Garden Tips

We have all seen it. The yard in the neighborhood that is to die for. Beautifully landscaped with nothing dead. Everything lush green or showing bright colors of reds, yellows, blues, white, pinks, purples ... nothing brown unless it was suppose to be brown according to the book. Now I have never had a yard like that but I have had a few that were presentable. One in particular I remember when we moved into the house the frame work was there thanks to the previous owner's landscaping vision and skill. However, it had been neglected for at least one season perhaps two; things were not as they could or should be. After a survey of the grounds, we had 3/4 of an acre to work with, I had to come up with a plan and my plan was to try to find my dad's gardening books he had left me at his passing not long before our acquiring this place. My dad always would have answers for me. He faithfully was there when I had been an adolescent, teen, youngman going off to the Navy, entering marriage, becoming a father, how to repair this and that. It seems he was still holding some answers for me. I found those books that had dad's written notes along side the paragraphs and began to study about the plants I had and what to do to bring them back and maintain them so that year after year we could look upon their beauty and reap the reward of their fruit, mainly flowers. One plant was a rather large azalea bush located on the front corner of the house with enough sunlight but it just did not seem to be fairing well. Reading I determined it needed some natural nutrients and what it would need through out the season to keep it healthy and producing. I went to the local nursery and made my purchase of all, there were several, the items suggested by the book and rushing home I went to work. It took some weeks to notice a change but change it did. The plant responded as the book said it would and new growth came upon the limbs even while the former less healthy growth was still there. Change happen once the roots were fed the nutrients that would allow the azalea to thrive. At first it was all about the soil and the roots in the soil. Azaleas are surface feeders meaning the root system is close to the surface of the ground so only a light scratching and moving of the soil was needed to get the applied nutrients into the soil and close so the roots could benefit. Next came water to wet the soil and the nutrients so a blending could happen again so the roots could benefit. This was all under ground out of sight but change happen immediately upon the application process ... the roots responded as they were meant to respond and began to absorb the water nutrient tea. I mentioned that on the surface the change did not manifest for several weeks. When it did it was springing forth from dormant "buds" already in place on each limb. They had been ready ... waiting for the moment to produce new growth of leaves. These were green and not the brownish color of the former older existing growth that barely did the job of changing the light of the sun into food needed to produce fruits. Now there would have been fruit, of flowers, on the plant for the older growth was performing ... just not with an abundance of fruit ... which I, as the owner gardener, desired from this plant. You see I knew the pant was alive. I knew the plant had fruit in it. I also knew that the plant was perfectly placed and the size of it was right for where it was placed. The soil was ok but the natural nutrients needed by the plant had been all but depleted from the neglect. The plant needed the gardner to help or it would eventually stop bearing fruit and die. So, with a process, change came that very first season. However, it was the years after that, six all together, neighbors and friends would comment on that plant and how beautiful and full it was each season. I would smile real big. The Kingdom of God is like a garden.