I grew up on a farm so you would expect me to know something about plants. However, south Texas was experiencing the worst drought in history for much of my childhood. Though the drought we’re in right now is more severe than the 1950s drought, the earlier one is considered the worst because it lasted so long—more than seven years.
My father turned to chicken farming after it became impossible to grow crops or provide feed and water to the cattle. He even gave up growing his beloved vegetable garden because he couldn’t water enough to keep the plants alive.
So as a young adult, I had no experience with plants. When I worked as an employment counselor for the hard-core unemployed in the 1960s War on Poverty, I wanted to brighten up my dreary office. I bought a small ivy plant at a church bazaar. I dug up some dirt from the backyard and planted the ivy in a small cheese crock. In spite of my lack of knowledge, the little vine thrived.
Mr. Martin, the supervisor of another department and a plant lover, brought me a mother-in-law’s tongue (a.k.a. snake plant) as a companion to my little ivy. Still knowing nothing about plants, I followed the same formula as I had for the ivy: dirt from the backyard in another little cheese crock with no drainage. Like my church-bazaar vine, the mother-in-law’s tongue thrived.
Then Mr. Martin, a heavy smoker, told us he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. The day he went into the hospital for surgery, the snake plant started looking limp and pale.
Whoa! This had to be a coincidence, but I wasn’t going to take any chances. I decided I should learn something about plants. I bought a book and discovered I should have used potting mix instead of backyard dirt. I should have used a container with a drain hole or at least put a layer of rocks on the bottom of the crock for drainage. I bought potting mix and new containers. I haunted garden centers and asked questions until the clerks were ready to throw me out. If someone recommended plant vitamins, my plants got vitamins. If an expert said I need to fertilize, I fertilized.
All the attention seemed to make a difference. The little plant perked up and started looking like its normal happy self about the time Mr. Martin was released from the hospital.
All went well until Mr. Martin took a turn for the worse. So did the snake plant. I read more books; I asked more questions; I followed more advice. Mr. Martin improved, and so did the plant—temporarily. For the next few months, Mr. Martin had a series of ups and downs, and so did the plant he had given me. When Mr. Martin lost his battle with cancer, the little plant looked worse than it ever had. When I returned to the office after his funeral, my little snake plant was just a pile of mush on my desk.
Although I couldn’t save that little plant, in the process of trying to, I had accumulated dozens more plants (that soon grew to hundreds), acquired enough knowledge that people were asking me for advice, and developed a love for plants. A couple of years later, I quit my job, disillusioned with the War on Poverty.
I opened a small retail plant shop that expanded to a larger store that become an interior landscape company that grew to be one of the three largest interior landscape companies in the area before I sold it to a large national corporation twenty years later. All from trying to keep one tiny plant alive on my desk.
After spending two decades managing a team of more than a dozen people maintaining thousands of plants in hundreds of businesses, I could write a book on the lessons I’ve learned from the plant world.
But the most important lesson—the one I learned when I tried to keep a plant alive as a sort of talisman of a person staying alive—was written long ago far more eloquently than I could express:
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
This post is an entry in Middle Zone Musing’s What I Learned from the Plant World groupwrite project.
Added 8/17/09: Thanks to Matt Keegan for using this post as inspiration for You Want to Pull in Readers? Tell a Story.
Lillie, what a beautiful post. You learned so many lessons – and went on to apply them! – yet it is the simplicity of the final section that really teaches us everything we need to know. Thank you.
.-= Joanna Young´s last blog ..The Music of Possibility =-.
Thank you, Joanna. Such a lovely compliment from someone I admire as much as I do you means a lot.
Lillie, talking about the drought, I remembered there’s a disastrous drought in my hometown when I was 13-year-old! Trust me, I learned a valuable lesson from drought that the water is totally priceless, and we should devote ourselves into the water conservation.
.-= wilson´s last blog ..Use The Right Medicines According To Your Needs, Not By Brands! =-.
wilson,
Yes, we really come to appreciate water when there isn’t any. We’re in such a drought now. So far we have been able to care for the cattle on our family farm, and we’re praying that the drought ends in much less time than the drought of my childhood.
What a wonderful post!! It reminds me of the time my mom was given a bonsai tree (a dead bonsai tree) from Arcadian Gardens (anyone remember that place?)….she brought it home, immersed the root area in water, placed it in sunlight and a few days later, it came back to life.
Simply because my mom wouldn’t accept the obvious.
That lesson has always stayed with me.
.-= Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach´s last blog ..How to EASILY make superb ebook covers for free – Bonus Report Tutorial =-.
This post rings true to me as I am watching this plant thrive in my den that was left to die by someone.
jc,
Sometimes people give up too easily.
Barbara,
Thank you for sharing the inspiring lesson from your mother. Sometimes what seems hopeless is filled with possibility.
