ad collapsed in her back yard. Having not been to the nursery before, she asked if I would take her. Before long we had a truck full of people who 
wanted to go--Pam, Virginia,Tam and her mother, Ane, and me. Charles is a roomy little x-trail with lots of room for people and plants--or at least we thought there would be lots of room. After all, Tam was just going along for the ride, to show her mother the nursery. She didn't plan to buy anything. It turned out that we all bought lots of things, but we had room for it all. (Some of our purchases had to be nestled on laps like sleeping children for the ride home.)It was a beautiful sunny, clear morning--a lovely day for a drive.
The plant nursery is owned by the state or the Emir; I not sure if there is a difference. It supplies all of the flowering plants and shrubs that are planted around the city and consists of at least 12 large green houses that are open to the public. They grow vegetables outdoors with irrigation, as well. The green houses are packed with plants for inside and outside--bougainvillea, hibiscus, jasmine, ivy, philodendron, all types of flowering annuals, palmetto,and so many more that I can't name. They are staffed by friendly gentlemen from Sri Lanka, India and Nepal who are more than happy to give customers a bargain.
Walking through those green houses is a real feast for the senses. The smell of moist soil, of flowering plants, the steamy air is delightful. Colorful annuals fill 3 green houses-gerber daisy, geranium, petunia, marigold. The variety of shades of green is remarkable, each species adding its own unique variation, some tinged with red, some striped with yellow or cream. Large squealing fans keep the air moving, and air conditioning units lining one long wall in each unit keep everything at the right temperature. What a novel idea, the Canadian in me thought, air conditioning in a green house!
The need to surround ourselves with living plants is a common denominator among the nationalities, I think. Arabs, Europeans, Asians, and North Americans alike were the
re this morning gathering a little green to adorn their living spaces. It is no wonder, considering the dry, hot weather conditions and the barren landscape in this little country,that people are starved for green. Economically and environmentally speaking growing plants here probably uses too much water and energy. The mental health benefits, I think
, are worth it.I hurried to pot up my new plants as soon as I got home. I had purchased gerber daisies, and geraniums to fill new planters for my patio. Gardening in January still feels strange to me but this is prime growing season in this part of the
world. I have only 2 more months to really enjoy my garden. By April it will be getting too hot for things to grow. But enjoy it I will. My tomatoes and peppers are blossomed. I've been eating spinach from my garden for the past month. And on my patio retreat I am surrounded with color. Not bad for a northern gardener who has had to learn gardening rules anew for this climate and bug population.
