As someone who doesn’t know much about plant identification or just plants in general, I certainly don’t know the names of the plants around me. My mom is an enthusiastic gardener, a trait I’ve never picked up, so when I read this assignment, I was interested to see what I’ve been missing. I’ve never really given the landscaping around my house a second thought. The peonies that bloom around my birthday each year are probably the only plant that I appreciate consciously. This assignment, however, allowed me to branch out and appreciate those plants that don’t get their well-deserved appreciation. The plant I chose to investigate is one that has been in our garden for as long as I can remember. Right now, in its post-Vermont-winter state, it is small compared to what it grows up to be in the summer months.
While I didn’t know the name/species of this plant, it has been a large part of my outdoor adventures as a child. It was my go-to hiding spot for hide-and-go-seek and the over-head canopy for the fairy houses I made. What I used to know as this nondescript, bush-like, vine-like plant, I now know as the Variegated Big Leaf Periwinkle-Vinca major.
Jamie Morin
English 110 Spring 2020 10:10-11:00 
You seem to have had the opposite of my problem! I know many of the names of the plants we have in our yard so I had to pick something other than a plant to write about.
I like how you talked about the plant and its significance to you before introducing its name. As I was reading I was wondering when you were going to introduce it and I think making it the last sentence of your piece makes a big impact.
-Madison Gac
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Hey Jamie, I feel almost the same as you about the plants around my house. My mom is super into gardening as well but me on the other hand, I don’t pay much attention to that stuff. I loved your last paragraph because it was so impactful. Your line “over-head canopy for the fairy houses I made” was super fun to read and possessed a lot of imagery. I especially liked how you ended the piece with the name of the plant, that was really unique and powerful. Awesome job!
-Tess Williams
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This was so interesting to read because of the fact that it was something that was a part of your childhood but you never knew the name of. I loved the line ” It was my go-to hiding spot for hide-and-go-seek” because it made me think of my hiding spots. Many of them were in bushes that I never even thought of to look into what their names are. I loved how you made us feel your connection to the Variegated Big Leaf Periwinkle-Vinca major.
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Jamie, this is so interesting because of the way you wrote it. I loved the line “This assignment, however, allowed me to branch out and appreciate those plants that don’t get their well-deserved appreciation,” because I feel like many of us forget to appreciate the small things around us. In this example it’s a plant, but there are so many things deserving of our attention that we tend to neglect. I feel like your writing served as a reminder for me not to forget to pay attention to the little things in life.
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