The Controlled Chaos of the Annual Tree Trimming

Here in Wilton Manors, once a month, we have something called Bulk Trash Pickup Day.

Ours is coming up.  They will pick up just about anything.

We also have Hurricane Season looming.  Starting June 1, and lasting until November 30, we're told to trim our trees, shrubs, and other plants.   Keep "loose things" tied down and watch the weather. 

Today we're getting a jump on all that.   We've got the tree trimmers by to clear out the gardens and to get the wildness of this semi tropical climate somewhat back under control.  

I just watched a six foot in circumference fan of cut leaf Philodendron work its way out to the swale like some discarded umbrella. A trash can, which was the first of many, stuffed full of more dead palm fronds than I would try to cram into a can at one moment joined it.  The swale will be a giant pile of discarded organic matter. 

I'd love to compost but what would I do with all that "stuff".

It will all be piled up today and tomorrow.  We won't have to worry about drunks parking on the swale this weekend because it will already be parked upon.

The nice thing is that once it's all said and done, I'll have a new garden, the same but different than before.  I'll be able to go back into that garden and find some old treasures that were forgotten and transplant them into new places for future growth and greenery.   My bamboo stand will be accessible for the first time since we planted it so my plans are to try to get some cuttings.  If you have bamboo, you can propagate the stuff by division.  Cut a healthy clump off the "mother" clump and set it in an irrigated spot.  Its just grass with an attitude anyway.

I'll be looking for some greenery to bring into the house for decoration in a vase in all that debris, and there's a Philodendron leaf or three that will go into a vase for a couple weeks until it breeds some more pet mosquitoes for me to care for.   After all, with two people, a dog, and a parrot, there's lots of food for the mosquito to dine on.  Mmmm, yummy mosquito food!

Yes, tag, you're it - or rather I'm it, so I'll watch that water carefully and drop a couple aspirin and a couple copper pennies in to hope that it may just not turn into organic soup and a breeding ground.

I'm looking forward to it all, and of course for it all to be over with.  Chaos can be restorative and welcome, but we are all better once we return to the calm of normal.

Whatever Normal Is...