In life, there are many twists and turns that accompany us on our journey from start to finish. Sometimes, these pop up in the most surprising forms, the ones you just don't see coming, and they're the ones that make you crane your head around and say, 'how on earth did I get here?'
For me, one of those twists came in the form of working around perennials. For the longest time, I'd been painfully ignorant of all flowers and plants; this meant that I sorted them first by colour. As my knowledge increased, I was able to attach names to them- roses, tulips, daisies, daffodils- but not too many.
Now, it's my job to not only name them, but guide people in planting full gardens. And as soon as I put on that green shirt, people look at me like a voice of authority. They approach me and ask me questions about what to put in and how much, do we have such-and-such because they saw it somewhere and really liked it, or where is a particular kind of grass. Instead of panicking on the inside that they'll ask me something that's out of my depth, sneer, and walk away, I have to play it cool and quickly find the answer for them. It's almost like going from being a mute to learning the full scope of English in the span of one week, there's literally that much to learn. I have to learn common names and Latin names for more plants than I ever thought existed, when they bloom and for how long, what kind of soil do they like, are they shade or sun plants, and how much water they need- and I have to do this in a really, really short time span.
And I absolutely love it. I was thinking the other day just how awesome of a job it is to work so hard and get so dirty that when I eat my lunch outside (with background music of birds chirping and the wind whistling through the trees), it tastes like the best thing in the world, or how I get to be outside, deadheading and watering plants and then gratifyingly see them bloom before my very eyes. I also love talking to the customers and vicariously planting their gardens through them, recommending things I'd love to plant myself (calocephalus with ophiophogon planiscapus 'nigrescens' and light purple campanulas or lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea') or even trying to help them out with designs that I normally wouldn't go for (C. Karl Foerster at the back, hostas in the middle, and V. filiformis or Hedera Helix at the base) because while the colour scheme is the same, the texture is what stands out.
But the coolest part so far? It came today when I was at a grocery store checking out their garden section and a man came up to me, asking if I worked there (instantly reminded me of that Big Bang Theory episode where Sheldon is asked questions in a computer store and just takes over). I said no, I didn't but that I did work at a plant and garden store. He stared at me a little unsure of himself, and then said, 'I have some questions?' So, just like that, I talked him through how to get herbs going in a planter, and then walked away after, grinning hugely on the inside.
Sometimes, you just never know where life will take you.
For me, one of those twists came in the form of working around perennials. For the longest time, I'd been painfully ignorant of all flowers and plants; this meant that I sorted them first by colour. As my knowledge increased, I was able to attach names to them- roses, tulips, daisies, daffodils- but not too many.
Now, it's my job to not only name them, but guide people in planting full gardens. And as soon as I put on that green shirt, people look at me like a voice of authority. They approach me and ask me questions about what to put in and how much, do we have such-and-such because they saw it somewhere and really liked it, or where is a particular kind of grass. Instead of panicking on the inside that they'll ask me something that's out of my depth, sneer, and walk away, I have to play it cool and quickly find the answer for them. It's almost like going from being a mute to learning the full scope of English in the span of one week, there's literally that much to learn. I have to learn common names and Latin names for more plants than I ever thought existed, when they bloom and for how long, what kind of soil do they like, are they shade or sun plants, and how much water they need- and I have to do this in a really, really short time span.
And I absolutely love it. I was thinking the other day just how awesome of a job it is to work so hard and get so dirty that when I eat my lunch outside (with background music of birds chirping and the wind whistling through the trees), it tastes like the best thing in the world, or how I get to be outside, deadheading and watering plants and then gratifyingly see them bloom before my very eyes. I also love talking to the customers and vicariously planting their gardens through them, recommending things I'd love to plant myself (calocephalus with ophiophogon planiscapus 'nigrescens' and light purple campanulas or lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea') or even trying to help them out with designs that I normally wouldn't go for (C. Karl Foerster at the back, hostas in the middle, and V. filiformis or Hedera Helix at the base) because while the colour scheme is the same, the texture is what stands out.
But the coolest part so far? It came today when I was at a grocery store checking out their garden section and a man came up to me, asking if I worked there (instantly reminded me of that Big Bang Theory episode where Sheldon is asked questions in a computer store and just takes over). I said no, I didn't but that I did work at a plant and garden store. He stared at me a little unsure of himself, and then said, 'I have some questions?' So, just like that, I talked him through how to get herbs going in a planter, and then walked away after, grinning hugely on the inside.
Sometimes, you just never know where life will take you.
I never pictured you as a flower-girl.
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