Thursday, March 23, 2017

Deep Future Planting

Yesterday, walking the sidewalks in our tiny historic district, I was stopped in my tracks.  Curiosity at first, then, seeing it was 'real', a remembered line came to mind, "Don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment, that was known as Camelot."   And, I did see, hands long gone from Earth, giving me, and anyone who sees, a gift.  The gift?  Beauty.  Joy.  Camelot in the present tense.  Not least, a memory of those particular hands once toiling in soil.  In return, I gave thanks, to all of that.
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Made me realize, I must hop on it, in our garden.  Planting for the future, the future I won't see.
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Daffodils are my choice, the historic daffodils of Wordsworth.  And, after yesterday's gift, white iris.
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Both are deer proof, drought tolerant and live for decades and decades more.

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Faint but enough of a hint, above, I didn't see it either until walking close.

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First thought, above, a wind blown tissue.  Closer view, a white iris.  Through time and Nature, that iris gave its message.  The original house is gone from this property.  Judging its trees, the home was late 19th century.  Contemporaneous with several other homes in our historic district.
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Visiting mom on Galveston Bay, where I was raised, during my morning walks I always wend by the many Georgia loblolly pine trees my father planted as seedlings in the early 60's through out the neighborhood.  They are too large for me to get my arms around.  Amazingly, they've survived several hurricanes and floods.  Salt water flooding.
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Dad would stop the white wall tires of our 4 door white Buick Electra 225, with blue brocade interior, loaded with 2 kids, Puppet our toy poodle, and Argyle our standard poodle, along an empty Georgia 2 lane road, gather pine tree seedlings, wrapping them in any type of paper on hand in the car.  Back home I would tag along as he planted them, topping out at maybe, 2" - 3" tall.  How could I know then he was planting such a gift for me now?  The now that includes him not here.
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Ironically, I had already thought white iris must go into this garden, so many thrive throughout our county.  Grand proof, deer won't bother them.
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Next time I go to Galveston Bay I'll offer my Camelot quote in thanks at each of those pine 'seedlings'.  Yeah, I got this life memo !  Gratitude for those moments with dad, still alive.
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Curious, what's good in your zone, to plant into the deep future?
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Garden & Be Well,   XOT

2 comments:

Isla said...

Yes! Wonderful post. I agree completely.

DCM said...

Great post -- food for thought and action...