Give us a few days of sunshine and a bit of warm weather and the gardeners climb out of their comfortable chairs and set aside the seed catalogues to see what winter has wrought in the garden.
Time to check the gardening wardrobe. In case you are behind the times, gardening clothes have gone haute couture, adopting the English manor look for yard work, exchanging ratty jeans and worn-out old shoes and $400 waterproof utility jackets from Ireland, for English riding breeches tucked into $500 imported Wellies. After all, you may be outside in full view of the neighbors and you want to dress the part even if you’re only pulling a few weeds. They even have a tool belt you can sling around your waist that they advertise as “sexy”, and it’s “only” $58. It sort of identifies you as a gardener without looking too corny. Gosh, where have I been all these years? I always thought garening almost required you to get dirt under your fingernails.
I remember when I first saw the “boots”. We were having lunch at a small restaurant in Malibu when I saw the greatest boots I had ever seen. I had actually seen them on someone on TV a short time before and thought they were the cat’s pajamas, so when I looked up and saw them again on an actual person I flipped. Before I could ask where they got them, my daughter cautioned me by saying “That’s Larry Hagman, you can’t ask him!” Well, O.K., but my husband had gone into another part of the restaurant to watch a football game and so had Mr. Hagman, so I sauntered over and just happened to mention the boots. By the time I arrived, the two men had become football friends, and had exchanged pleasantries and addresses.
As it turned out, they were the first Ugg boots we had seen, and not too practical for garden wear, but his jacket, from L.L. Bean was a real keeper. His wife was also an artist and had painted fish motifs on the coat, which was warm and waterproof and cost about $75. It goes well with my ratty jeans, worn-out tennis shoes and baseball cap. And who cares what the neighbors think?
Pachofa-Unfinished 
Look at all those flowers! Wonderful. Of all the things you’ve mentioned, I have to admit to a yen for imported Wellies, having worn a borrowed pair in Scotland one rainy day.
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And Scotland has its share of rainy days!
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The gardener likes azaleas, that’s clear. We have just finished putting chicken and cow manure on our small garden in anticipation of a winter but when the bulbs need feeding out of hibernation into a full and glorious burst of colour at the end of winter heralding a spring. So much for anticipating the future. Go for it you daffodils, tulips and hyacinths! Be brave.
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I never had much luck with bulbs for some reason. I probably like azaleas and camellias because I’m too lazy to keep at them. But I always buy one white hyacinth each spring. Been doing it for 50 years! Crazy. Enjoy your lovely flowers.
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