What a fabulous post, Lillie — and what an inspiring story! While it’s very sad that your friend — and your plant — died, it’s so true that in life everything has its season. And it’s also true (as your story demonstrates) that, so often, bad things eventually lead to good. Yours is the kind of story that generates hope!
Great submission to this month’s MZM WILF group writing project!
Jeanne
Thank you, Jeanne. You’re right that another lesson from all this is that good things can come out what seems bad at the time.
Lillie, how beautiful the story and the lesson. I wonder if Mr. Martin knew when he gave you the plant that he was part of a divine plan?
.-= Karen Swim@Words For Hire´s last blog ..Be The Hero =-.
Karen,
Mr. Martin probably had no idea he was part of a divine plan, as most of us never realize our parts in the plan.
We tend to think we have to do something big and dramatic to make a difference, yet as this story illustrates, a seemingly tiny action can lead to a whole bunch of important things.
I’ve written a couple of earlier blog posts along these lines: You May Never Know the Impact You Have and Catalyst: God’s Tool.
Hi again Lillie! Awesome post. Isn’t it amazing how one small thing can turn into something big? We’ve got a million plants in our apartment, they definitely add a LOT. Though, we can never seem to keep them all alive. Your blog post reminds me of E.T. (The movie), specifically, when E.T. gets sick and so does the plant he gave Elliot. When he gets better, so does the plant.
Hope everything works out for you. I really like the quote at the end. Very true!
Thanks, Sean. It is amazing how something that seems tiny and insigificant can be start a whole chain of events that changes the world, at least in a small way.
If more people put in the effort to learn more about what is important in their world…the whole world would be much better off.
Wayne,
You’re right. Too often people focus on externals—money, power, pleasure—rather than laying up treasures in Heaven.
We have a mother-in-law’s tongue plant given to us by the DH’s aunt. It’s upstairs by one of our windows and has survived many years. The DH waters it occasionally. I never touch it. I believe they are very hearty.
Sad to say, the plant has outlived his aunt, who passed away last year.
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
Morgan,
Mother-in-law’s tongues usually thrive on neglect just about anywhere. My condolences on your husband’s aunt, but I’m glad you still have the plant.
Wow! I can’t keep a weed alive, but then again I have never put that much research into trying. What really stuck with me from this story is that you can accomplish a lot if you are willing to put in the time. Kinda goes with Joanna’s possibilities theme, huh?
.-= Luke Gedeon´s last blog ..What I Learned From a Bunch of Spinach =-.
Luke,
Good connection with Joanna’s project. This story is certainly an example of the power of possibility.
We’re under a Stage 2 drought alert here in San Diego. It is a sad state of affairs, but it is causing people to become more conscious of their water usage. Water is a precious resource that we often take for granted in the United States. It helps to remember that, in the beginning, God’s Spirit hovered over the water, and through water we are reborn of the Spirit. Maybe our current water shortage will also lead more people to become interested in plants. Thank you for your post.
.-= Rancho Santa Fe Realtor´s last blog ..Loan Mods Slow as Foreclosures Rise =-.
Rancho (if you wrote Your Name @ Rancho Santa Fe Realtor, I could address you as a real person, and you would still get your keyword link),
Droughts do help bring attention to the need to conserve water, a precious resource we depend on for life. Yet it’s tragic when animals and crops die from lack of water.
[...] What I Learned From the Plant World, by Lillie Ammann at A Writer’s Words, and Editor’s Eye [...]
great job…from little plant become giant company. nice lesson. dont stop dreaming
hersu,
“From the little plant become giant company”—an excellent short summary. Drop “the” and this would make a great six-word story. Those six-words things seem to be very popular now.
What a very touching story. I had a similar experience, only it had to do with a rose in my parents’ garden and someone in my dreams. I guess I should write about that sometime. It’s very strange how a human and a plant can have some kind of connection.
Dawn,
I’d love to read the story of the rose in your parents’ garden and someone in your dreams. Sounds fascinating!
Wow, that is fantastic that your plant skills improved so much! I have to admit that I have definitely been guilty of killing a plant or two in my lifetime
C,
My knowledge and skills improved tremendously, but it took some time. It didn’t happen overnight.
What a beautiful story, Lillie. It amazes me to hear stories like yours where people can affect a plant’s life. We can’t see plants move, so sometimes we forget they’re living things.
.-= Meryl K Evans´s last blog ..Is It Time to Change Twitter Chats? =-.
Meryl,
It is amazing the connection that plants and people can have. Of course, this is a dramatic example of that, but when I owned the interior landscape business, I recognized that some of the maintenance technicians we hired to care for plants in businesses just seemed to have a connection.
This has to be the best post that I read on your Blog. How beautiful the narration was. I just commented on your post about ‘Show and tell’ and here I saw a live example of what you mean about ‘Showing and narrating’ at the same time.
It was like ‘I’m in the scene all the time and experiencing what you experienced at that time’. Just brilliant.
