Thankful

I am thankful.

There have been many challenges, changes, and uprootings going on, resulting hence in my somewhat of a quasi hiatus from blogging. Due to the economic climate, I am finding myself taking the leap of faith letting go of the home that I grew up in.  Life once again, uprooted. It is such a wild ride accompanied with so many mixed emotions.  This home has been in the family for three decades, and as I write, I bear the heavy weight of many memories…

In the garden with my grandfather – circa 1985.

My grandfather and I, 2011

Great Grandparents, September 2011

Even with this setback, I am ever so thankful.  I am thankful that this house has been here for my family, and that this house was able to house a span of four generations together under it’s roof.  I am thankful for the times we had, and the memories here.  Memories of this home are rooted deep in my being.  These memories are something I will always carry as I start a new chapter in life with my family.  This is the home where my grandparents and I used to garden together.  This is where my plant fascination began.

Adapting to less than ideal environments is a lesson that these plants have taught me.  Carnivorous plants have evolved and adapted to not only survive in less than ideal circumstances – they thrive.  In doing so, they have become these creatures of mystery and intrigue, shrouded with an aura of awesomeness. They have adapted and seem to laugh in the face of adversity.  Even with lack of nutrients in their environments, they have found a way to find what they need, capture it, and thrive.  I find myself fascinated and drawn to their natural talent to do this.

With each of my moves in the past, I see how much I have grown – both personally and also in my garden.  Years ago, when I bought my first condo, I packed out that balcony with so many plants.  Each move thereafter, the garden expand.  It almost seems as if every time I pack out the yard – I move.  Anyway, I look forward to my new venture. There is a mix of trepidation and excitement at the same time.  In my last post I showed a glimpse of a section of an area that I am moving the plants into. (DUDE, the freekin’ plant move is going to be NUTS…) but it’s room to grow.

In the meantime, here are a few recent shots of the garden.  Some last glimpses of this place before I start to tear it down and move it out.  It really has been fun… and I am forever grateful for the memories created and for the time that I was able to spend here.

I am thankful.

***

I would love coming out on the deck in the mornings to watch the sun rise over the fog.

These moments are forever etched in my memory.

Above the fog.  In the lower area, that is a greenhouse that my grandfather and I put together out mostly recycled materials.  We used old windows and old sliding doors from previous home remodel projects.

The greenhouse in the jungle.

Inside the greenhouse.

Sarracenias during sunrise.

The Dahlia area. During summer and early autumn, this area is ablaze with intense color.  Now that it is winter, the Dahlias are now dormant.  I will be cutting these down soon.

Back yard, upper level.  As you can see, every few inches has some sort of botanical craziness going on. It really is a jungle here.

Looking down into the lower yard – the Sarracenia pit.  Hard to believe that most of these plants down here were grown from seed only a few  years ago and are still somewhat of “tween” seedlings.

The view of the Montara mountain range.

I’m not quite sure who planted these, it was either my grandfather of my dad that planted these Yucca. It was years ago planted down here as a cutting – they’ve grown quite a bit since then.

Montara mountain range in the distance.

Some of the front yard craziness. A little over two decades ago, this used to be a really awesome rose garden.  However, there was a drought back then, so my grandfather pulled all the roses out.  It was pretty much bare until a few years ago when I decided to throw my excess plants out from the back yard to the front.  I just stuck things in the ground out here.  There used to be a lot of Gunnera tinctoria as well, but those monsters went to Jenn. 🙂

Front yard Colocasia! Some of these in this little grove were actually grown from taro roots I got at the grocery store.

Blue bamboo – Himalayacalamus hookerianus.

Another view of the lower level of Sarracenia madness…

Sarracenia goodness.

Some Pinguicula, flytraps, and Sarracenia seedlings in the lower greenhouse.

Drosophyllum lusitanicum in the center. Awesome plant.

A Drosophyllum from cutting. CUTTING! Yes, it works!

Sarracenia seedlings that are going to be repotted.

The Jungle, lower level.

The Jungle, upper level.

Spiral aloe – Aloe polyphylla.

Greenhouse, upper level.  The sanctuary.

I am indeed and will always be forever grateful for my time here.
Pacifica home, thank you.