Intrigued for decades by the purple-pink flowers of the Redbud tree, which appear before the leaves, I was entranced to find a whole bunch of them on Cleveland Avenue.
The seed pods were very tempting and I finally collected a few.
Over the winter, I followed the rather arcane directions on how to propagate the seeds: "Dip in boiling water, hop on one foot while singing the national anthem and mumble an incantation while planting."
Ooops, just fooling except for the boiling water part.
I got four sprouts and guarded them from the cat, who had developed a fondness for knocking over anything on the propagating shelf on the porch.
Started in vermiculite, they grew nicely, but then I realized there was no nutrition in the medium. So outside they went, in compost-filled pots.
One is doing very well (see above) and maybe in 15 years I will actually have a tree (if I am still on the planet).
Not one for longterm plans, I tend to deal more with annuals in the garden. But for the Redbud tree, I will ignore my familial lack of longevity and keep my hopes high.
--Bernice
Be pleased to know Bernice, you need only fight "fate" for about 5-10yrs before you have a thick lush 15-20ft tall tree....they grow rapidly.
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