to spend in the garden?
• What about garden safety -are they poisonous to children or pets or really spiky?
• How much sun/shade will the plants need and can I provide it in my garden?
• Does the plant look pest and disease free?
• Do the roots come out from under the pot? If so this is a sign that the roots are bound and overcrowded. If the roots are really matted, the plant could suffer.
• Will the plants survive after I buy it? Look for strong stems and healthy leaves.
• Do I really need another plant?
As your experience grows you will be able to assess what plants you really need and their quality without too much effort.

Just an afterthought about what I said earlier. I still get excited when the iced cream van tootles down the road.