Grow Write Guild Post #1

This is my first post in the Grow Write Guild writing prompt series. See yesterday's post for details about the Grow Write Guild .

This seemed like fun until someone said they'd be reading my response to this prompt. Suddenly I felt nervous. When I write a blog post I feel comfortable, try to check my spelling, and not go completely off topic. For some reason the thought of people critiquing my writing sent me back to my 7th grade writing class. The one where we had to read our stories in front of the class. Well, I've had to remind myself that this can be fun and not to take myself so seriously.

Grow Write Guild #1: My First Plant

I don't remember having a 'first' plant. My initial response was, "I've always loved plants." But,  when thinking about a particular plant that first sparked my interest, and eventual love of plants, I know there was one. One that I've mentioned on my blog before. 

When I was about 8 years old, my mom took me with her to visit a friend here in Vancouver, WA. Betty was known for having an immaculately kept house. That day was the first time I'd seen her back yard and I can still picture it clearly. 

It was a small, fenced yard with a big shade tree. The lawn was an oval shape, dark green and  perfectly trimmed. Along the edge of the lawn was a border of plants with an intense dark blue flower. It was the most beautiful flower I'd ever seen and the most perfect back yard. That is the first time I recall asking an adult the name of a plant. Betty told me it was Lobelia. Crystal Palace to be exact. 

Blue Lobelia along the edge of a lawn
Flickr photo some rights reserved by daryl_mitchell
Creative Commons license

Every year (despite learning that I liked perennials better) I still buy a few annuals, and always buy a 'six-pack' of blue Lobelia.  I recently discovered a variety I liked so much I wrote about it in my blog last spring. That one was called, "Big Blue", the name sold me, I bought it without seeing a single bloom.

I don't recall the first plant I planted or the the first plant I grew from seed, most likely an avacado pit. I do recall the impression of walking out into her back yard and seeing those flowers. People talk about having 'aha' moments and I think that seeing that yard and those flowers was one for me.