Almost a year of tending a rose garden
No prior experience
Gaging water and fertilizer needs
Spraying insects
Pruning for shape and plant health
Always guessing
Questioning decisions
You think you have learned
Then the seasons change
So do the needs of the plants
Sigh!
Cooler temperatures arrived
Buds abound
First cutting this season
I know way more than last year
Yet know there is more to learn.
The end has arrived. It was time to purge the agave before it became rigid and too tough to cut. The blooms hosted bees, honey birds and some butterflies.
When the stalk fell, a mild sweet fragrance filled the air.
Pieces cut to fit the green waste mounded on the ground.
Then each was stabbed with a pitch fork and dropped in the bin.
Smaller pieces were scooped in.
Few pieces wait for next week’s trash collection day.
Check out the close-up bloom. Each of those tiny tennacles were feeding zones for all the flying critters that hovered around the blooms once they opened. After sitting in the sun for several days, there was no fragrance, and no visiting creatures. This piece will join its kin in the bin next week.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this marvel of nature with me.
We’ve yet to determine what will be planted in the agave’s former location. But the next selection will take into consideration the little bridge and mature size of the plant.
Obviously, I lacked patience when I wrote my last post
The blooms are breaking forth
Hummingbirds and bees swarm the yellow flowers
The green leaves shriveling and giving up their life blood
Soon the flowers will produce seeds as the plant withers and dies
My front row seat to this miracle of nature has fascinated me
Our blue agave bloom process took longer than my research suggested
The show has been fun
I’ve enjoyed sharing it with you
Gardner friends have encouraged we start to cut back the leaves
As their nourishment drains, the outer skin will shrivel and harden
As they say,
…the curtain closes on this performance
We’re nearing the end
The long spikey leaves are shriveling
Starting first at the base
The tall bloom spike has branched
Buds reach tall from the branches
No yellow flowers
Not yet
New plant sprouting at base
Advice to us
Cut the leaves before they dry
Or the work is much harder
The location is too prominent
Don’t allow the dead plant to remain there
Yet no flowers
For now, the stalk remains
Each week, some of the leaves will be removed
Thanks for watching this amazing transition with me. It’s not over yet, but we’re getting closer to the end. I expected the flowers to bloom before the death cycle became evident. So, future photos will have fewer leaves on the bottom, and perhaps there will be yellow flowers. Or not…
Bougainvillea plants explode with color
Petals are thin
Each bloom holds four to six petals tightly together
Two white dots fill the center of each as identifying marks for the species
Some tower to the sky growing against the house
Others fill large areas of the garden
Whichever, they fill their space with color and gaiety
Colors vary depending upon plant
The blossoms dry then flutter to the ground
They swirl in the air, ultimately landing below
Like tissue paper scattered and left after a celebration
The yard represents life
Family visited for two weeks
House filled with laughter
Children played games, ran in the garden
Shared cooking experiences
A glass of wine enjoyed in the evenings
Tomorrow’s adventures planned
Car loaded
Family departed
Time flies
Memories are left scattered around
Different shades and hews
Much like my bougainvillea tissue flowers
All the photos from this series have been taken from a second story balcony.
Compare these photos with those in the last post to see the progress.
There will be more to come.
Stay tuned…
Change is coming. Last week I thought this plant looked different. Then decided, maybe not. By Saturday, I knew a bloom was coming. The gardener remembers planting this agave 30 years ago.
I’ve heard the bloom growth is phenomenally fast. The following displays what can happen in only two days.
Besides growing fast, the blooms are supposed to be spectacular. Expect periodic photo updates.
It will be fun to watch, and a wee bit bittersweet. With the bloom, comes death. It will be sad to loose this plant as it is a showcase specimen on the pathway to a patio area. Perhaps it’ll spawn another.
Frequently, I’m asked how I’m enjoying my new home.
My response flows.
“I’m loving it more every day.”
Perhaps I’m under the influence of the intoxicating fragrances that waft through the air. Depending upon where I stand on the property today, I might smell orange blossoms, or alyssum, or eucalyptus, or other yet to be identified scents. Each offers aromas I enjoy, and I savor those moments of fragrance.
Regularly, I’m learning something new about the plantings on the property. The former owners enjoyed the diversity found in this locale, so there’s a variety of mature plantings to enjoy. Our styles may be different, but our love of plants and being outdoors to enjoy them is something we share with those owners. We’re grateful they invested in the property. We’ve relocated and moved some things to create different spaces or zones; this visually opened the approach to the house; yet maintained almost all the species we worked with. It’s a process and we’re comfortable knowing that it will all take time. I wake up, look outdoors and say,
“I love living here.”
Surprises abound on this property.
The citrus trees are breaking forth in bloom and their fragrance wafts through the air.
How I would like to share that with you!
Not possible.
So instead I share the beautiful white blossoms.
It’s February
Yet spring abounds
The birds are busy
Calling from one to another
We watch them building nests
Or scavenging in the garden
Buried plants have broken the earth’s crust
Then released their blooms
With these blooms, comes color
Fragrances fill the air
Sweet alyssum flows down the hillside
While the aroma wafts back to the patio
Citrus trees share their harvest
While setting blossoms for next year’s crop
It’s all part of the cycle
The invigorating cycle of life
It feels so good to be in the middle of this
Journey to the Heights 