The Garden of Eden hasn’t been seen since the events of Gen. 3:23, yet our love for the place lingers on. Being surrounded by leafy things brings us back to a time without worries; when we smelled the roses without stopping. It’s almost as though our billions of ancestors were rewarded for seeking out fertile environments, and gradually developed a heritable preference for greenery in response. A novel idea!
Our inborn fondness for plants presents a real challenge during February, when the cold turns everything green to dust, and the dark mutes every other color, and football season ends (not plant-related, but dreary all the same). If only there were some nearby pocket of Eden to escape to – perhaps even one you could take home plants from. A grocery store for the soul, of sorts.
Wait! It turns out such a place does exist, and is coincidentally one of our beloved advertisers. I am speaking, of course, of The Mustard Seed Landscaping & Garden Center, which keeps its greenhouse open all winter long so you can buy plants.
And We’re Not Talking About Just Any Plants
We’re talking about plants beautiful enough to cure the worst case of cabin fever. The Mustard Seed’s greenhouse is densely packed with over 50 different species of plants, several of which have multiple varieties. Consider the peace lilies: semi-evergreens unfurling swirling, speckled, and marbled spathes, with single snowy petals shaped like candle flames. Neat!
You’ll feel tempted to take home a snake plant from this Eden. Give in, because the flowering plant’s sword-shaped leaves absorb toxins from the air. If your New Year’s resolution is to cut down on benzene, then you can place all your faith in the snake plant.
Not botanically inclined? Put the ZZ plant at the start of your alphabetized shopping list. It thrives on neglect, and can easily make do with biweekly waterings. IS THAT STILL TOO MANY WATERINGS? Then you can sit back and relax while you all but ignore any of The Mustard Seed’s fine cacti. Go find your prick of the litter!
If you really want to satisfy your arboreal instincts, then you’ll love welcoming home a Norfolk Island pine. It won’t just fill up your living room with coniferous verdure. It is also known to emit essential oils that boost immunity, reduce stress, and potentially enhance the effects of reading magazine articles.
In the mood for something … macabre? Go to The Mustard Seed to purchase a Venus flytrap, which will punish loathsome insects for the inexcusable offense of being near you. The greenhouse also occasionally stocks pitcher plants: watery graves with an O'Keeffeian je ne sais quoi.
And We’re Not Just Talking About Plants, Either
We’re also talking about fun plant paraphernalia. If you want to add color in ways houseplants conventionally can’t, then you’ll find it becomes easy-peasy with the right pottery. The Mustard Seed is your connection to a rainbow of pots!
If you dislike WHIMSY, then look away as you pass the WHIMSICAL animal planters. Can you imagine what your neighbors might think if they spied through your window and saw a bombastic bromeliad erupting out of a frog-, turtle- or pig-shaped pot? Why, they might just think you have class.
Purchase a charming planter at The Mustard Seed – or bring in any other object capable of containing leafed life – and you can walk out with a little world of your own creation. The greenhouse’s staff is standing by to help you fill, plant, and decorate your own terrarium, which is great fun with a friend or family member. (My cat has so far maintained a diplomatic relationship with “Davetopia,” the fresh terrarium sitting on my desk, though I suspect she is plotting something sinister and will one day insist Davetopia attacked first.)
Are you already imagining possibilities for your landscape? Good! Hope springs eternal at The Mustard Seed, where it’s never too early for an in-store landscaping consultation. Share photos, drawings, measurements, and other sources of inspiration with the experts, and set events in motion that will lead to the creation of your own personal Xanadu.
Go and surround yourself with life at 10,000 Great Plains Boulevard in Chaska, or visit themustardseedinc.com to learn more about The Mustard Seed’s special offers and events. If your home is fortunate enough to occupy any part of Eden Prairie’s shoreline, then Hagen Lawn and Landscape, The Mustard Seed’s parent company, shares all it offers at hagenll.com.
We’re talking about plants beautiful enough to cure the worst case of cabin fever!
Put the ZZ plant at the start of your alphabetized shopping list.