My mom recently returned from a visit to her hometown of Warren, MN. Warren is the type of small town where you still leave your door unlocked when you go out, just in case the mailman wants to come in and have a cup of coffee. There are no stoplights, and your restaurant choices are Mick’s Bar or the Dairy Queen. Everyone knows your name and what you’ve been up to. In years past, the girls and I have tagged along and within 30 minutes it seems the whole town knows the Floridians have arrived. Probably because we’re decked out in mismatched snow clothes borrowed from my grandmother’s generous neighbors. Our favorite time to visit is of course winter so we have a chance of seeing and playing in the snow. Since this visit was happening in the fall we opted to stay home, assuming there was no chance of snow. Much to our surprise we missed out on an early blizzard. The girls were disappointed that they didn’t get to play in the snow piled all over the family farm. There’s just no way to beat the thrill of soaring down a hill sitting on top of a flying saucer – or so I thought.
When the girls saw the pictures of Minnesota blanketed in white and realized they wouldn’t get to take advantage of it, they found the next best thing . . . the pile of potting soil at the nursery and some old plastic plant trays. They wasted no time hauling their Florida sleds up the mountain of soil and situating themselves onto their makeshift toboggans. Before I knew what was happening, they were squealing with delight as they soared down the dirtiest “snowdrift” you can imagine. When they reached the bottom, they both looked at me nervously, expecting to be reprimanded, but all I could do was laugh and get out my camera. For the next half hour, they raced up and down the dirt pile as fast as they could, happy as can be to have found an alternative to snow in Minnesota. Sure, it takes a lot longer to wash soil stains out of clothes than snow, but the joy on their faces was worth it.
They did a great job of remembering that sometimes you have to work with what you’ve got, even if it’s not ideal. As Floridians, we rarely get to enjoy the picturesque scenes of fall and winter that we see up north, but what we do get is actually pretty amazing. Our fall colors come from a wide array of plants like Ixora, Allamanda, Hibiscus, and Cassia. Our afternoons are ideal for spending time outside in the garden, no additional bundling up required. And it is the perfect time of year to plant Roses and shade trees. While most of the country is hunkering down and trying to stay warm inside, Floridians are excited to get outdoors. If you need any help discovering the beauty of gardening in Florida at this time of year, you know where to find us.
