Anxiety & Anemones Part 2

Behind every beautiful image on our feed is a collection of anxious moments provided by yours truly. Growing flowers started as a curiosity and diverted to the energy of a pressure cannon, shooting me towards space with no landing site. The good news is, gardening still grounds me.

This weekend at the farmer’s market, someone asked me about an anemone. The very last one from my low tunnel. “What is this flower?” He asked. Jason replied when he realized which one the man was pointing out. “An Anemone!” Exclaimed Jason, half excited he knew what it was and half proud for the recognition of this bloom’s shear beauty. The man persisted in knowing how to grow them, which is always a pleasure for us to indulge in conversations about lessons learned on the farm. But perspective set in when elaborating on the extensive processes behind growing anemones in this zone. ‘Are they worth it?’ Came to mind. And then I began down the deep dark tunnel of thought. I took the local instead of the express and about 20 questions into my interrogation of floral necessity I realized that even though one anemone cost me more than $40 to grow… It brought me so much joy.

To nurture the corms, to watch them sprout, to ponder improvements in my planting systems for next year. I cherish the memories I have of Jason gingerly handling the pre-sprouted corms as we planted them one by one. The excitement of each bloom emerging from the earth and then a dramatic dance of said blossom; twisting and twirling open to the sun. The awe of each individual that enjoyed that flower. These are all the things I love about growing anemones. They are a fleeting beauty with so much equity.