Who out there has a lust for life?
Psalm 34:12
Can’t wait each day to come upon beauty?
The sunshine and warmth this week kindled a lust for life and a hope for beauty in the garden!
seeds are hope
Last spring I bought a packet of coleus seeds and sprouted them in a tray. They took awhile to germinate, but this was an experiment and I didn’t worry too much about it. After a few weeks I saw some tiny bits of green in each cell of the tray. And then I saw the instructions on the packet: “seedlings emerge in 12-21 days.” Everything was right on track.
When the soil outside was warm, I put the little starts in the front of a flower bed. I wanted those tiny plants to show off the same colors I loved on the packet.
And they grew. Planting them in front of the bed was a mistake! They grew taller than the sedum bushes and zinnias I had placed behind them. And then I saw the instructions on the packet: “Plant dimensions: 12″ to 36″ tall”. #readtheinstructions
the colors and shapes
Aren’t they just brilliant? And the really cool thing, is that coleus makes a great houseplant. When you clip a stem and put it in a glass of water, it will have roots in a few days. In October, I rooted 6 cuttings and planted them together in a big pot. I’ve enjoyed these colors all winter long.
You don’t have to start coleus seeds early — they will be easy to find in a few months in garden centers as healthy established plants. But on a snowy day like today — you just might want to plant some HOPE. Let me know if you try it!
Gwen's Greens 