My Great Big Beautiful Lavender Tree
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I fell off the wagon big time this morning, first thing too,
with nary a thought for the consequences.
A year ago, when I moved to Oconahua, I sold or gifted about
100 of my pots, all because my new patio was too small to hold more than a few
herbs and a half dozen geraniums. When I moved back, I took the Pledge that I
would not buy any more new pots or plants, other than replacements, when
necessary, for those which died of natural causes, but nothing new that
required more care.
I want no more plants than I can care for myself with a
minimum of help from my gardener, Leo, who mows the grass, prunes the trees and
weeds the back yard area. I figure I can manage my patio, which is large, and
which I had formerly crowded with all manner of growing lovelies, too many for
me to care for alone.
I had to replace a lavender plant which succumbed to the
dreaded white smut caused by too much moisture and high humidity, a seasonal
malady. The dead lavender left a huge hole, so I decided to buy two lavender
plants to replace it.
Right at the entrance to the Vivero, where we parked and
when we parked, David had hauled out this lovely grapefruit tree, and I fell in
love, or lust. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference.
Like iron filings to the magnet, my eyes took in the beauty
of the tree, and I was a goner. David, the owner of the Vivero, knows me well
enough to have a gleam in his eye and smile on his face.
I ended up bringing home my two lavender replacement plants
plus my lovely lavender tree.
Leo did try to stop me. He gave me the stink eye and asked,
“Where do you think you are going to plant it?”
He had the question. I had the answer. “We will take out the
dying lime tree and put it there.”
Leo had a rebuttal. “The ground is too low. That’s why the
lime is dying.”
All this time David is standing over by the citrus trees,
grinning big.
We settled on planting my great big beautiful lavender tree
on the higher ground between the mango and the fig. That huge green globe of
fruit hanging on the low branch may look like a grapefruit, but, I know this is
a lavender tree.
Sondra Ashton
HWC: Looking out my back door
September 11, 2025
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