A Betrayal of the Soul

I made a trip to Home Depot today. When I walked in, I was a little excited - I was going to buy pots to plant my lavender seeds in! (Plus, I like to see all the plants.) By the time I left, I felt immeasurably sad, melancholy almost, and a bit betrayed.

I understand that Home Depot is not a fully dedicated nursery. There are other departments and only so many employees. But still, shouldn't someone look after the plants?? I suppose I'm not really being fair. I'm sure they are looked after. But there is none (or if there is, the evidence is hiding well) of the TLC that nursery owners (in my opinion) should impart upon their charges. It's why I hope to own a nursery myself - so I could care for the plants, love them, so that they could be loved by others.

The worst were the begonias. A little "six-pack" of them was on it's side, flies were buzzing about, and the leaves had become an all time buffet for little critters. It just looked so... sad. And there were plenty of other plants that looked the worse for wear (like the miniature roses. I love roses. I didn't like to see them like that).

Also (and this is something I learned today on my outing), Home Depot sells bonsai trees. A certain species of Ficus (I wish I had written it down, but I didn't even think of it). For $19.98. What???

Through literature, I have come to understand bonsai trees as pieces of living art, art that takes years to grow and shape. Art that should be appreciated and valued. I value a bonsai at a price much higher than twenty dollars. They were also shoved together, inside, not necessarily easily spotted by a passerby.

Looking at them and their forms, I could tell, even with my limited (at this point) knowledge of bonsai trees, that these were not works of art. They were miniature trees, true enough (though there were some that looked like they could use some pruning), but they were not the works of art that bore the name bonsai. These, most of all, made me sad. I feel like my soul has been betrayed (though by whom, I'm not sure) and I wish the plants that became inferior bonsai had a brighter future ahead of them.

-Sami

P.S. More later on getting ready to plant my lavenders.