Wattle, Blossom and Old Friends

I'm fascinated by the way plants respond to the changing seasons and welcome the flowering of different species each year as if they are old friends. Winter's last few gloomy weeks in this area are brightened by numerous golden wattles and blossoms of both fruiting and ornamental trees. Bees buzz around the blooms as they search for nectar and pollen, and pollinate my fruit crops as they go. Sometimes the sun breaks through, for a moment or a day, and glistens on the raindrops that linger on the flower petals.

Especially colourful this year are a few wattles that seeded in the mulch around the vegie garden and were subsequently potted and planted into the garden. Seeds from a tree that hangs over the fence make the most of conditions in my garden and dozens of tiny trees come up every year. Mostly I pull them up, treating them as weeds because I don't have space to plant many, but I'm glad I have found room for three of them to grow. It did seem a waste not to use more of them. Then I thought of an old friend who lives on a farm out of town. She does have space, lots of space. Now many of the seedlings are dug up and sent to a new home. As well, last year some mysterious little plants grew in a pot of soil that I'd left in the vegie garden. When they had developed a little, I identified them as callistemons, also from a tree next door. They too have found a new home on the farm.

The other day my friend brought me a beautiful bunch of camellias from an old tree on the farm. Life would be less colourful, less interesting, without our old friends.