November 25, 2015

The good, the bad, and the ugly (Wednesday vignette)

Huey, Louie, and Dewey.

Lock, stock, and three golden barrels: Patty, Maxine, and Laverne? Rock, Paper, Scissors?  Gödel, Escher, Bach? Chico, Harpo, and Groucho? Faith, Hope, and Charity? Tinker, Evers, and Chance? Shake, Rattle and Roll? Wynken, Blynken, and Nod?  Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy? Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics? 

I'm here all week, folks. Try the turkey! Heartfelt thanks today to the Gates Cactus & Succulent Society. Kind friends, patient mentors, plants for sale each month,  field trips, trades, great guest speakers, and rescue opportunities with nice plants available for a song: all courtesy of Gates. (Need a pickup truck for a rescue? I'm your girl.)

One of the loveliest things about Gates is their willingness — eagerness! — to rehome plants. That's a blessing for a gardener or collector who lives by the adage "Prune with a shovel" (™ Clair Martin, former Huntington rosarian). If a plant isn't working in my 20 x 50 foot space, it's gone. Thanks to Gates, plant and gardener part as friends. Farewells are painless when good homes are waiting in the wings. 

The top photo was taken in July, and now, in late November, only the dudleya at upper left, the tiny trio of barrels barely visible at far right, and the golden barrels — all three of them from a rescue operation — are still here. Negative space? New plants? A nice puzzle for winter.

The Wednesday Vignette meme is hosted by Anna over at Flutter & Hum: follow the link for much vignette goodness. Happy Thanksgiving, all!


10 comments:

  1. Huey, Louie, and Dewey: I love it!

    Happy Thanksgiving, Luisa!

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    1. It suits them, I think :~)

      Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  2. Such cute names! I have a personal attachment to several of those options. Haven't named any of my plants but might steal some ideas for my set of three golden barrels. Tres amigos?

    It's fun to have a good group of like-minded gardeners to help enable your gardening passion.

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    1. Shirley, you're right -- nothing like a friendly, savvy group of plant-loving enablers! Thanks for visiting!

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  3. I got a laugh out of all your nicknames, Luisa! How wonderful to have a place like Gates nearby. I have a hard time ridding my garden of plants - unless I can find them a new home. If I know they go to good homes, it's easy! Happy Thanksgiving!

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    1. Yes, thank heaven for the Gates folks! Anna, thank you so much for hosting the Wednesday Vignettes, and have a great Thanksgiving!

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  4. Having a group that will re-home plants is wonderful! When we moved into our current place, I found the prior owner had gone a little crazy planting fruit trees. (My working theory is that he had a girlfriend working at a tree nursery.) Trees were planted too close in some areas, in inhospitable locations in others, and with no consideration whatsoever for the blasted local ordinance on "view conservation" which limits the height of foliage here (but that's another story). I moved some and sought new homes for others but it was difficult and, sadly, some died in their pots waiting for adoption.

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  5. Potted succulents are certainly easier to rehome than fruit trees! Very cool that you found homes for some. (You've got me thinking, now... who would take fruit trees?)

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  6. I've never heard that phrase "prune with a shovel," but that's definitely how I garden too. Love it! Enjoy your tres amigos.

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    1. Clair Martin came to speak at a local nursery a million years ago, and got me hooked on David Austin roses. Clair said he didn't believe in wasting a minute on plants that were finicky or that didn't "give you joy," to use the current anti-clutter mantra. Hence his statement, which should probably be tattooed on my knuckles, I love it so much ;~)

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