To Garden or Not to Garden

Let me preface this whole blog by saying something about my father (sorry Dad…). When my sister and I were young, Dad bought about 100 trees and planted them hither and yon across our large country yard… and then ordered US to water them every day. He will freely admit that his strategy for getting an oasis of landscaping in our desert domain was to plant as much as possible and perhaps something would survive. Mom also had some kind of plant-a-ton-and-then-make-the-kids-weed philosophy. Ever since then I have had a vendetta against any kind of outdoor work and really plants in general. I couldn’t even keep a cactus alive in college.

When we lived at Pisgah, Andy mowed the lawn but I never did anything outside. I did mow a couple of times just to get some exercise but I really hate doing it. In this new place, there is a yard with a tree in the back, a tree in the front and a lawn. Of course, Andy is out there mowing away. It’s required by the landlord for us to mow and trim and whatnot. I wonder if he was a kid that hated landscaping and therefore requires everyone else to do it but won’t do it himself?
Anyway, back to me… Ok, there is a little rocked in area right in front that looks perfect for a little flower garden. LITTLE! Like 2 6-foot rows and that’s it. So the question is: Will Callie give up her hard core hatred of all things horticultural and plant some flowers in her yard?

What even grows in Montana?

When Dad was sick and Mom was up in Denver taking care of him and I was all alone in their house, it once again fell to me to make sure the plants didn’t die. They have moved on from the straight up desert and into town. There is easier access to the plants from the hose. They have a new strategy for planting as well: pick something that grows well in the desert and nurture it. There are way less plants to take care of and I could get all the watering done in about 30 minutes. I still managed to kill the two front hanging garden thingies that apparently needed to be watered 3 times a day and have me whisper sweet nothings in their petals for them to stay living. Mom even left the price tags on everything so I knew how much I was costing them when I missed a watering. ($49.99 per hanging garden thingy! Dang… gardening is expensive.)

So… votes: What should be planted here?