Well, it turns out I’ve been doing something right all these years. According to a recent “study” making its way around the gardening world, talking to your plants can increase their growth by as much as 300%. Three hundred percent!!! Which, explains quite a lot about what’s happening around here at Winterpast.
The dining room table is overflowing with excitement. Each day, after the pep talk I give, the seedlings respond. Stems are thickening, as true leaves are busting out all over. This year, the topics have been exceptionally positive ones, and I can see the results before my eyes.
For years, I’ve been chatting with my seedlings like they’re old friends. Encouraging them on slow mornings, I check in when they look a little tired. I always remember the occasional pep talk when the weather decides to skip spring altogether and head straight into summer, which, as we all know, happens around here more often than we’d like. Apparently, there’s more to it than simple encouragement.
Botanists at University of Nevada have just reported that plants respond differently depending on what you say. Zinnias, for example, prefer compliments. Tell them they’re beautiful, and they’ll stand a little taller. Tomatoes, on the other hand, seem to appreciate steady reassurance. A quiet “you’ve got this” goes a long way. And sunflowers? Well, rumor has it they enjoy being sung to, and especially love 70’s music. I’m not entirely sure how they figured that out… but I’m willing to try.
Out here in the high desert, where the soil is more “determined dirt” than anything resembling rich garden loam, we take whatever help we can get. If a few kind words can coax a bloom or two out of stubborn ground, then I’m all in.And honestly, it changes something in us, too.
Now, HHH sings a lot. I’ve heard him outside with the tomatoes, that are thriving in “Walls of Water”. In their tropical oasis, they are busting out all over, and have already started blooming. In March!!!!!
There’s a gentleness that comes with slowing down long enough to speak to something that can’t answer back. In hushed tones, it reminds us that growth, whether in a garden or in a life, doesn’t always come from force. Sometimes, it comes from attention and patience as e show up day after day, even when nothing seems to be happening.
I’ve noticed that on mornings when I linger just a little longer, coffee in hand, saying a few words to the tiny green things pushing their way upward, the whole day seems to settle into a better rhythm. The act of tending to something small and hopeful sets a positive tone for everything that follows.
Now that the study has been released, we should all be talking to our plants a bit more. Remember to compliment and encourage them. Maybe even sing, if you’re feeling brave. Just don’t be surprised if your neighbors start to wonder. Around here, they already do.
And if, by chance, you happen to read this on April 1st, and you’re questioning whether scientists have truly confirmed that zinnias enjoy compliments and sunflowers prefer a good tune…
Well…….
Let’s just say the plants and I are still in discussions.