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Several\nother plants are still in flower at this time, but as the season winds down,\nmany blossoms are beginning to fade, and some have already shriveled. At this\ntime of the year, the present includes the late stages of seasonal blossoms and\nthe anticipation of their natural demise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our\nattention shifts now to the anticipation of the garden\u2019s future, which unfolds\nin a series of stages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first\nstage embraces the emergence of the fall-blooming plants; here are three\nexamples from my garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tree Dahlia (Dahlia imperialis).<\/strong> This amazing plant from Mexico sends up\ntwenty-foot high stalks and blooms in November with sprays of light\nlavender-pink flowers high above the ground. These are single blossoms, unlike\nthe multiple forms of hybrid dahlias. After bloom, we cut the stalks to the\nground and begin the cycle over again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Daisy Tree (<\/strong>Montanoa Grandiflora)<\/strong><\/em>. Another dramatic plant\nfrom Central America, the Daisy Tree grows from its base to produce multiple\nbranches up to twelve feet tall. In November and December it produces an\nabundance of white, daisy-like flowers with yellow centers and a fragrance <\/em>reminiscent\nof chocolate or vanilla. It is cut back hard in early spring to encourage the\ndevelopment of new branches form the base. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Black Mission\nFig (<\/strong>Ficus carica)<\/strong>. One of the most popular varieties of the\ncommon fig, Black Mission was introduced in the United States in 1768 and\nFranciscan missionaries planted it in all the gardens of the California\nmissions. This plant produces two good crops each year: the first or breba<\/a> crop develops in the spring on last year’s\nshoot growth. The main crop develops on the current year’s shoot growth and\nripens in the late summer or fall. My tree is bouncing back nicely after last\nyear\u2019s extensive pruning. Its first crop was sparse, but now its main crop is\ndeveloping now and looks to be quite productive. I might drape bird netting\nover the tree to enable the harvest of figs for eating and gifting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The next\nstage of anticipating the garden\u2019s future targets the spring bloom. This is when\nwe see irises, daffodils, other spring geophytes, and annual flowers coming\ninto their own, assuming of course that we planted them in the fall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The spring\nis also the time when fall-planted perennial plants leaf out, after developing\ntheir root systems during the winter months, drawing upon the seasonal rains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our stages\nof anticipation then address the gradual development of young plants that we\nhad installed in our gardens. Each year\u2019s growth advances these plants toward\ntheir mature size, and the realization of the goals we had when bringing small\nplants to the garden. There is great joy\u2014and little effort\u2014in watching plants\nachieve their potential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The last\nstage of anticipation begins with the gardener\u2019s vision of what the garden\ncould be, and could sustain for a very long time. The vision can only become\nreal when the gardener puts hands in the soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It can be\nsatisfying to enjoy your garden in the present, but the joy of gardening also\nresides in these stages of anticipation. Gardens evolve continuously, and\ngardening includes engaging with nature\u2019s processes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We can experience the garden as an instance in the flow of time, beginning in the past, through the present, and into the future. Except for rare occasions, we give little thought to the garden\u2019s past. We might take pride … Continue reading