A Grower Perspective

The weather, what we talk about around here, is crisp, clear, sunny, blue skies and downright cold. I don't know why but it making me a little cranky and maybe it is not the weather but the frozen pipe I have going to the washing machine and just the general concern about plants, animals and all of us in this cold weather. On my way to work I was thinking about what could bring me out of this funk, no need to get crotchety at this glorious time of year.  I looked up and saw the hill, Mount Pisgah, with a lovely pink glow. I could not meditate something this great no matter how long I sat.  Ahh, I can arrive with a little better cheer.

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 I haven't had much time at home. Yesterday I was preparing our home for out-of-town company. I planned to serve dinner on our back deck so needed to get out there to clean things up. I realized that I had sorely neglected my beautiful patio containers. Lack of water and attention had left those plants droopy and looking out of sorts from the heat. I drenched them good and they quickly started to look better. By this morning, they had perked back up - nearly back to how they looked before.

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Where I grew up in western Washington we had a saying if you couldn’t see the mountain it was raining and if you could see the mountain it was going to rain. The mountain referred to here was Mount Rainier (14,411’ high). Because it rains a lot in the great Pacific Northwest this was a fairly accurate evaluation of the weather. Where I live and work now there are no high magnificent mountains. But there is great beauty and our landmarks and gauges are a bit subtler. I look out from the nursery and am surrounded on all sides by natural beauty. Papenfus Creek marks the south and east border. I don’t see the creek but I do see all of the deciduous trees bordering it. To the west are brittle cottonwoods that are snapping off as I write and the Friends of Buford Park Natural area. And to the north is the grand Mount Pisgah (1,531’ high), my weather gauge for my life here. As I drive to work I head toward the mountain and check it out and see if it is fog covered, misted over or even topped with a bit of snow. And then I think about my weather day. This is the first indoor winter job I’ve had in 30 years so the relative weather is not so important to my personal comfort as it used to be. It is important to the nursery. Dave Daniel, the nursery owner and our leader, uses a much more sophisticated weather analysis. He has many weather web sites he checks often. He knows where the reservoirs are and how to find out when the water is held in and when it is let go. He checks state weather maps and can see what is predicted and what is happening right now. He intimately knows the lay of his land, how the creek and river run and where the water collects. He makes notes where more gravel needs to go to prevent puddles and where more drains need to go for more efficient drainage. This is good land and nursery management and adds to the quality of the plants produced here.

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