The thing we've noticed lately in the gardens is that plants go through a lot of stuff in their lives. They endure neglect and abuse and many times, survive, if given the appropriate treatment or care.
They begin their lives dependent on mother nature and/or a gardener to provide the soil, water, sunlight, and nutrients required for their survival, but they may experience extremes like drought, flood, sudden freezes, and intense storms. And don't even get me started on the effects of bugs and animals. Sometimes, plants survive and become stronger. Sometimes the effects of the drought or flood or storm are so severe that the plant dies.
Many years ago, we participated in a test planting of a new variety of tomato. The local county extension office wanted to obtain data about how this new variety of tomato would grow in our location. We dutifully planted the dozen or so healthy tomato plants provided to us--dug the holes, centered the plants and buried their roots, watered them in and applied fertilizer. They seemed happy in their new home. And then, during the night, one of those incredibly fierce early summer storms hit the gardens and the wind stripped every leaf off of those healthy plants, leaving tall green sticks where less than 12 hours before had stood healthy tomato plants, ready to grow and thrive and produce bushels of juicy, red tomatoes. What a tragic loss.
Another time we came home after a big wind storm to find a third of our massive globe willow tree laying on the ground, torn by the wind from its trunk. We debated about whether we should try to chain and bolt it back to the trunk or whether it would be best to save the remaining portion of the tree and remove the downed branches. In the end, we savagely severed the fallen part, leaving the once globe-shaped canopy of the tree looking like some tall Godzilla had chewed away a large part of it. Now, ten or so years later, when we drive by the old house, we can see that the tree has done its best to recover and is almost globe-shaped once again. Amazing.
The thing is, all plants endure trials in their lives. Sometimes they recover, sometimes they don't. But the accumulation of the trials will age the plant, eventually contributing to its demise.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
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To their demise, yes, but also sometimes to their beauty. Who knew that the globe willow could recover so well? I know I expected it to die, and yet, it is still a beautiful tree. Perhaps more so, because it overcame when we all expected it to fail.
What I think is sad is when the plants die because we stop taking care of them. Sometimes the storms and things are just too fierce, and while it is always disheartening to lose a plant in such a manner, it is just part of nature. When we fail to take care of them, though, as I have done with several plants, that is the true loss. They could've survived and thrived for so much longer, could have born more fruit, had I just been more careful.
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