The Rewards of Lazy Gardening

Earlier in the spring, I planted these violas in a set of six containers that fit in a circle around the pole of the table umbrella.

I like how it looks!

And no, this is not something a lazy gardener does because it takes time and effort on a cold day to plant all these violas.

First, you have to excavate all the patio furniture out from under the tarps which somewhat protected them from winter weather, move the table back to the center of the patio, and find the containers that fit around the umbrella pole.

Then you have to set up those containers and refill them with new potting soil because you emptied them in the fall before you put them away.

Then you have to go to the local greenhouse to purchase all the violas, bring them home, and pot them up.

Then you need to water the violas periodically, usually with a watering can because there are too many frosty nights to have a hose hooked up to the faucet most nights that early in the spring.

All this while you have faith that the violas will survive frost, because you’ve planted them well before your last frost of spring, just as you do every year.

But other than that, there isn’t too much effort involved in planting this lovely display of violas, which will last until mid to late May at which time the violas will get leggy and start to rot off at the roots from the heat.

So then you rip them out and replant the containers with a few herbs you picked up along the way somewhere because it seems like a good idea to plant herbs in these little containers that surround the table umbrella. After all, you plan on enjoying eating lunch, maybe even breakfast or dinner, at this table during lovely summer days when it isn’t too hot. Why not have something edible planted in those containers that will be inches away from your food?

“But where does the laziness come in, Carol?”

The lazy part is I didn’t change out the potting soil between the violas and the herbs and now look at my reward!

Look at all those violas seedlings coming up!

If you think I’m going to clean those viola seedings out, then who are you? Is this the first post you’ve read here? Have you never listened to the podcast I record with Dee Nash?

Do you not know of my love of violas?

I’m absolutely going to leave those viola seedlings just to see how well they grow through the heat of summer. And if they get big enough, I might just have to transplant those herbs to other containers to give them room to keep growing!

Ah, yes, the rewards of lazy gardening…