Moonlight Madness

While the days get  longer, it seems my own  days get shorter. Last  month, as day eased into  twilight I finally found time  to go down to my own  ‘community patch’: a place  not cared for by any particular  person. The weeds here  are what bring me back  again and again. (Odd  attraction, I know.)  The nice part of gardening  is that you lose yourself  in it. Dirt and weeds were  moving through the air, filling  my nose with the scents  of dusky life, then suddenly,  it was night.

I came up for  air like a being not quite of  this world, wondering if  someone would call the  police about the crazy lady  digging on the public lot in  the dark. It sounds shady,  illegal, or irresponsible. It  was wonderful, magical, and  yes, maybe it was a little bit  crazy.  I’ll be back there again as  soon as I can.

I notice the  horsetail is coming up.But  so are the iris, calendula,  rosemary, thyme, and lavender  that I planted. Another  mysterious donor keeps  adding plants to this plot as  well. The crocosmia are  getting ready to bloom, and  the lambs ears are beginning  to spread. If you have a nice  watered garden patch, then  these plants might sound  like weeds, but these tough  performers are all planted in  a plot which gets no water  except for rainfall.  Everything is responding  to a layer of lime I added,  and also to some cottonseed  meal which added back  missing nitrogen to that  hard-packed clay soil.

The  lot gets tended when I can  come, which averages to  maybe one time every three  months. Even with that  large-scale neglect, it is  looking better and better  each year. Kids have added  tulips, and that speaks to  me. They own this lot when  they add to it.