Linda Hall: Fingers crossed for blooming peonies - in memory of Mum

Linda Hall is hoping for a beautiful show of peonies - and the reason is personal. Photo / File

COMMENT:

There are only 10 days left of winter (not counting today) and that means very shortly my bank balance is going to take a hiding.

Actually, I've already started spending. I've bought sweet peas, pansies and stock.

As I was handing over my card to buy theses plants the week before last, I thought to myself "here we go again".

I don't like to think too hard about the amount of money I have spent over the years on plants. I could probably have bought a Mustang or maybe a Honda.

Every spring I find myself at the plant shop just about every weekend. There's so much to do and buy.

Potting mix, because last year's lot which is still in the pots is full of old roots and weeds. It amazes me how the beautiful dark-looking soil that comes out of the bags turns into a dried-out, weed-filled mess over winter.

Although this year my strawberry plants have come back to life. All I had to do was a bit of weeding and cutting away the long dead tendrils.

I'm really excited about the coming summer and just a little nervous.

The spending has already started - on sweet peas, pictured, pansies and stock. Photo / File

In my garden are some peonies — they mean a lot to me. My sister and I dug them up from our mum's garden. Mum loved them. Every summer the pink and white flowers would bloom in her garden and we would cut a bunch or two to take home.

Mum passed away in early January so to see these flowers thrive in our gardens would be amazing.

Recently, I was with my sister and was skiting to her that one of the peony plants was covered in green growth.

'Are you sure it's a peony', she asked. 'It's a bit early for any growth."

Yes, I was confident that the all tubers I planted were along the fence line and one of them was just flourishing.

'Send me a picture of it when you get home,' she said.

Linda Hall is pleased with her strawberry plants, which have come back to life thanks to a bit of weeding and cutting away the long dead tendrils. Photo / Getty Images

In the meantime, we arrived at her house and decided to have a walk around her garden.
She showed me where her tubers were planted and yes they looked the same as all of mine except "the one". Just sticks in the ground.

But then I spotted something. A plant identical to the one "flourishing" in my garden.

'What's that,' I said pointing at it.

'Not sure, some kind of ground cover I got from Mum's garden."

She looked at me and yep — she knew. We had a good laugh about it but I really was disappointed. My flourishing peony was not a peony at all but some unidentified very healthy-looking ground cover.

Pink and white peonies were a favourite in Linda Hall's mother's garden. Photo / File

I have my fingers crossed the peonies live to bloom in our gardens.

While I wait I'll no doubt be spending more money filling up pots and filling in spots — not to mention the vegetable garden.

Speaking of plants, my two grandies were horrified to see that "heaps and heaps" of trees have been cut down in Te Aute Rd to make way for buildings.

"But nan, people are saying we are meant to be planting more trees, so why have they chopped them all down."

I didn't really have an answer. But they did.

"For every tree you chop down you have to plant two so those people are going to be really busy."

• Linda Hall is Hawke's Bay Today's premium content editor.

Linda Hall is Hawke's Bay Today's premium content editor.