I fell off the exercise wagon last year and I expect I won’t be getting back on it in any organized way. Even though I love the endorphins when they kick in, routinely making time for that takes a great deal of effort. And there are other things I prefer doing. So, I let it slide.

One of those things is yard work. I don’t like doing it. But, I like the final result. And I don’t have to get in my car to do it. I just have to get my as dressed and go outside. Well. I do eventually have to go to Lowe’s and get more mulch. But, that’s not a given for the starting point like going to the gym is.

I have 2 things to do today. I am going to plant a bare root lilac bush on the south side of my house. And I’m going to put 3 lily bulbs in their places.

My cousin told me that when my great grandmother’s house was sold, there was a white lilac bush covering the whole side of the house. The people that bought the house ripped it out. There’s a pert of me that wishes I had a piece of that bush to plant where I live. But, the truth is I prefer colored flowers to white ones. So, I’m planting a standard lilac and that’s enough.

I have 2 other lilac bushes in my yard. They are a pair of clones I got from the National Phenology Network. They are tracking climate change with the information they get from volunteers all around the country who are growing lilacs they gave us. They are nice to have. But, I was given instructions about where to plant them that are functional for the project, not particularly where I would have preferred. And they aren’t the standard color. They are Red Rothomagensis lilac (Syringa chinensis) and they have never been enthusiastic bloomers in my yard. They do bloom. But, not what I have wished for. So, I got the other one.

The other thing to do today is plant 3 lily bulbs. I bought a package of 9, kept 3 and mailed 3 to my cousin who lives in Las Vegas. They have a small back yard with a tiny growing area and last year whey saw pictures of Easter lilies and were quite taken with them. (Actually, Chris asked what they were and I called him a doofus for not knowing. Jennifer told me they don’t see them there. I thought they were universal.) So, when I saw them for sale, I got them to share. According to their USDA planting zone, they should be fine. And I know they grow here.

There is something in me that likes flowers as connections to people and places I have known. The irises remind me of my maternal grandmother. The gardenia is for my paternal grandmother. My crepe myrtles remind me of a conversation with my dad and he was always fond of the little primroses that grow in the front bed. My Thanksgiving cacti bring my mother to mind, (She thinks they’re ugly and tells me so frequently.) The black elephant ears I have in a pot make me think of the friend that gave them to me. My African violet reminds me of the friend that told me how to care for them successfully. There are 3 roses that remind me of specific people. The hydrangea is for a niece. The fig is my husband’s. (I will never see a fig without all our growing and eating of them coming to mind.) The foxglove is from an old friend. The Lenten roses are from another friend and the butterfly bush reminds me of my trip to Canterbury. There are several lilies that put me in mind of another friend.

The list continues but I’m going to stop and get on with planting.