looduskalender.ee

On the coldest day of the winter the Backyard Potterer’s heart was warmed by a brochure found in his letter-box, headed ”Gift”. It was a catalogue in which a Dutch postal order company offers, in genuine Estonian and with coloured pictures, generous numbers of plants for sale. And precisely plants, not seeds. There was a message too that orders should be sent in at once, the same week, the merchandise would be cheaper and  arrive quickly by mail. Roses, grapes, gladioluses and what not. The Backyard Potterer particularly liked the collection of 30 plants that was available at only 50 euro, plus parcel and postage. He only racked his brain about which corner of his garden should receive this select collection. At the fence on top of the big snowdrift or under the shivering apple tree where the snow is less deep but instead denser. Not the smallest doubt exists that this collection of plants would change the Backyard Potterer’s now-white garden into a wealth of colour already next week – among the plants were lupines and bellflowers, lavenders and candytufts. In summer these delicate flowers might perish in the cool weather of Estonia, so it is necessary to hurry. And moreover one gets a model of a well made of genuine wood and a metal pump as gift. That could simply be dug down in the snow; so it wouldn’t catch the eye.