This week and last we had the trees trimmed in SJC. We try to put it off for as long as possible, but the palm trees start to open their seed pods and drop the pollen and eventually the seeds and it is a terrible mess. It takes four whole days of about five men to do the job.
The end-of-summer gardens are really a mess. I am frustrated because it is just a disappointment to walk around and see so many ailing plants due to a long dry summer. Not only that, the temperatures have been so hot that just keeping everything alive is a chore. Most of my attention has been on a number of house problems that have required me to hire and track servicemen and contractors which is challenging and time consuming and drives me somewhat crazy. I have also been suffering from a shoulder issue for a while now and it is time I just concentrate on resting and healing that, which means numerous weekly trips to acupuncture and massage. This is also a busy time for many of the organizations we support, so because of a number of reasons getting to this garden is going to take a while. Of course I have help that keeps it from going totally off the charts, but it clearly is missing a loving touch, and I am clearly missing spending time out there with my plants!
I love surprises in the garden and this was a pleasant one! This pear tree was here when we moved in and there were many years I could have sworn it was dead. Few leaves, even fewer blooms led me to believe it was very unhappy as were many of the other fruit trees that were planted here by the previous owners. I fed it and watered it along with the others and it continued to sulk, but not quite give up entirely. Occasionally it would produce a couple of these rather round Asian pears, usually going unnoticed until they fell to the ground before I had a chance to taste them. But this year I was pleasantly surprised to see it bearing a good sized crop! I'm not quite sure whether they should be picked while they are still green or wait until they turn yellow so I think I will pick one every few days and see what is the best time so I don't miss the peak time, as I often do with my tree fruit. What a nice way to start the fall garden experience!
