Monthly Archives: September 2009

Singe was 95 years old when we met, so it’s good it didn’t take long for us to become the best of friends. She walked into my life with a handful of seeds and left more than great gardening advice.

“If you have questions or need help, that’s where you’ll find me,” she pointed at her ordinary little house but all I could see was her beautiful garden. Whenever I saw her, she would smile and holler, “Hello.”

I wanted a cottage garden but didn’t know how to do it.  So I was lucky to have Singe for a neighbor. She taught me how to plant flowers and passed seeds she’d saved on to me.

Singe grew up in Finland in the early part of the 1900’s. She survived wars and the great depression with dignity. Along the way she learned to be frugal.

After the flowers bloomed, she told me to, “Get out and deadhead those blooms.”

I didn’t even know what it meant to “deadhead” but she explained, “If you cut off the dead blooms, the flowers will most likely bloom again so you get twice your money’s worth. But don’t deadhead everything.”

“Why not?” I’d ask.

“Let some turn to seed, those will be next year’s flowers — for free.”

She showed me how to collect those seeds, “Store ‘em in a dry place, like the basement but make sure you label the bag so you’ll know where you want to plant them come spring.”

Singe taught me about organic gardening, growing vegetables, recycling and composting before it was in style.

She told me, “Plant marigolds next to the vegetables. They’ll keep the bad bugs away and you’ll have more produce than you can eat.”

It was true. I gave away bagfuls of vegetables.

Then I turned my attention to my lawn and was ready to rip it up and replant, Singe asked, “Why do you want to go to all that work?”

I pointed at her perfect lawn and then mine, “Just look.”

She smiled and reminded me, “Everything worth having is worth waiting for.”

“Yeah, but if I wait any longer it’ll be a patch of weeds.”

She smiled, walked into her garage and came back carrying an old plastic butter container filled with seeds. She started tossing them around my yard, here and there.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m helping you plant a new lawn,” she laughed.

“But don’t I have to work them into the dirt?” I asked.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it,” she winked.

And in no time grass was sprouting up all over.

I learned a lot from Singe, “Try new things. Experiment. If something doesn’t work here, try it there. Plants are like people, they want to thrive; just give ‘em a chance.”

She found ways to plant flowers every year. Sometimes she would stand near the garden and simply toss seeds out over the dirt.

“Can I plant them for you?” I asked.

“No need,” she smiled, “they’ll find a way all on their own.”

And they did. Her garden grew and it’s still blooming today with flowers and memories we shared over the years.

Singe is gone now but she left behind more than beautiful flowers or an amazing vegetable garden. She shared her seeds and grew a beautiful friendship that will never be forgotten…