Subaru Surprise

This is a very short post about a very long trip to Montana in my 10-year-old Subaru Forester. And the most delightful part is that I just won a prize for the way that we did it. You might remember this photo from last summer:

Along with burlap-wrapped Solomon's seal and very large hostas are smaller hostas plus Japanese painted ferns in pots. And, oh, that big square container contains the roots of a six-foot-tall Meyer lemon tree, also wrapped in burlap at the top and placed on its side diagonally, from back of the car to a folded-down rear passenger seat.

Here's a blossom just today, from that once carefully wrapped and transported Meyer lemon.

And here is its winter location -- our mud room/laundry room off of the back steps, with a vertical grow light supplementing the short days of winter light from the south and west.

 And so, when I saw a competition by Subaru, one of the sponsors of Seattle's forthcoming Northwest Flower & Garden Show (http://www.gardenshow.com/), I jumped.

It posed the challenge this way: "Maybe you’ve got a shiny new Subaru and you wouldn’t dream of piling up the cargo space with plants and bags of soil. But many gardeners have long been devoted to their Subarus and consider their car to be their ultimate gardening tool. Subaru owners, we have something special for you!" (http://www.gardenshowblog.com/gardening-event/win-free-tickets-with-your-subaru/)

Well, I won! And they put my car's photo on a Pinterest board:

(http://pinterest.com/nwfgs/subarugardens-ultimate-gardening-tool/)

 They will have two (2) tickets to the 2013 Northwest Flower & Garden Show and a $25.00 gift card for Subaru Gear waiting for me at will call!  Unfortunately, as it turns out, I'm going to be in Louisville (my mother's 85th birthday!) and, before that, in St. Louis (to see friends, check on our rental house) right about then. I've written the garden show asking that tickets be given to a local community garden. No word so far; probably not transferable.

Oh well, next year!! It's only an eight-hour drive to one of the best, most creative garden shows in the country!!