But Crocosmia, Darling!

Crocosmia aurea

In the foreground with buds just formed on this infrequent bloomer caught me
by surprise this morning. I'm sure it's needing sunshine, which is at a premium
in this yard. I spent years trying to grow many trees and shade to shade out our
summer's harsh sun and in doing so we have to make sacrifices.

Once this blooms it will show a bright orange, a hot color, which I generally avoid
but this plant holds several memories too.

My garden holds many memories, which is another reason I enjoy tending and
visiting these memories and sometimes I get to share those memories to those
that care to listen, whether politely or with actual interest.

In0vation & Experimentati0n Ab0und...

Trying to extend this tired Tomato plant by excavating and dropping it further
into the ground to take advantage of the advantageous roots at the base of the
plant. Hoping to reinvigorate and get another set of fruit out of this specimen.
I also gave it a blessing of some worm castings that I was gifted by a fellow
yogi that is also a blossoming green thumb.

After uploading this, it makes me think that I should have planted it more
underground. Still not too late to modify.

Spore encrusted Staghorn Fern fronds. I hope to get some plants started from these
spores by using some Sphagnum moss and a bottle. I trimmed these off the parent
plant in hopes to inhibit some of the moisture evaporating off this plant.

Not just any bottle, but a beautiful bottle that once held some Honey. This will
make a nice Terrarium and hopefully achieve an ideal environment to generate
some Staghorn pups.

There was this newly acquired Staghorn fern that I came upon a couple of Sundays
ago that had blown down off a specimen in the tree. I didn't have to think twice
to pick it up knowing that it wasn't your typical Staghorn. Keeping it moist
and viable is another task. So I created an enclosure out of a plastic bag that
came off of a mattress. I even soaked this nearly dried up specimen over night
in a bucket of rain water to help revive it's fluids, if you will.

I had some encouragement seeing that at the rhizome where the new growth
comes from there was a new bud. To think that this plant would sacrifice every
thing green to push out this new growth in hope of survival.  

I got a theme running here, two encapsulated life forms.

Where As I, May Have Given Up Hope

I had taken one plant, in this case a Foxtail Fern - Asparagus densiflorus, and divided
it up into five divisions. This one being what I thought would have been one of the
most successful one's to have prospered.

If you note the more than ample woody mass just above ground level, along with several
viable roots. This in it's self only prolonged my hopefulness.  I don't know how many
times I had watered this well past what I would have thought it should have shown
some signs of life. With some caution as not to cause it to rot by over watering. Even
though this is outdoors, rot can take it's toll even with our best intentions.

Out of the five plantings and three out of five was not what I had hoped for There's that
word again, hope. Knowing each spot where I planted this Foxtail, where the lighting
and dryness were different. I should have been happy with the three out of five.
It's bright green and not so bushy like fox tail shown like a beacon this afternoon while
making the rounds of watering. The thought of watering this never crossed my mind.
There was no hope left and no longer on my gardening radar.
We are well into our wet, rainy season so now's the time for these to take hold and to show
me where the most ideal conditions are for this plant.  There is no substitute for rain water
and so this old plant must of been waiting for the real stuff and to hold out with this last and
final gasp of for life.

What with lots of hope, a dash of water and persistence and it's own thirst of life. We have
just one many joys that I get from this thing we call gardening.

Family Fruit Memories Still Taste Sweet

Ficus carica 'Brown Turkey' Fig

This fruit bearing remnant of a once grand fig tree still has ties to a grand lady,
that I had purchased this plant for and resided in her grand garden of paradise.

The original tree had died back to almost nothing and from almost nothing, a
life force that still had enough to push onward and once again to not only
sprout but to produce some fruit for those for the taking, be it human or fowl.

I just so happened to have been the first to lay claim and enjoy once again
it's delicious and sweet memories. 

The Light Before The Storm

Need I say any more?