I’ve been checking on the clover, milkweed, and chives. They are all sprouting, though I cannot tell the weeds from the actual plants in the milkweed’s case. They all logically sprouted in the same area, though, and I guess I’ll find out what is or isn’t growing.
My dad was a gardener. He planted dozens of orange trees, coconut palms, and even a jackfruit tree. My mom could even make juice from the orange fruits. Sadly, the hurricanes got most of the oranges and the sole jackfruit tree. Our key lime tree went down due to a miscommunication after Hurricane Katrina. Lots of other trees have grown, though, some planted, and some that planted themselves in random spots. We even have an oak tree that grew on its own.
We also have dead patches in our yard. They’re usually under the bushes, where there used to be abundant hibiscus, The grass stopped growing in these spots, and you wonder if the crabs will come and dig. Or perhaps soil erosion makes sprouting impossible.
I don’t have my dad’s green thumb, but I have some sort of thumb. As a kid, I tried to sprout key lime seeds in paper cups; they sprouted, but they wouldn’t grow. I didn’t know they needed more space, and if I tried to transplant them, they wouldn’t make it past the sprout stage. But now I can sprout flowers and keep them alive for a little longer. I prefer perennials to annuals because they don’t die within a year.
Clover is a nitrogen-fixer. Nitrogen means fertilized soil without having to use an external product, and fertilized soil means happy plants. It also can reinvigorate a dead patch of soil, where nothing has grown for ages. That’s my hope at least, to refill all the dead patches. One of my friends warned me that clover can be invasive, so I made sure to choose a native plant.
So much in this world needs a jolt of revival, whether it’s some clover. It’s a shame there is none for the human soul, or for compassion and a conscience. Pure nitrogen is dangerous for humans. But at least we have real-life clover, that sprouts in the rain.
If this experiment is a success, I have dozens of seeds. Hoping to spread them around, reduce soil erosion, and make a happier, if not tamer yard.
