A Favorite Plant Memory

When I grew up - in the 70's - perennial and vegetable gardens in the suburbs were a rarity. However, my mother always had both flowers and vegetables growing in the yard. We lived on the corner of a busy street and a side street. The front yard held several perennials, and the back yard - next to the driveway - held a 15' by 25' vegetable garden.

Along one entire side of the vegetable garden, my mom grew asparagus. As most of you know, this is a vegetable that most kids detest. I once read that children's taste buds change as they grow into adults, and foods that they once found disgusting become delicious as their palates mature. This was certainly true for us. My mom didn't care, though, because of course it just meant more for her and dad.

As the summer progressed and the asparagus fronds grew taller, our cat - Ichabod - would spend more and more time in the shade of the asparagus. We all believed that he was getting back to his roots as a wild lion or tiger, hiding in the bush and waiting for prey. However, because he lived in an American suburb and not the African plains,  Ichabod's prey was small legs with bare feet. If any kid got too close to his lair, he would spring from the fronds and pounce.

For me, asparagus fronds are as much a part of summer as any other plant. This year I hope to make a new garden between our fence and the road. I'm hoping to have a 20' row of asparagus, serving as a frond-y backdrop for the prairie-type flowers I plan to plant. I know that as I work in that area of the garden, I'll always be a little nervous, waiting for a paw or two to appear from beneath the fronds.

Comments

[Carol]

What a great memory and a great imagination. I'll include this is the "club post" tomorrow (or Saturday).

[Colleen]

I love your story about Ichabod! I never would have thought of asparagus---it just shows how much our favorite plants are tied up with our memories.

Great post!

[Tracy]

Carol & Colleen - Thanks!