Gardening Makes Friends

Here is a post for all the gardeners out there!

I have been longing for the green to come back into the landscape.  (I have never seen the Korean landscape in green, but I trust it does get green.  There has to be some reason for all of the hoop houses here!)

I found a small flower shop across the street from where I work.  I have been in a number of times already (Lots considering I have only been in country for a month).  I got gifts for several people there and several "gifts" for myself.  I have some mint I bought from a truck in Seoul, rosemary and a flowering succulent I got at the neighborhood florist.  They help to make my apartment more cheerful.

My houseplants

Today I took some garbage outside.  The garbage is split into separate parts.  The glass, plastic, metal and paper that can be recycled is put into a recycling area in my building.  The food portions that can be composted, are put into little yellow bags and all other trash is put in blue trash bags.  The yellow and blue bags are just put in the corner of a dirt area that should become a garden when things turn green here.  There doesn't seem to be dedicated places to put the trash and in some places, it is just on the sidewalk.  I guess the garbage collectors just travel the streets and pick it up where it is deposited.

Anyway, I was taking garbage out and I saw a little old lady working with some "soil".  I put on other shoes and returned to help her.  She was putting what I think is manure into some bags.  I tried to help her but she told me (OK, she spoke Korean but with her gestures and a few words I knew I could make out what she was saying) that I shouldn't help because I was in a skirt and it would get dirty.  I tried to let her know it was OK, but she kept pushing me away.  I did help a bit, but only a bit.  Then I decided to try to see if she wanted some cuttings of my mint or rosemary plant.  I took a coffee cup with water and the plants outside to her.  I cut some mint and put it in water.  She let me know she already had rosemary and didn't need any.  She chattered away at me and I caught almost none of it!  Then she was worried about returning my coffee cup.  I tried to let her know she could get it to me when ever I saw her but she seemed concerned so I invited her into my apartment.  She came in and was fascinated with my plants and thought the fake flowers in my kitty litter dehumidifier were very pretty.  She told me how to care for my plants, (I understood about 2 words out of 100) and I showed her my book of vegetable diseases.  She looked through it thoroughly.  I offered her tea, but she wouldn't accept as she was going to get back to the garden. I hope she returns sometime to visit with me again.

I found it amusing and interesting that even though she can't speak English and I can't speak Korean, we both speak gardening and can enjoy the same things.