growing

Alexandria woman shares gardening tips

By Celeste Edenloff

Growing up, plants, gardens and gardening was a normal part of Connie Simons’ life. Her dad always had a vegetable garden and her mom always had indoor plants.

“My mom’s specialty was violets and she liked Christmas cactus and her Thorn of Christ,” said Simons, who lives near Kinkead Cemetery in Alexandria, and whose house has been on the Master Gardeners Tour. “She received the Thorn of Christ when her first child, my oldest sister, was born. It’s giant and is about 75 years old.”

Growing up in a family of nine, she said, her family counted on the produce from the garden to last through the winter. Canning and freezing was a normal occurrence because back then, she said, they didn’t go to the store to buy fresh produce. They ate a lot of it fresh, but also stored what they could for the winter.

A Love Of Growing

In her adult life, as soon as she lived somewhere where she could have her own plants and gardens, she did because she said there is “nothing like your own fresh vegetables.”

Simons, a frequent customer not only at Colorful Seasons Garden Center in Alexandria, but of almost any garden center she encounters, not only has her own vegetable garden, but also numerous outdoor perennials and annuals and numerous indoor plants, too. To say she loves her flowers is an understatement.

“When you go through a greenhouse and see hundreds and hundreds of varieties of flowers and plants, it’s difficult not to go broke,” she said.

She loves the colors and the blooms and the foliage. Really, she loves it all. The perfect flower pot for Simons, she said, has three components – the thriller, the filler and the spiller. The center plant is the thriller, then there is the stuff used for filler and then around that is the spiller.

“I have no tolerance for ugly planters or scrawny planters,” she said.

Know Your Plants

When it comes to all things plants and gardens, Simons has a plethora of knowledge. In fact, at one time, she was a Master Gardener. But life and work got in the way. She owned a business with her youngest sister, Patti, called Brown-Eyed Susans in memory of their sister, Susan, who had big, beautiful brown eyes. It was a garden plant and decor shop. She was also a nurse for nearly 40 years, working at the Douglas County Hospital, which is now known as Alomere Health.

Simons shared numerous tips for those interested in starting their own garden or for those who would like to have their own flower beds and plants.

And one of the key pieces of advice she shared that people need to know first is whether or not whatever they are planting needs sun or shade.

“Most people get that confused,” she said. “They want a certain plant, but only have sunshine. For instance, impatiens don’t go in the sun. But, there are some impatiens that can go in some sun. You have to read the tags. You have to know what your plant needs.”

She also said people need to know the height and width of plants when they mature, especially with trees and shrubs, as well as how much water it needs. It is best to try and get as much info about what you are planting as possible. Simons said to do the research and know what you are getting. She said to learn what needs a lot of water and what doesn’t. She said to water in the morning and not at night to prevent fungus and diseases. It is best to use a watering can and not a hose because a hose will leave divots and she said it is also best to water