Sunday, April 4, 2010

Brand New Life

"I think that no matter how old or infirm I may become, I will always plant a large garden in the spring. Who can resist the feelings of hope and joy that one gets from participating in nature's rebirth?"
~Edward Giobbi

On a day when Christians around the world were celebrating rebirth, My Florida Backyard had plenty of life re-awakening as well. We were especially pleased to find that two of our new additions from last fall survived the chilly winter and are beginning to show signs of life at last.

As part of the Hillsborough County Adopt-A-Pond program, My Florida Backyard received a young bald cypress tree last fall. As all cypress trees do, it lost its needles when winter started, and we've been waiting and hoping to see new growth for the last month or so. Today, the re-birth was easily visible against the brilliant blue sky (above) and water.

The other plant we've been anxiously watching is our dwarf paw paw, which we planted last fall in an attempt to lure zebra swallowtail butterflies to the garden. Long after all the surrounding plants began to show spring green, this little twig in the ground remained brown, though a light scratch into the bark showed green beneath. Today, at last, we noticed new growth at the tips - the paw paw is reborn!


Spring has inspired poets and artists for thousands of years, and it's easy to see why. Every day brings a new surprise, a new triumph over winter, and hearts in tune with the rhythm of earth can do nothing less than rejoice!

3 comments:

  1. I'm glad these hold outs have begun to show their new life. Those native plants are usually pretty tough when placed in their natural habitat. I'm still waiting on one more tree, a type of golden trumpet tree. I figure I'll wait until the Crepe Myrtles are leafed out and then if nothing shows I'll call it.

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  2. Great progress, and beautiful trees! Spring / summer is here, and the garden can gain strength. What a great time of year! :)

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  3. It is always wonderful seeing trees leafing out. I'm still waiting on my Queen Crape to show some new growth, my others have started putting out new growth but not this one, yet. She's always later than the rest.

    Happy Spring and Happy Gardening ~ FlowerLady

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