dreaming under a flowering tree

yesterday i headed over to orchard supply to buy some organic citrus fertilizer (my lemon hasn't held a bloom or set fruit in several season) and a pair of pruning shears. i came home with a four-foot, bareroot weeping santa rosa plum.

i have to say, i only hesitated for a moment as i wondered if it met my resoloutions and would fit in with my life. was it worth the cost of precious space that had been planned for annual veggies? and then i thought about my resolutions, specifically number three: i will plant a few things just because they make me smile.

but the truth is, that isn't the only reason i chose this plant. it is, after all, edible, and not just edible but as a tree rather than an annual it is significantly more low maintenance and provides larger harvests year after year. and yes, plum are something i love to eat.

but still, it wasn't just that. it was this: i am in the process of trying to buy a house. a small home with space for a large garden in a town that feels like the perfect combination of urban and rural, close enough to drive to all the big-city attractions san francisco has to offer, yet far enough out to feel out of the chaotic fray. a place that is inexpensive enough to afford even on a gardener and writer's income (or the nursery-worker's salary) and has rental potention until i am able to cut the corporate cord.

so just where is this home i hope to own? in santa rosa, of course. so you see, it's not just a beautiful flowering tree, or a source of sweet fruit that i can share and enjoy. it's a symbol of the life i hope to have some day, that i work toward tirelessly with every thought and every cubible hour spent.

right now, that little tree is uprooted and bare of leaves, with several thin limbs twisted or broken from its journey to the nursery, but inside it carries so much life and the potential for so much abundance.

gardener dreaming

the brightly colored seed catalogs have started arriving at my door, bringing with them dreams of spring. there are so many gorgeous options but i have so little space. if i want to try anything new i either need to get a lot more creative with space planning or make some hard decisions about which plants will and will not come back this year.

definitely staying:
- tree fern
- split-leaf philodendron
- shindeshojo japanese maple
- shiroshima bamboo
- pygmy date palm
- artichoke
- rhubarb (need new home)
- arum italicum (need new home)
- gardenia (needs new home)

on the chopping block:
- lemon tree
- peony
- tomatoes
- beets
- sunchokes
- horseradish
- basil and other herbs

waiting in the wings:
- black bamboo
- lemon & orange treelings which were purchased for work

i'm beginning to believe i just don't have the temperament (or maybe it's just the time) for annual veggetables. i prefer plants that come back year after year, getting larger and stronger and more prolific with each passing season.

today i hope to get out and plant (and transplant). on this sunny, chilly winter day between rainstorms, it seems the perfect thing to do.

featured plant: pygmy date palm

common name: pygmy date palm
scientific name: phoenix roebelenii
family: arecaceae/palmae
origin: laos
type: palm
exposure: part shade
height: 6-12'
width: 8'
spacing: 10'
growth rate: slow
water use: average
zone(s): 9-11
cold hardiness: 24 degrees
WARNING: sharp, needle-like spikes at the base of each frond, puncture can cause serious injury including nerve damage; sap may cause skin irritation

(apologies for the photo, my camera has decided it is time to retire. i will post a better photo as soon as i get a new camera.)



the pygmy date palm is slow growing (especially in a pot) and because of that, larger sized specimens can get really pricey. but for those who can afford them they are worth the price. mature specimens can get up to 15' high on graceful arching stems topped with long, fine fronds. the multi-trunked varieties are especially gorgeous.

i've had mine for almost 4 years and it has not grown any noticeable amount in all that time, but it is still one of my favorites. when i had the house in the city it lived in the small entry tunnel, protected from cold weather and when i moved to san bruno it did quite nicely as an indoor plant. now that i've moved again, it's out on the patio. it did suffer some small amount of damage with our recent cold spell (you can see some browning on some of the fronds), but seems to be faring well otherwise. come spring it will definitely require a soil top-off or a larger pot.

meet philly

common name: tree philodendron, big leaf philodendron, split-leaf philodendron
scientific name: philodendron selloum
family: araceae
type: shrub
exposure: part shade
height: 8-9'
width: 8-10'
spacing: 8-10'
water use: regular water as needed to keep soil moist
zone(s): 9-11 or indoors (if you have a really large space)
cold hardiness: 40 degrees
WARNING: poisonous if ingested, sap may irritate skin

philodendron selloum is one of my go-to plants for creating an instantly lush, tropical feel, and i love the way large specimen plantings add intimacy to a small space. it worked especially well in my former coastal san francisco garden where it never got a lick of frost and looked very wild and cool through the fog.

though technically this lovely is outside my zone (i'm an 8), because my patio and garden are well sheltered with a wall to the west and a balcony above he should do just fine. i hope to get him into the ground this weekend. and i will definitely be wearing gloves for the project, because i am one of those sensitive-skinned people whose skin is easily irritated by potentially caustic sap.