With its bright yellow center and pure white petals, this little daisy plant is the sun and the moon all in one. I think it’s actually a variety of chrysanthemum, or maybe feverfew (or possibly they’re one and them same). However they are scientifically known, the blooms are enchanting in their purity and simplicity. While past endeavors saw me seeking out the most rare and exotic plants for the garden, recent years, and a slow maturation, has me realizing that the key to making a pleasant landscape is less in finding the most strange and exotic specimens, and more about finding decent plants and growing them to their utmost health. That brings about a handsome result more than scarcity or cost of a plant itself.
In other words, if you can take proper care of a classic peony – removing last year’s fallen leaves, mulching the area around the perimeter, amending the soil with a healthy dose of manure, taking care not to wet the leaves when watering, and providing circulation in the heat and humidity of a northeast summer – it can look more beautiful than the most expensive and elite orchid that barely manages to survive a few weeks because it wasn’t designed for such a climate.
Apologies for that lengthy example. My sentences run on when I get excited talking about plants and gardening. The point is that even the simple daisy-like flowers seen here have the power to cast a spell, and we’d be fools to overlook the beauty in such austerity.
