Begonia

Yes I am that annoying customer that will call the store and complain if I feel that I purchased something that did not live up to my expectations.

Many years ago when I first started my addiction to gardening, down on my knees, I was proud when I finished planting two flats of annual impatiens flowers totaling 96 tender plants in multiple shades of pink, one hole at a time. All of the colorful seedlings received a glistening shower from my hose as they settled in for their first night in their new home.

When the sun came up, I couldn't wait to see the fruit of my labor and marvel at the color I had imposed against the greenery only to be completely disappointed. Something was very wrong with the impatiens and my first thought was it had to be the fault of the garden center.

So I dialed their number, asking for an explanation, letting them hear of my displeasure, receiving adament push back from the employee about the quality of their stock and just as the words were vomiting from my tongue I looked back out to give a more detailed discription of the problem only to see the family of bunnies had returned for desert.

"Oops!" I said, "Never mind my complaint. I apologize," hanging up before I had to explain more and since then I have come to learn that there has not been one tender annual in my yard that the rabbits will not eat except one. Begonia; the flower that had always been my least favorite until I accepted it was the only one with staying power since it apparently was not a fan favorite of the Leporidae family, a.k.a. the Eastern Cottontail.

So what is my favorite annual flower? My least favorite has won over my favor, since all on its own it had somhow figured out that there is always a category in which to win first place.

As for the rabbits, they still eat. But they can have all the weeds they want.