It's been two weeks since we visited my son, granddaughter, and newly wed bride for Thanksgiving weekend. He had made an monumental move soon after his wedding, along with starting a new job position in an alien city. From San Antonio to Oklahoma City. wheh. My significant other is a great caring mother and carries many of the concerns and worries which would accompany such a large change. And sadly our beloved granddaughter who lives in Corpus Christi with her mother will now be 528 miles from daddy. Realistically I suppose this is a common occurrence in today's society, but making that point does not make it less difficult. Needless to say, whats my point, and what's that have to with gardening? No point, and nothing to do with gardening. I started writing about my camera and it derived into this paragraph.
Well to the point. I took my camera along to take photos of course. Since I was extremely tired from working the Thanksgiving and Black Friday rush I was completely oblivious to everything. I can't even remember if any photos were even taken, and the worst part is the camera is still there and I've lost my eyes.............................
Doctor, my eyes have seen the years
And the slow parade of fears without crying
Now I want to understand
I have done all that I could
To see the evil and the good without hiding
You must help me if you can
Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what is wrong
Was I unwise to leave them open for so long
'Cause I have wandered through this world
And as each moment has unfurled
I've been waiting to awaken from these dreams
People go just where they will
I never noticed them until I got this feeling
That it's later than it seems
Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what you see
I hear their cries
Just say if it's too late for me
Doctor, my eyes
Cannot see the sky
Is this the PRICE for having learned how not to cry
-Jackson Browne
So who's your doctor? And is it later than it seems? Tell your loved ones they are loved and they are a special part of your life, before it's too late.
Over the past three summers in Kansas I've planted these Texas purchased bougainvilleas in the garden. Two are five years old, one is red and the other orange flowered. Another was given to me by my mother last fall. When I lived in San Antonio they were some of my favorite container plants but were somewhat persnickety when it comes to producing blooms. I researched many different methods to produce blooms and discovered a few rules of thumbs for my particular growing zone in Kansas. They bloom more often when they are pot bound. Many landscape contractors will transplant the growing pot into the new pot and slit the growing pot down the sides to allow some root escape. They are heavy feeders , but heavy nitrogen amounts will create more foliage than blooms (kinda like tomatoes). They seem to do very well in my compost enriched soil with no additional feeding. When moved from one growing condition to another they often take 3-4 weeks to recover and resume healthy growth. They must have full sun to bloom. They will do fine in partial shade but will not bloom as well if at all. And of course good drainage is important.
The above photo is the orange flowering variety purchased at a Home Depot in Corpus Christi, Texas over five years ago in a #1 pot. Planted in the hell strip, it gets full sun surrounded by asphalt and concrete on two sides. These photos were taken November 13th before the big freeze. The tallest vines are 5-6' tall.
Here I am pruning the vines before transplanting and moving indoors. What a shame I suppose to cut those blooms.
Are you nuts, thinks my wife?
Many branch vines.
Time to root prune. Not much left there.
Pulled from soil in original pot from the spring planting, a 10-12" plastic one.
Surprised to see such small roots?
Pruning roots before taking inside.
Looks like a bonsai doesn't it? This was three weeks ago and today the plant which is set in a west facing window is producing a flush of new growth. I'll create a new post during planting time in the spring. Which I wish was closer than it is.
