As you know, we have been "re-wilding" our backyard. We continue to work on it a little at a time. We are even growing many of the native plants in the garden, once they are the appropriate size to survive, we plan on moving them to other sections of the yard. Growing native plants takes time and patience as many are slow growing.
About a year and half ago, I planted several native velvet mesquite beans and we were rewarded with several young saplings. We decided to hire someone to dig them up and move them and told them that the trees were very precious to us as a lot of time and energy have been put into growing them. The workers dug the trees up and replanted them as directed. We paid them and they were on their way. Over the next few days, we watched the young trees wither and die. We knew that something must have gone wrong as normally these trees are very tough. Due to the fact that they were brown and brittle, we decided that the trees needed to be removed.
My husband didn't have to do much digging to find out what happened. He called me over as he pulled up on the trunk, revealing the root ball that had been severely chopped to death leaving hardly anything at all for the tree to sustain itself with. The workers obviously were more concerned with just getting the job done instead of doing the job right. It was a hard lesson in economics and time - we would have been better off replanting ourselves but because of the size of the trees, we had thought hiring professionals was a better choice.
One of the trees was quite a bit smaller than the others. My husband dug it up and I gently took it and placed it back in the garden. I wasn't ready to let go of this little tree and the time and energy I had invested in it. I hoped that the tree would somehow survive. I picked the perfect spot in the garden and my hope was that if the tree did survive, then it would become one of the corners of my natural shade arbor and would provide much needed relief for my garden during our hot summers.
For days, I watched and waited. A few weeks went by. Finally, while doing garden clean up chores I decided to pull the tree out and be done with it. As I worked my way through the garden, cutting and raking and bagging, I said my goodbye to the tree. As I took hold of the small trunk in my hand, I noticed tiny new leaves, barely starting to unfurl towards the sun. The tree was trying to survive. My heart skipped beat and I offered a quick blessing to encourage the tree to grow. I backed away and left the tree in it's spot.
Those of you who know me, understand that I do not give up easily on things, especially people and plants. I will try everything under the sun to encourage new life. There is a certain satisfaction that I feel when I am successful at saving something, whether it be a houseplant, a parched garden or a tree.
Time and energy you spend tending a garden or taking care of a houseplant is an investment in your health as well as the health of your garden or plant. Relationships are much the same way. Spending time and visiting family and friends is an investment into those relationships. Every once in a while, you may have to prune your garden, much like you have to prune your relationships. Depending on what your goal is, you prune to stimulate new life or you prune to discard. Whatever you decide, just make sure your heart is in the right place before you start cutting.
As we wait for the little tree and other native plants to grow, we are edging closer and closer to the end goal of finishing the yard. As December comes to a close, we wait patiently and prepare to welcome the New Year. We recently received a few days of rain, and now we get to enjoy the simple peace that Mother Nature has gifted us this December as sunsets, wildflowers and the beauty of our own backyard.