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Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

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May Dreams Gardens

Just an old watering can, and three wishes

June 22, 2012 By Carol Michel 11 Comments

I woke up the next morning and thought about my encounter with the wee garden fairy and her announcement that she could grant me three wishes. Was it a dream?

I wasn’t sure. I checked the watering can, which was on the front walk where I had left it. It was still dry inside, and there was no sign of any such thing as a garden fairy.   But I couldn’t get out of my mind how real it all seemed and how specific the wishes were that the wee garden fairy said she could grant for me.

One garden to visit. One plant to grow. One pest to banish.

I decided I’d come up with my answers, regardless, and at the designated time, go to the place where the wee garden fairy said to meet her.

The day moved along in fits and starts until finally, it was 24 hours since I had seen the wee garden fairy.  I sheepishly went back to the spot where I’d left the watering can and stood there pretending to look at some nearby plants, all the while hoping the wee garden fairy would return.

I felt a little tickle on the back of my ankle before I heard the garden fairy speak once again.

“We’ll, did you come up with your three wishes?  One garden to visit. One plant to grow. One pest to banish.”

I found my voice and told her that I had.  Then I answered quickly.   England. Southern Magnolia. Weeds.  Though the answers came quickly it had taken me all day to decide on them.

I picked England for the one garden to visit even though I knew, of course, that it was not just one garden, but thousands. I had decided if I was going to wish, I should wish big, to get all I could from this one wish. After all, I once wrote online that I wished to see the gardens of the Austin garden bloggers, and I got that wish, so I felt sure I’d get this wish, too. 

I spent quite a bit of time coming up with the one plant to grow.  I struggled early on because I had trained myself over the years to basically ignore any plant that wasn’t hardy enough for my garden.  Then I remembered how my Dad had tried to grow a Southern Magnolia and was successful for many years before it died after one particularly bad winter. Yes, Southern Magnolia would be my answer.

As I fantasized about what my garden would be like with no pests, I wished I could choose more than one pest to banish.  I took a chance choosing “weeds”, realizing that it might make me seem greedy. Of course,  I meant in particular thistle and purslane. And oxalis and black medic and dandelions.  And bindweed and lamb’s quarter and those pesky mulberry tree seedlings that come up along the fence and the redbud and red maple tree seedlings, too.   I figured without pesky weeds,  I could learn to live with the animal pests in the garden, with enough plastic spoons and forks to protect my plants.

“Thank you, Carol”, said the wee garden fairy.  “I think I can definitely help these three wishes and grant them for you, but you’ll need to meet my halfway. I need you to actually make a plan to go to England, buy a hardy variety of Magnolia grandiflora, like ‘Little Gem’, and go out into the garden to pull some weeds. That’s the only way to get your three wishes.” 

Then she pulled out the scroll with the list of the three wishes she could grant and carefully wrote down what I wanted.  One garden to visit – England. One plant to grow – Southern Magnolia. One pest to banish – weeds.

With a final flourish she signed it “Deema Mae Flowerweb”.

Ha, now I knew her name.

Then she looked up at me one last time and in her wee garden fairy voice she offered some advice.

“Be careful what you wish for, and make sure you do your part to make your wishes come true. And for my sake and that of all the other wee garden fairies, please look in your watering cans before you start to fill them with water, lest you drown one of us. Yes, there are more of us, and we don’t always grant the same three wishes.”

With that final word, she blew a little handful of pollen into my face, forcing me to close my eyes and sneeze three times.  When I opened them again, she was gone.

I don’t know if I’ll ever see Deema Mae Flowerweb again, or any other wee wish granting garden fairies.  I hope that I do. But even if I don’t see Deema or any other wee garden fairies again,  I can assure you of this. I’m going to do my part to make my wishes come true, and I’m going to always look in my watering cans before I fill them with water.

The End

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: fairies, humor

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dee/reddirtramblings says

    June 22, 2012 at 4:42 am

    Oh, I hope you see her again. Deema Mae Flowerweb is such an interesting fairy, and you saved her from drowning. Good wishes Carol. Good wishes.~~Dee

    Reply
  2. Helen Malandrakis says

    June 22, 2012 at 1:22 pm

    I like this story!

    Reply
  3. growingagardenindavis says

    June 22, 2012 at 3:08 pm

    I think I'd best not leave my watering can where the sprinklers can hit it.

    Reply
  4. Garden Chair says

    June 22, 2012 at 4:04 pm

    I am horrified thinking how many times I didn't look in the watering can before I filled it…
    Not any more 🙂
    Nice story.
    Regards
    Garden Chair

    Reply
  5. Garden Chair says

    June 22, 2012 at 4:04 pm

    I am horrified thinking how many times I didn't look in the watering can before I filled it…
    Not any more 🙂
    Nice story.
    Regards
    Garden Chair

    Reply
  6. Janet, The Queen of Seaford says

    June 22, 2012 at 4:27 pm

    Great wishes! Have four 'Little Gem', their fragrant blooms are lovely…the scent fills my yard when blooming.

    Reply
  7. Hallerlake says

    June 22, 2012 at 9:11 pm

    Do you get heavy, wet snow? If you do I'd watch the evergreen magnolias. They break under heavy, wet snow.

    Reply
  8. Diane says

    June 23, 2012 at 8:48 pm

    I really enjoy the way you write! 🙂
    Diane

    Reply
  9. Rose says

    June 23, 2012 at 11:58 pm

    Wise choices, Carol; I can see you really put some thought into this. I probably would have wished for no more crabgrass or creeping charlie rather than thinking of the better answer, "weeds." I hope all your wishes come true! And I'm going to peek inside my watering can before filling it from now on.

    Reply
  10. Vicky says

    June 24, 2012 at 1:53 am

    I better start checking my watering cans because I know exactly what I would wish for: The deer that visit my garden would eat ONLY the weeds. Oh, that would be heaven, wouldn't it? It'd be like having my own little herd of weed-eaters.

    Reply
  11. Maggie says

    June 25, 2012 at 4:52 pm

    we are getting rid of the purslane in our garden by EATING it!

    Reply

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