My Hope for the Geraniums
This morning, as I was watering the 5 large flower pots in front of my house, I noticed something that gave me hope.
Let me back up a bit…
A couple of weeks ago I spent an afternoon planting flowers. Three with dark pink geraniums, two with purple petunias, all five dotted with bright yellow marigolds. All flowers that I knew, based on 10 years of experience, would thrive in full sun southern exposure, surviving the 90°+ days we see much of the summer.
Over the past two weeks, however, something interesting has happened.
The petunias have happily spread out in their pots, adding more blossoms, expanding to fill up their space.
The marigolds look as they did when they were planted. Bright sunny heads, standing guard around the pots, deterring insects and other pests.
The geraniums, on the other hand, have slowly lost their blossoms. One by one, the plants that had been covered with beautiful dark pink blooms when they left the nursery have become bare. Beautiful green leaves ready to be a backdrop, with nothing to showcase.
But today I felt hope.
Now I’m noticing that each plant has started to shoot out new buds. A few have even begun to open, hinting at the vibrant color that will soon pop against the dark green leaves.
It’s interesting to see how each of the three flowers responded differently to being planted in new soil.
The petunias immediately expanded and blossomed.
The marigolds held constant.
The geraniums needed time to settle before deciding to thrive.
When you’re planted in new soil, how do you respond?
Do you jump right in, as though you were just waiting for a place to thrive?
Do you hold the course, keep things consistent until you get your bearings?
Or do you withdraw, waiting until you know it’s safe to bloom?
June 11, 2026
About the author:
Christina Von Stroh is a leadership coach who helps her clients become wildly successful by applying iterative software development practices to achieve their dreams. Want to work with Christina to help you iterate towards the person you’re becoming?
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