I was on the rebound when the house and garden we’d built sold quickly. I abruptly left a Japanese Maple that was important to the garden. Bereft with leaving the garden behind, I tried to concentrate on the planning of a new garden; a garden created on a blank canvas, which I mentioned in yesterday’s post. We moved in August 2005, but it was not until January 2006 that we rented a tiller, had mulch delivered from Poultry Villa Farm, and hired a man to clear the scruff away, till, and start making soil out of that dirt with the addition of this mulch. My heart needed those few months to recover.
I remember the day well, April 14, 2006. (I did have to look up the exact date in my records) Two Prunus x Blireiana – Flowering Plums – were brought into the back garden in 8 gallon pots. They fit on a hand-truck, one at a time, and were easily handled by a man who dug the holes and placed the trees. I had no idea that seven years later it would be these beautiful trees, which I came to trust my heart to again, that would make moving on so difficult. On arrival, nothing more than saplings, these trees have grown tall and love to show off their spring blossoms, their new leaves a deep purple. I don’t regret my affair with Prunus x Blireiana because we all know that to choose love is to choose life. But my heart is hurting nonetheless.