a color story: the monster perennial
too much color, too much life?
Spring left. The tulips, daffodils, grape hyacinths were gone. All that remained was their once vibrant green foliage and my Hosta collection seemed to lose its glow. It could be the neighboring weeds diluting the Hosta's lush greens or the persistent maintenance required without the use of mulch. The yellow and red gladioli still had a month before they bloomed. I experienced the mini down cycle of the garden.
But, I looked out again in a familiar territory. Established perennials bloomed with vigor. The peonies took my attention with their wide bright pink-ish flowers and their yellow speckled middle. I wasn't impressed by the vibrant display of color.
I just got off a sour note with a similar color combination in the non-ideal watermelon juicing. Could the novelty with my color astonishment wore off? Did the spring bulbs take all the glory of the summer plant show? Or was I in the mercy of the heat and spending less "quality" time in the garden? Spring grief clouded my judgement.
Maybe I wished it couldn't keep up with the output.
Post-winter, I fed the peonies with two different types of slow release fertilizer and a dose of the basic 20-20-20 fertilizer - never been done before and not recommended in your gardening blogs. More flowers, more life, no? In previous season, the peony blossomed up to 5 but this season I hardly caught any of the green foliage. 15 flowers bloomed - exceeding my expectations. I could understand the appeal of using fertilizers for farmers. More fertilizer, more life, no? Who had the time, energy, money and the means of the way to sell organic, no-pesticide or non-fertilize use? Or do I just not know enough of fertilizers or the hidden agenda? Regardless, I felt like the peony lost their natural charm (pictured) knowing what I put in them. Natty or nah?
I felt conflicted. For my greedy color aesthetic needs, I created this monster (pictured).
Taking a step back, I was surprised that I didn't overfertilize the flower. Maybe this was the ideal amount of blossom one should expect if you fed the peonies right. I had no reference point other than my history with the plant. Maybe I wished it couldn't keep up with the output. The plant sure had to burnout. I created a monster (pictured).
My nose was runny while writing this at my local library. No mask and I googled if my symptoms correlated with the "situation". Bothered less with my responsibility as a citizen and focused on the placeholder mission, I created a ...