[gardeners] Macadamias and wisterias
Ron Hay (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Fri, 22 Mar 2002 07:48:54 -0800
Good morning, friends,
No, I have not fallen into a hole: I have been busy becoming accredited
by the Seniors Real Estate Council to learn how to work more effectively
with senior citizens in my market area to market their homes:)
This morning, after having been away for a couple of days, all sorts of
wonders have occurred in the garden: roses are blooming (and also need
an good anti fungal treatment); our macadamia blossoms are finally
opening...and, TA DA!!!!....our Chinese wisteria which is now beginning
its 3rd full year in our yard, has begun to bloom! We had begun to
wonder if/when it would ever bloom, but were greatly heartened by
Margaret's words of wisdom last year:)
We had bought it, still marked with the sale price, the day after the
garden sale was over at our great local nursery, and they agreed to sell
it to us at the sale price; but we had no idea what color it was. This
morning, the mystery is solved: a cloud-soft lavender. It's blooming on
the east side of the house first, as the north side does not yet receive
any/much direct sun yet.
And the macadamia! The blooms occur as a tiny lavender/magenta blossom
on the sides of long "strings" (panicles?), many of which,
unfortunately, were blown off by last week's Santa Ana winds.
As I look around our yard, it's "touch anything and make a difference"
time, since so much garden maintenance has been "deferred" to the
weekends, leaving much of it to Vivian, as I often show property on
weekends.
But this is the time we love, when the garden truly awakens from its
"winter" nap; time to plant and dream.
This weekend is the March meeting of the California Rare Fruit Growers,
which is always a joy to attend, whenever my business schedule/garden
schedule permits. It's so much fun to get together with a bunch of
like-minded people who do not consider one a nut for trying to grow a
peanut butter tree (bunchiosa argentea) in our climate...and who also
relish the challenge of "pushing the envelope" as to what we can grow in
Southern California, as we are truly a collection of Mediterranean
climactic zones, and not even remotely tropical.
Well, friends, I am all charged up and wish today were Saturday, so that
I could meet with my gardening buddies here, locally, and to spend some
time in the garden.
Have a wonderful day, and wherever you are, whatever your zone, think
spring...it'll get to where you are sooner or later.
Ron