Well of course it falls.

The other day I was taking shots of my favorite tree, my Acacia baileyana purpurea,because she was looking mighty fine in full bloom. Tiny yellow pom-poms had exploded all over the lilac-gray foliage, the bees were maniacally happy gathering pollen,and the branches were arching elegantly under the weight of it all. That should have been a warning, maybe…

pretty flowers decorating an already pretty tree!

So here is the tree about a week ago, standing fairly tall…

beautiful acacia - tall and proud (well, actually starting to lean a little bit

And then we had some rains… not ALOT of rain – nothing like what we usually get this time of year. But my tree ended up looking like THIS!:

that is quite an angle - how can she STILL be in the ground?

YIKES!!! But wait – there is something kind of cool about it. Look at how it creates this weeping tunnel effect that could become an archway that leads to a different part of the garden. Of course, not as it is NOW – it blocks the entire area right now – but I am thinking that Mother Nature was trying to show me something. I’ve always thought this particular area is a transition point in the garden, but haven’t found the right thing to frame that transition with. What if I adjust the tree so that isn’t sitting ALL the way upright, and then start pruning to direct the growth to create a kind of arching affect over this part of the patio? I think it would be MARVELOUS!!!

Sometimes bad things happen and they are really opportunities in disguise. To pass up a new idea because it came in a crazy way would be to cut yourself off from a tremendous source of inspiration – CHAOS! Being flexible in a garden is so important, because things often don’t happen according to plan. We, as gardeners, really need to be open to those collaborations with the forces of nature that might seem awful when they happen, but can actually take us to a new, different, refreshed place. Okay, my tree almost fell and is looking all tweaked – but that “tweaked” quality gave me a great idea! If I would have just straightened it up it would have been fine, but now I am brimming with ideas for this new transitional space. How fun is that?

Let’s keep ourselves open to inspiration! Let’s look for that inspiration in unusual places. Let’s take our Meyer Lemons and make some super sweet, gourmet lemonade!

I’ll keep you all updated on the development of this new idea – cross your fingers for me!

XOXO Your Germinatrix