The unbloomed peonies from the farmers market bouquet remained unbloomed, despite trying a few tricks I consulted the Internet for. I was disappointed, but the leftover stems were started to rot, so I had to toss them.
The Sweet William began to wilt and die about a week later, first slowly, then all at once. I woke up Thursday sneezy and rashy, and J’s sneezing got progressively worse until I finally threw out the dead flowers and took the trash outside. The hydrangeas revived quickly in water the first time, but couldn’t tolerate the heatwave that followed. Limp and browning, they, too, were trashbound.
The sunflowers bloomed and thrived, growing a bit, then shrinking and losing leaves until the bugs finally started to take over, perhaps waiting in the seeds until whatever smells the dying flowers were giving off signaled to them that it was their time.
The flowers from this week’s share didn’t even last a week before dropping and succumbing to bugs. Creeping little worms adorned each bloom, and I had to toss them out and wipe everything down before settling into bed. I don’t know when the next flower share will show up, but I hope the bugs won’t come with it. They have quashed any bittersweet feelings I may have about tossing out flowers.
The snapdragons from a couple weeks ago did quite well, and didn’t seem to be affected by the same bug problem the last few bouquets were. The marigolds were refrigerated and became jam, but they weren’t buggy, either. Maybe they’re from a different part of the farm. Maybe the recent heat and humidity have something to do with it.
The flower part of the CSA is not quite biweekly-ish, but frequent of late, enough to be a surprise when it does show up in my share box, and I’m still tempted to pick up a bouquet at the farmers market when we go. I am quite cheered up seeing flowers around the house, even if they die so soon. Though I have been reconsidering getting more flowers if I sign up for the same CSA next year. Our allergies might not be that bad, but the bugs are.
Rhubarb Season 