Spring Cleaning

Spring is in the air, and soon enough in the ground around my new house. As some of my listening audience will recall I can be very optimistic when it comes to envisioning a yard full of growing glory. It's kind of pathetic actually when the sad truth is I have no experience, no natural ability and no connections. But O the visions of Tropical Wonders! I was actually quite close once, pleasant but a far cry from exultant, when I had come back from Hawaii and begun to accumulate bird o' paradises, bougainvilleas, and of course the famous plumarias. All kept in pots. The pot requirement was two fold, one that I could manage a plant in 44" of top soil, and two that I didn't own and didn't believe I would remain at the Norco property long enough to enjoy "real" gardening and I'll be darned if I'll put plants in the ground for somebody else to murder. So began the pot collection. And the plant collection. But with the passing of H. Plant and his progeny, so passed my desire and belief in my plant-y dreams. One by one each of the pets in pots began to go to seed, dry out, become gangly, and finally succumbing to neglect. Skip ahead a year and I find myself in suburbia, with a yard FULL of potential (real estate speak for unfinished). I felt the familiar tingle of hope. Empty pots begging to be filled and arranged. A faux veranda. A misting system. Ahhhhh, I can feel the cool and the green already! As I put the spade in to begin turning over some dirt I thought I heard a small yippee escape from below.