Standing in line to get rung up at a garden nursery is not a problem. I am in an oasis of healthy plants and it brings a calm. Like the calm just before it snows. Tranquility.

No one minds waiting if the phone is continually ringing, if a cashier has to wait idly and apologize profusely waiting for change from a manager. No one cares if another cashier sends an employee to the back forty to verify a price. No. Not at all.

At this time of year I wait my turn by giant chocolate-leaved taro plants (Diamond Head, Black magic and Black Coral Colocasias) as tall as myself and masses of Passion fruit vines. It’s kind of like grocery stores putting the candy display right at the store register. I stand in awe.

Every plant is at it’s finest in August. (Meaning full of leaves.) They’ve been soaking up the warm weather for a few months, taking their vitamins, and there is no lack of water. Now is when the foliage plants are stand outs. Plants with texture, variegated or bold-colored leaves.

Don’t you think the air is even fresher among the potted evergreen shrubs, the billowing hydrangeas, and the water fountains with their continual babble? I do.

Yesterday was no different. Time seemed to stand still. The clock paused until I turned to the right and saw a metal display stand with jugs in it. Where did this come from? I literally saw red. Red bottles that had big letters across the front.

“Kills Five Hundred Insects.”

Seriously, can anyone reel off five-hundred insects if asked to? Most gardeners just have a problem with three small devils. Earwigs, and two types of beetles. Why would anyone want to erase four-hundred-ninety seven others? Many are beneficial insects. Let’s group them together and say, pollinators. If a person wants a good meal, pollinators help the chefs to make it happen.

Today’s visit was momentarily jarring. Yes. I asked an employee what were the five-hundred insects that would be wiped out? She assured me they were listed on the back. I knew they were not visible and she speedily turned the jug around and was surprised, too. The insects were not on the back, only directions and the active chemicals. She then said I think you have to peel off the back and they are folded under there. One had to dig for the list.

This is just how these toxic chemicals are sold with the details hidden. The chemical companies make information hard to find. It was a comfort that only one jug was missing from their orderly-stocked cabinets. Possibly a shopper picked it up and changed his/her mind and left it in another area? The thought made me smile.

We should garden organically now for ourselves and for our future. No need for spritzing about the contents of the red-jug liquid. People just need to know how to garden without poisons, with a detailed-road map to get there. One simple step at a time going forward can make a difference.

Note: The dahlias at the nursery were sold out—No potted dahlias—That made me very happy. It’s safe to say, dahlias are still the kings, queens of Summer and Fall.

Until tomorrow…Visit a garden center. No weeding, no list of chores, just be in awe of nature’s beauty.