The Month is September, the year is 2020, and I Learned One Thing About What we do
Rain lilies (Zephyranthes candida) in late August/September. For more info - https://youtu.be/tY3evjimhWQ
We Always Have Something to Look Forward to:
Cases of Covid-19 are still skyrocketing, deaths in this country have topped 175,000 real people. Covid has touched us all in ways we never would have dreamed of, regardless if you are driving a cab, running a restaurant or cleaning offices. However, without doubt, some people have been hit far harder than others and have no idea what the future holds.
I was reminded of this when I went to my dentist appointment. Kelly, my dental hygienist and I were chatting about these times and she said, “I just took it for granted.” I looked quizzically and she continued, “I just took for granted that I would always have something to look forward to.”
As I lay in the dental chair, mouth full of goodness knows what, I thought about what Kelly said. Right in that chair, a light came on and I realized the enormous depth of her brief avowal. I believe her statement should be the mantra of every plant-related business and every gardener today, no matter who we are. In fact, these five words should be on the letterhead of anything written or spoken about gardening
By definition, gardening is always “something to look forward to.” When we plant a seed, buy a perennial, bring home a shrub or dig in a bulb, we look forward to what those seeds, bulbs and plants will look like in the future. This has always been true, but oh my, how it resonates with joy during these dark times.
So, let’s keep being smart, staying safe, and continue to zig while the virus zags. But most of all, let’s get into the garden so we always have something to look forward to.
Dr. Scott Linder & Kelly Robertson
Enough of this:
We have a ton of things to share. The new book Herbaceous Perennial Plants, 4th ed. has been selling like hotcakes. The reviews have been wonderful, the comments very pleasing; I know you will enjoy it.
Here is a question: The softbound cover is $10.00 less expensive than the hardbound cover. Which version is selling the more copies, by how much? (Answer at end of newsletter)
It is available, as are all my books, including Naked Ladies and Forget-Me-Nots through my website, www.allanarmitage.net While browsing books, you might also enjoy the wonderful children’s book, Bitsy’s Happy Bouquet, written by my colleague Linda Copeland.
Walkabouts are still so much fun:
On August 6, I led the latest Facebook Live happy-hour-walkabout through the Trial Gardens at the University of Georgia. A trial garden is just that, and some plants are simply better performers than others. It was wonderful to be able to share some of the tremendous breeding that has allowed gardeners and landscapers to be more successful every year. Here are just a few of the plants we saw.
The next Facebook Live happy-hour-walkabout will be at 7:00 pm on Thursday, September 10, 2020. We will be going through the exceptional Children’s Garden at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Sign up and join me.
Here is the video from the last walkabout, the sound quality is not the best due to lots of background noise! However, if you want to spend a little more time with me, join me in the Trial Garden!
The YouTube channel
IGTV:
I hope you have been enjoying the Instagram TV series, Tales from The Garden. The stories are based on the book Of Naked Ladies and Forget-Me-Nots, and are designed to make you smile. You will enjoy hearing whether there really was someone called Joe Pye; check out this story in the button below. There are many more, to be sure, under the umbrella of …...
The channel includes dozens of short vignettes of plants and garden scenes that have caught my eye. I am always adding stories of must-have plants but … you will be astonished at the Yucca video, a plant which you must-not-have! You won’t believe this …..
This is not to say that I am still not working to keep the App up to date:
The nice thing about all these videos is that I can also incorporate them in the plant descriptions I do on the App, Armitage’s Great Garden Plants. The App continues to be updated; I added a video to Ruellia and included Physostegia,, as well. Photos, videos and information are updated regularly. I call the App “back pocket horticulture”. I have also added incorporated my …“op-ed” comments of Covid and Horticulture (like the one above) to the App.
Online Courses
You can find out all about the online courses I teach on my website. Click the button below to find out more.
YouTube
Book Store
If you are interested in looking at the books I have written, check them out here. Click the button below for all my great reads.
