Having not had the remotest interest in gardening until well into old age, it constantly amazes me how much hanging out with plants brings me joy and wonderment, and one of the greatest pleasures is being able to share that.
On a visit back to Australia a few years ago I bought a lot of native plant seeds and tried to grow them by myself. Most failed, but a few got through, like the hardenbergia, dwarf wattle and, especially, kangaroo paw.
With the blog association and our huge kangaroo statue in the garden I really wanted kangaroo paw to grow and survive more than any of the other plants and my wish came true, to my upmost delight.
In fact, the kangaroo paw grew so well I have been able to share them with friends and neighbors.
For the most part, they haven’t done too well.
But my next-door neighbor, who I noticed over many months was doing an exceptional job of looking after the plant I presented him with, called me over the other day and was absolutely ecstatic about how his kangaroo paw has progressed.
Of the kangaroo paw I’ve grown the majority have been orange, but my neighbor’s is red….mostly! And he is thrilled.
Moreover, his plant has flowers of a couple of different colors and it is absolutely thriving.
He and his wife are enthralled by the plant’s development and he boasted to me of how he had gone around the village and told people about how successful his plant has gone.
Thanks to his sociable nature, I also learned that most of the neighbors I presented plants with had not enjoyed the same results but had been too keen and polite not to let me know.
Still, it was great to think about as I rode this morning for the first time in many days.
