Green Things

 It was a day of green things.  Calm, serene ... I mean really, walking around a nursery can be very relaxing.  The problem lies in the fact that I want absolutely EVERYTHING they have, planted in MY back yard.  It's all just so BEAUTIFUL!!!

This is the Greenery which takes up one full city block.  (It's about 30 miles North with the entire drive being through highway construction).  It looks small on the outside until you begin walking the aisles.  They have everything from vegetables to roses, fruit trees, berry vines .... even cactus.  If only I had an inkling of what to plant in my yard, including where and how.

It's a full time occupation, taking care of a big yard.  Especially when you aren't there that often.  However Cyndae has motivated me to pick up a couple of landscaping magazines and at least LOOK to see what I might change.  

For the last eight years, my goal was to water as little as possible, meaning things wouldn't grow much and I wouldn't have to maintain them.  A good philosophy, right??  It worked for longer than I expected, but alas, the trees and bushes finally grew into monsters.  That's why I have gardeners, although they do cost me a lot in sawed off drip irrigation!!

I couldn't decide what to plant in front of this window.  Truly, I thought a rose tree would add some color, yet be tall enough to provide some interest.  Sounds good, yeh??  Then I remembered just how often a rose tree needs to be pruned.  

I switched it up to a bottle brush tree.  They have beautiful red flower-like blooms that attract honey bees and butterflies.  PERFECT!!  Finding one however was another story.  The nursery had only one.  It's not young by any means and needs some pruning, kind of like me.  That made the price just right.  Hopefully it won't die off in the next ten years.

Oops I forgot to take a picture, so this morning I braved the sprinklers to take this one where you really can't see the tree.  That's it, dead center.  If nothing else, I saved it from extinction, assuming of course that I don't kill it before it gets a chance to settle in.

We found such an enormous array of things to plant, I'm pretty sure I will be heading back soon.  I have a lot of empty spaces that need some interest.  Yes I thought big rocks might work just as well and would be something I couldn't kill, but they just don't come in pretty colors.

We also discussed my poor orchids, wracked with bruises from traveling back and forth and NOT blooming.  The suggestion was made (since the weather is fabulous) to leave them outside for the next couple of months.  The difference in night and daytime temperatures SHOULD encourage them to sprout a stalk and bloom.  SHOULD is the key word.  I guess we will find out because they now live on the patio.

In the meantime, my skunky pal didn't show up for dinner, so I closed the front door.  I imagine he will return though the underground tunnel he is sure to dig.  In the meantime, I'll pick up a new tarp to wrap the cage in, along with some stinky tuna for his discerning palate.  

For now however, I'll be sitting on the front lawn admiring my newest acquisition.