Plants

 

    Every Thursday I visit my parents who live in a senior apartment complex 15 minutes away. Yesterday was supposed to be a rainy day. I decided it would be a good day to get some plants for their balcony. I arranged for my friend Ellen to come with me. She brings a canvas and painting supplies so that she can guide my mother in painting a picture that Mom picked out a few day before. While Mom and Ellen are painting, Dad and I were going to get some plants and pot them.

   The first thing we did when we got there was to get the painting things set up. We found an old towel to cover the table and protect it from paint drips. I moved a light over so they could see their work. Dad and I went to their garage space to bring up the pots that they had. Then Dad and I set off to buy some plants. I originally thought we should go to a nearby grocery store that had a greenhouse set up. Dad suggested another place. The store he wanted to go to would have more plants and at a better price so we went there.

   Once we got there I looked around. I must admit I'm like a kid at a candy store when I go to a greenhouse. Despite the fact that I'm not good with plants, I like them. I like to watch them grow and flower and produce. I want to buy one of almost everything that I see. 

   I already bought a tomato and a basil plant and some alyssum that I brought with me to their apartment.  Dad likes petunias so we got a couple of them along with an impatiens plant that he said he liked. Growing up my parents always had a few geraniums. Even though I don't really like them I bought one and also a few pots since we didn't have enough. I found a couple perennials for myself along the way.

   Dad and I carried our purchases upstairs to their apartment. I checked on Mom and Ellen. They had just finished the background on the picture Mom had chosen. Dad and I carried our things to the balcony and went to work. 

   The basil and the tomato plants were the first to be repotted. The soil in the pots was hard and dry. I broke it up with my hands. Dad had a small garden trowel in the bag of soil we brought up. I used it to loosen the soil already in the pots so that I could put the plants in. Dad filled his watering can and brought it to me. 

   Next I wanted to pot the petunias and alyssum. I had originally planned for them to be in separate pots, but the pot for the alyssum was going to be too small. Dad and I decided that it might look nice to have the petunias in the middle with a ring a alyssums around them. It turned out to be more like a semi circle of alyssum as the petunias were larger than I expected. It still looked nice once it was done.

  The geranium looked at home in the terra cotta pot I bought for it. The impatiens fit nicely into the small green pot that I had chosen for it. Once all the plants were potted I have them another drink of water. I looked them all lined up on a storage chest on the deck. They looked good.

  I have always liked planting things there is something about it that is healing and soothing. It felt so good to give those plants to my parents. I hope that they do well in their new home.