I well remember a day, quite long ago, working in a client’s large country garden whilst she hosted a small group of open garden committee members. Initially, unbeknownst to the convening of this gathering, I had already determined to give a giddy up to a struggling foxglove I had planted a good month ago. My little experiment was to apply to the foxglove a steeped tea of water and Seamungus, (a pelletised tonic of seaweed and fish), and repeated each hour throughout the entirety of my nine hour workday. My mission was to record the foxglove’s subsequent performance in growth, if any. In my car I had a long wooden ruler 90cm in length, used for drawing garden designs, and would use this to record any hopeful growth measurements.
Within two hours the foxglove had grown 10cm, after four hours 20cm, and finally at the end of the day, a massive 37cm.
I was incredulous at the clear results. Not at all could I understand or fathom this new furious growth. But there it was, with my wooden long ruler perfectly recording it. In my utter excitement, on several occasions I relayed the foxglove’s rapid incremental growth results to the garden veterans. However, with great courtesy, they dismissed my information, for them there were far more important business to attend to. At the end of the day and reporting the after repeated updates, I believe that at the end of the day they had all collectively decided I was maybe a little bit touched, not the full quid, my statements just a little fairy tale, for this minor story could in no way be the solid truth. Then maybe I was just completely wrong. Maybe it all was just a fantasy. Maybe there was magic in the air. Maybe the day’s heat may well have muddled my mind, or I was witnessing false visions. But no, the evidence was correct and clear.
Attempting to understand it all I gave the single foxglove a much closer inspection. The stem of the foxglove had indeed grown a good 13cm. Then I realized that the leaves themselves had also grown in length and instead of extending below the normal horizontal line as foxglove foliage naturally grow, had in defying gravity, indeed flipped upwards, laying practically vertical, like praying hands. This phenomenon was the reason the foxglove had reached its final height of 37cm. There the exuberant foxglove stood, so healthy and as happy as Larry, rejoicing in its new friendship and bond with the great product of Seamungus.
It was a grand halleluiah moment. That singular day I became a convert to the great powers of Seamungus. I had seen the light. Seamungus was the almighty, king and lord. For forever and a day I would I follow and be a disciple, to spread the word amongst the masses of its divine and magical qualities. Today, after 19 years, I am still its true disciple and humbly believe I have increased the faithful by many, many thousands. But there are many more still to convert.
I must declare that I am not a board member of Neutrog company who produce Seamungus. I have no shares in the business, and at no time have I ever received any payment or commissions on/for their sales. But I damn well should, the whole three of them, and big bloody time.
Happy gardening and have fun,
Regards Ned McDowell.