Lessons in Urban Gardening
Photo Credit: Corinna Hardware
Ah! Sunflower
William Blake - 1757-1827
Ah! sunflower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun,
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveler’s journey is done;
A picture flashed up on my Facebook Memories a few days ago. It's from June 2020 and is of me standing proudly behind waist-high sunflowers growing triumphantly in my neighborhood tree pit. I planted the sunflowers to provide hope and inspiration to my neighbors. Yet, things did not go quite as planned. Although in mid-June the sunflowers were going strong, by the time my husband and I returned to the city three weeks later (after a much-needed respite in the countryside) we were dismayed to see a line of sunflower skeletons. Wilted. Brown. Dead. The heat, scant rain, and lack of regular watering had been too much for them. I was sad, but I also felt stupid. Why had a chosen to plant so many thirsty plants?
This year, I was smarter! Instead of water-intensive sunflowers, I planted some drought-resistant wildflower seeds. They were doing great – and a few of them were just ready to bloom a few weeks ago. But then, a "helpful" neighbor pulled them all up. They must have thought all the fresh green growth was weeds. Instead, my neighbor livened up the pit with a few store-bought "flower" looking flowers. Such is life in the city! Luckily, I discovered the heap of my wildflower seedlings quite soon after they were pulled up and was able to rescue a few. Now, I have a little rehab center in my windowsill box of California poppies and bachelor buttons.
Despite my ups and downs in the tree pits, every year I learn a new lesson. Last year's lesson? Plant drought-resistant seeds. This year's lesson? Don't be lazy and be sure to put up lots of signage. Maybe something like: "Wildflower Meadow Coming Soon." But, of course, nothing is ever guaranteed. Yet, here's the silver lining to this rather depressing story: just around the corner I planted some more wildflower seeds in another tree pit. And, unbeknownst to me, someone else planted a few sunflowers (smartly, not as many as I had planted the year before). So far, all are growing strong. In the end, our little patch of neighborhood sidewalk was able to grow a meadow after all.
— Alexis