My mother too loves small plants and our house is full of such plants now and still when she see’s a Nursery somewhere when we are out, she immediately orders me to stop the car and goes to buy at least one shrub.
.-= Sriraj´s last blog ..Ford IKON’s iKool version launched =-.
Sriraj,
Thank you for the lovely compliment. You’re a great fan of this blog, and I’m honored that you like this post so well.
It’s also interesting that you understood more of what I meant by showing and telling from reading this than from the sample in the post.
I can tell I would like your mother!
According to me It’s nothing that you did wrong and that’s why the little snake plant died. Because the way you took care of the first plant the same way you took care of the second plant. What ever is happening in the world is happening for good. If the plant would not have died you might not had gone to different garden centers and learned a lot of things about plants.A good thing for you.
Make (if you wrote Your Name @ Make Ice Cream, I could address you as a real person rather than a food preparation process, and you would still get your keyword link),
That was my point: To everything there a season, and a time for every purpose under Heaven.
What a wonderful story, Lillie. I know a lot more about you through this one article alone then the many articles I read before.
As the Bible says, there is a time to plant and a time to harvest, a time to laugh and a time to mourn. Oddly, the plant seemed to “know” when his boss was sick with its health pegged to that of your boss.
God works in mysterious ways and plants seem to reflect that mystery.
.-= Matt Keegan´s last blog ..More Back To School Shopping Tips =-.
Matt,
It’s interesting that you found this post so revealing.
God does work in mysterious ways, and our world would be better if people recognized and respected that. Too many people today (and probably always) try to understand God and His ways, and we’re not meant to understand everything.
A follow up, Lillie. This story of your has inspired me and has become the foundation of my next article set to appear on Matt’s Musings this coming Monday:
http://www.matthewkeegan.com/2009/08/17/you-want-to-pull-in-readers-tell-a-story/
.-= Matt Keegan´s last blog ..College Football: 3 Weeks To Kickoff =-.
Matt,
I’m honored that my post inspired you and am eager to read your post. The link isn’t active now but will work when the post is published on Monday, and you can be sure I’ll be reading it then. Thanks!
the earlier one is considered the worst because it lasted so long—more than seven years..
This is also the longest drought that i ever read. Here in our country, there are too much rain and typhoon. Just recently, my vehicles stock up in the floods and it cost me big for the repair. The water mixed with gasoline and oil already.
virtual (if you wrote Your Name @ virtual assistant, I could address you as a real person instead of a job function, and you would still get your keyword link),
Sorry to hear about the weather problems you are experiencing and the resulting vehicle damage. We’d love to take your extra rain off your hands.
My grandmother used to say, “It’s either too much or too none.” You’re having too much rain and we’re having none.
What a beautiful story, and a beautiful tribute to Mr. Martin.
.-= renae brumbaugh´s last blog ..Guess Who’s Coming to Morning Coffee? =-.
Thank you, Renae.
‘cept for the raising of a child…can there be anything more mystifying, awe inspiring and satisfying than planting a seed and watching it develop into whatever magnificent creation God intended?
.-= Wink´s last blog ..Real Estate Investing =-.
Wink,
Well-said!
“Although I couldn’t save that little plant, in the process of trying to, I had accumulated dozens more plants (that soon grew to hundreds), acquired enough knowledge that people were asking me for advice, and developed a love for plants. ”
Your interest on plants has a very interesting root. It’s sad but it’s full of lessons.
“A couple of years later, I quit my job, disillusioned with the War on Poverty”
So what happened after that? How did you deal with life after that? Was it difficult?
.-= personal statement law school´s last blog ..Appealing to Your Audience When Writing Your Personal Statement Law School =-.
personal statement (If you wrote Your Name @ personal statement law school, I could address you as a real person instead of a document, and you would still get your keyword link),
Many things have happened in my life since then. If you look back through my archives, you will learn much about me: my experiences as an interior landscape owner, my stroke, and my life as a freelance editor and writer.
My life is proof that what seems to be bad at the time turns out for good—something my Christian faith teaches me.
This is really great and very valuable experience. Deal with plants or animals are beautiful affairs and it is a true balm for my soul.
.-= Olivia´s last blog ..Yuor Best Bet for Earning Your Degree =-.
Olivia,
Glad you appreciate the post.
Joe,
I’ve never heard of a coffee-drinking plant, but I’m not surprised.
I have a friend from China who pours used tea-leaves in his flower pots. Kind of a compost I guess but it seems to keep the plants healthy.
Luke,
I actually have heard of tea leaves and even coffee grounds making good compost. However, liquid coffee is new to me.
[...] a result of trying to keep one little plant alive on my desk, I learned enough about plant care to start a plant store that grew into the third largest [...]
Hi Lillie ,
My father is a farmer.He loves taking care of the plants.That is why i am really thankful that you shared a related content about that.
Mia,
My father was a farmer, also. Search for “farmer” here on my blog, and you’ll find more posts that you might enjoy.