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The lady on the phone was polite enough.
She spoke softly but clearly, asking if I could help her identify the "little white plant" she said was growing in the middle of her yard.
As a University of Missouri Extension Master Gardener volunteer, I've completed the basic gardening course; volunteered more than my 30 hours a year advising community garden projects, not to mention decades of experience developing a wildlife garden around my house. However, people who ask me to identify something without a picture still give me pause.
I was game, though. It's the end of January. Not much is growing in mid-Missouri in the middle of winter. How hard can this be?
Does it have any leaves, I asked.
No, she said, it has a thin "trunk" and the top appears rounded.
Last year, when we had all that rain in late spring, a number of mushrooms popped up all over town, remember?
I had my own little stash, especially around my compost piles. Some were quite lovely; others made me think of low budget horror movies shot in someone's kitchen using mushrooms for aliens sticking out of soup can ships.
Aw, you've seen that movie; one of my all-time favorites. But then I've always enjoyed really 'bad" movies. Most people follow the Oscars but I want to hear about the Raspberries, awards given at the same time as the Oscars but without fancy dresses on red carpets- to the absolute worst movies of the season.
I will always have a warm spot in my heart for Sandra Bullock, one of the few actresses who EVER actually showed up, then graciously accept her Raspberry. Some of us have years like a bad movie so that's the spirit, embrace it!
Which takes me back to my polite but persistent caller. Surely this time of year she's not looking at mushrooms, I thought, but I asked anyway. Was it around any wood - wood chips, wood branches, wood chip compost.
No, she said, it's right in the middle of the grass, and she was now wondering if she should go out and water it.
Well, now, that should be a safe enough recommendation. Most plants do need some water; the challenge is in knowing how much and, without knowing exactly what this was…
I took a risk and asked. Was there a chance she could email me a photo?
Sure, she said. She just thought because I was a Master Gardener I "would know" what it was from her description.
Well, I am certifiable - I mean, certified, but this was a mystery I couldn't figure out until I saw the picture.
I didn't know you could grow golf balls in the middle of winter, did you?
www.bluebirdgardens.com/gardening_to_distraction
The lady on the phone was polite enough.
She spoke softly but clearly, asking if I could help her identify the "little white plant" she said was growing in the middle of her yard.
As a University of Missouri Extension Master Gardener volunteer, I've completed the basic gardening course; volunteered more than my 30 hours a year advising community garden projects, not to mention decades of experience developing a wildlife garden around my house. However, people who ask me to identify something without a picture still give me pause.
I was game, though. It's the end of January. Not much is growing in mid-Missouri in the middle of winter. How hard can this be?
Does it have any leaves, I asked.
No, she said, it has a thin "trunk" and the top appears rounded.
Last year, when we had all that rain in late spring, a number of mushrooms popped up all over town, remember?
I had my own little stash, especially around my compost piles. Some were quite lovely; others made me think of low budget horror movies shot in someone's kitchen using mushrooms for aliens sticking out of soup can ships.
Aw, you've seen that movie; one of my all-time favorites. But then I've always enjoyed really 'bad" movies. Most people follow the Oscars but I want to hear about the Raspberries, awards given at the same time as the Oscars but without fancy dresses on red carpets- to the absolute worst movies of the season.
I will always have a warm spot in my heart for Sandra Bullock, one of the few actresses who EVER actually showed up, then graciously accept her Raspberry. Some of us have years like a bad movie so that's the spirit, embrace it!
Which takes me back to my polite but persistent caller. Surely this time of year she's not looking at mushrooms, I thought, but I asked anyway. Was it around any wood - wood chips, wood branches, wood chip compost.
No, she said, it's right in the middle of the grass, and she was now wondering if she should go out and water it.
Well, now, that should be a safe enough recommendation. Most plants do need some water; the challenge is in knowing how much and, without knowing exactly what this was…
I took a risk and asked. Was there a chance she could email me a photo?
Sure, she said. She just thought because I was a Master Gardener I "would know" what it was from her description.
Well, I am certifiable - I mean, certified, but this was a mystery I couldn't figure out until I saw the picture.
I didn't know you could grow golf balls in the middle of winter, did you?
www.bluebirdgardens.com/gardening_to_distraction
