Growing my own chianti

Okay, forget the little waltz called spring from last week. Two nights ago a snowstorm with the grace of a clunky giant stomped into town and, with stealth precision, dumped another four or five inches of heavy, wet snow, eradicating every indication of spring.

People everywhere have been thrown into temporary seasonal affective disorder and I even heard someone today tell me they were thinking of moving to the lower 48 for the summer and finding a waitress job, in order to get away from it all. Even though this should melt away this weekend, when it’s expected to be in the upper forties, the snowfall was a truly unwanted surprise for April.

While it may be too soon, in healthy reaction to this seasonal mayhem, I was prompted to plant 24 chianti hybrid sunflower seeds yesterday. I’ve decided to take up planting, rather than drinking.

Last year I planted five varieties of sunflowers in front of my living room window, and by far the most amazing of the bunch were the chianti hybrid. A deep burgundy flower, some with flecks of gold and others a solid mass of deep midnight red, the plant has multiple stems and is the perfect length for cutting. The unusual color of the flower makes it a hit when giving to friends as part of bouquets and at $2.95 for a pack of 24 seeds, starting from seed is a total bargain. My plan is to give some of the plants away to people and grow a bunch more for my own enjoyment.

So if you’re really nice to me, I might give you one when they’re ready. But just in case, you could try planting your own seeds. It’s a rewarding way to make it through the melt until summer and they’re all your own.