Raymond is practically a farmer. He grows all kinds of fruits and veggies and judging by the pictures I’ve seen, his produce looks a lot better than what the stores have to offer. On his blog “Incoming Bytes", Raymond has quite a few “How to” articles that deal with a number of gardening issues. http://incomingbytes.com/gardening/gardening-tips-on-garden-preparation/
My knowledge of flora is rather limited too. I obviously know the difference between a rose and an orchid, a tulip and an iris, and a violet and a daisy, but I am by no means an expert. When I plant something, it’s a bit of a crapshoot whether it will grow and bloom or not.
So far I’ve been lucky. I like petunias, they’re easy to grow, flower in abundance, and more importantly, they’re non-toxic to cats. Very important in this household where four cats and a bunny share the balcony.
Even as a child my brother took an interest in gardening and back then I was his eager little assistant.
One year, when he got ready to plant tulips, I offered to help.
"Alright," he said, "I'll prepare the soil and dig the holes. You go get the bulbs in the basement, drop them in the holes and cover them up."
Off to the basement I scurried. I gathered all the bulbs in a basket and then ran back to the garden.
We worked together like a well-oiled machine. My brother dug the holes, and I planted the bulbs and covered them up.
Hours later we stood back to admire our work. Of course, there was nothing to see now, but in spring it would be beautiful. I could already see them in my mind; red, yellow and white tulips growing together in a big circle just like one giant bouquet.
Later that afternoon my mother began to make dinner. "Conny," she said, "can you go to the basement and fetch me some onions?"
Off I went to the basement again, but when I returned to the kitchen my mother frowned at me.
"Those are not onions," she stated. "Those are tulip bulbs."
I looked down on what was in the basket.
My young mind tried to put together the pieces of this puzzle: If these were tulip bulbs, then what had I been planting in the garden?