Comments | mirtlemist: power to the flower

mirtlemist

power to the flower

May 05, 2011 14:50

When I was a child, little violets that used to be part of a flower garden escaped and seeded themselves in the grass. Every time my dad fired up the lawn mower, I would go into a panic. Armed with a trowel, I'd frantically dig as fast as I could, trying to salvage as many as possible before the sharp blades scalped their little blossoms. It became ( Read more... )

wildflowers

Comments 12

melissawyatt May 5 2011, 19:01:05 UTC

Our lawn is half wild violets and the odd thing is that they seem to bend to the lawn mower and pop right back up, unscathed after my husband mows. So delicate as they appear, they are amazingly tough little things.

mirtlemist May 5 2011, 19:21:39 UTC

Maybe it has to do with setting the blades higher? We set ours about three-four inches now, which does seem to spare a lot of the little wild violets. But the buttercups are so tall...Spouse is nice enough to mow around the biggest patches when it just absolutely has to be done. lol.

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mirtlemist May 5 2011, 21:01:04 UTC

No barbed wire here, just a twig sticking out from a bush that I didn't realize wanted into the picture :)

Yes, please, come and play with me! :)

patesden May 5 2011, 20:53:38 UTC

Beautiful photo! It makes me feel like getting out the hammock :)

mirtlemist May 5 2011, 21:05:19 UTC

Oh, I wish we had a hammock! Today would be the perfect day for it, too. The air is full of fragrance from so many different directions, there's a nice breeze to keep the bugs away, and the birds are singing. We need more weather intermissions like this one :)

barbarabaker May 5 2011, 23:26:16 UTC

Oh, it would be a crime to mow down such beauty. Enjoy them while they last.

mirtlemist May 5 2011, 23:55:19 UTC

That's what I think, too. I tried to pick some once and they immediately wilted, so they have to be enjoyed in situ. lol.

ophelialaughs May 6 2011, 17:29:48 UTC

I don't know about wild violets, but tame ones have monster roots. You can't get rid of them by mowing. Well, maybe the flower part, but the root system lives forever without toxic intervention. Or you can hire a neighbor kid to crawl around all summer every summer digging their roots out, which used to be my summer job, lol. I bet that yard still has violets.

mirtlemist May 6 2011, 21:08:43 UTC

I hope it does, if only because I would like to think that in a way part of my childhood remains (in a good way :) We haven't driven past that old house in years and years, but last time we did, I was amazed to see many of the trees, plus my old rusted swingset, still in place. Felt strange!