Getting back to it...

Finding time to write again and lucky for me it is still spring so there is the lush new growth and endless blooms to keep me inspired. Here in the south our gardens have phased out of the early spring bloomers and now leave behind their leaves that first emerged in late winter. Those early leaves that brought the hope we needed after a cold wet winter now lay tied in knots returning to the earth. The peonies were glorious this year. I miss them already. One month of spring left and the panicum grasses, two feet above ground, remind us that summer is on its way. The echinacea blooms are low and soft but soon they will be reaching for the sun along with the grasses. Asclepias tuberosa is glowing and calling all monarchs to the yard, leaving me anxious wondering if we ever have enough for them.

Each night after our daughter goes to bed I try to get out to see what has happened since the day before. Spring brings that kind of change. Quick and fleeting. Unlike summer with it’s slow paralyzing heat. I like to imagine all the gardener’s rushing out at dusk to soak it all in. The light is right for taking photos helping us to remember how everything came together this spring. Because we all know that next spring will bring something different that is new and just as wonderful.

Winter Gardening: Calamondins

This has been my first winter growing calamondins. Last summer I found the citrus plant at a local nursery and couldn’t resist this citrus from my childhood. Without a greenhouse in winter I wasn’t sure how I’d be taking care of it but I had the rest of the year to figure that out. Once I had it home I potted it up in terra-cotta and placed it amongst the chives in our vegetable garden. White blooms started to cover the glossy leaves filling the air with that classic citrus fragrance. I wasn’t sure how fussy this plant was going to be but I was prepared to spray with soapy water for aphids if need be or give it the extra water I would usually feel guilty about. Soon small green fruits started to appear where the white blooms had been and all the while no aphids or extra fuss. This plant was thriving and bringing me so much joy. The small green fruits started to grow larger and then finally in October the first one began to change color. Green and orange so close together you couldn’t help but feel them ripening in the sun. 

By the end of November the first fruits had completely turned bright orange and this is where my nostalgia kicks in. Anything before these fruits turning orange I do not remember from when I was a kid but what I do remember is a bush bright with small orange fruit that I knew was used to make a cake that I liked. I picked one from the bush and it rolled around in my palm. A miniature orange that I could peel in one piece and so tart that you didn’t want too many. 

Today the plant is covered with fruit at various stages of ripening. I keep it tucked in a corner on our south facing porch where it brightens up these winter days. If we get freezing temps I cover it along with an avocado I’m now growing that came from a volunteer seed in our compost pile. In a season where there is less to tend to in the garden I look forward to checking in on these calamondins and when they are ready I’ll be picking them to make a calamondin cake. 

Last month of summer

We’re moving towards the point in summer where I realize how far we are into the year. Some of my favorite plants are showing off their last blooms and soon will be food for the birds. I soak in the wildness of the meadow noticing new seedlings that have sprouted beneath the canopies of the tall wildflowers. The lean of the panicums after last night’s rain with the sun peaking through the clouds making the air thick and heavy like an invisible cloak I can’t shake off. 

In gardening we are always looking to the months ahead and the tasks at hand. Soon fall will be here with it’s rose hips and promises of the future but today I’m going to hold onto this last month of summer with the sun high in the sky and the butterflies swirling around me.