Quirky Vistas: planting

It was sometime back during a hurricane season past, I'm thinkin' it was when Hurricane Floyd threatened our coast in 1999 (but who really knows - my adult memory isn't that reliable), that my wonderful, kind and always helpful neighbor next door put up his hurricane shutters as a precaution. Our homes are laid out identically, and our Florida rooms (such as this one covered in metal shutters) are walled in by jalousie glass on three sides and could be a nice little target for a powerful storm.

That hurricane took a turn away from us and became a memory after those preparations, but seeing as it was still hurricane season and not wanting to have to take them down only to put them back up again, he left them up. Thing was, using various forms of reasoning after that, they stayed. Right. Where. They. Were. In perpetuity.

After the first winter, the shutters became one of those things a person sighs about but has hopes to see remedied in their lifetime. By the end of the next hurricane season, and on into the following year, I gave up my grand illusions when my neighbor asked if I minded them much because he wanted to leave them up. This man has been a blessing of a neighbor who has come to my aid on more occasions than I can count. If I need something fixed that I can't handle, he's a go-to guy and willing to dig through his garage for whatever tool or handy fix-it solution he can muster, always as if it is a joy to help me out. Who was I to complain.

So there it was, is and apparently ever will be. Meanwhile, on my side of the chain link fence (which only adds to the industrial feel) time, hurricanes and the State of Florida wreaked havoc on my own yard. Add in the fact that mowing around things and keeping them edged is a huge pain, so planting something to block the view always weighed in on the decision because I really wanted to avoid lawnmowing demons. I did not want to have to exert any extra effort to get the mower around more plantings.

Then a surprising thing happened. A couple of years ago, something led my neighbor to take the shutters down. After I got over the shock, I was thrilled to see the event underway. I imagined a "normal view" again and a relief from the look that has from time to time been the backdrop to various weed infested plantings, sundry in nature, on that side of the chainlink.

The thrill was short-lived. When he removed the shutters, I discovered that there were broken jalousie windows under that metal. In addition, the problematic original jalousie door on that side of the house had been covered over with a piece of plywood hammered in place. The shutters lie in heaps on the ground, providing cover for the neighborhood lizards and whatnot. None of this seemed to be on my neighbor's priority list. But wait...shortly thereafter, I returned home to find him putting the shutters back up. He said he'd changed his mind and wanted to leave them up until such a time as he can redo the room and wall it in.

Read: It'll be a while.

Enter the trend toward industrial furnishings and decor and the advent of me spending more and more time out on my patio. Oddly I began falling in "like" with the wall of metal. I realized it actually makes a fine solid backdrop for the lovely colors of nature, especially in a world quite accepting of the industrial vibe. It also makes for more privacy on my patio.

As a gal in love with otherwise dissonant surroundings comprised of sundry salvage, I finally began to plot my strategy for making the most of the backdrop while softening the area, a bit at a time, and as finances will allow. Meanwhile, I was coming to terms with my dislike of mowing around things and trying to keep the weeds and grass from growing in and around the beds. It was a trade off I decided I needed to learn to live with.

After hours of wandering garden centers and staring at plants trying to imagine the color, shape and blooming potential of each, only to go home and think some more, I decided on Mandevilla vines despite the poor track record I have had with them in the past. Seeing as I had previously planted them in too much shade, I figured the sunny side of my neighbor's fence was prime real estate for these pretty pink flowers to take root and make a home.

My easy-going neighbor was agreeable, as he always is, allowing me to do whatever I want (he never even sees this side of the yard anyway). Even though he could care less, with a smirk and a nod to the hedges that border our yards along this same fence (which I fail miserably to keep trimmed), in Girl Scout fashion, I solemnly promised to take care of the vines with the usual disclaimer (to the best of my ability depending upon circumstance, waning interest, too much sun, too much rain, blogs to read, etc.). Disclaimers are a wonderful thing.

There could have been a full post about my Mandevilla planting, complete with deep thoughts and funny stories, but my great musing on the matter went the way of my energy as the sun and the tedious process of removing the tentacles of the vines from around the lattice-work they came on stole my time and thoughts. After that, I had to re-thread each long vine through and around my neighbor's chain link fence to get them started in the right direction and spread those tentacles out for good coverage. It took me 4 1/2 hours to plant and unwind and rewind four of these. By the time I was done, my memory of any funny thoughts had long since escaped me for cooler more pleasant surroundings.

I'm not sure which of us got the worst end of the deal on the removal of the vines from the trellises, me for having to do it, or the Mandevilla for the trauma I put it through. It wasn't unlike untangling christmas lights, only I had to be super careful because I didn't want any of the vines, buds or flowers to break. Unfortunately I lost a few.

Luckily, as I've said before, tedium is one of my specialties. Miracle of miracles, I finished before dark. So glad it's done. Several times I almost stopped, thinking I'd finish the next day, but then kept telling myself how glad I'd be later that it was behind me. I was right. I was glad because that Sunday was super busy as it was. Having that planting behind me, I was able to paint my new garage sale finds as well as move plants around on my patio, pull weeds, tear apart an old chair for a project and water the lawn. My back and legs were thankful I was done too.

So as a reminder...