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[Note from the proprietor: This is one of a series (I don't know how many) on stuff I learned from our backyard garden.]

Don’t you love a good romantic “boy meets girl” story? I know I do - especially when there are tanks, and maybe space ships involved. (I dunno; maybe that’s just me?)

Anyway, here’s one that happened in our own back yard. (Alas; there were no tanks OR spaceships involved, though.)

I’d like to introduce you to Phil, and his friend, Queenie. (click on the photo for a much larger and clearer view)

Now Phil and Queenie are what’cha call Split-Leaf Philodendrons. However, if you want to get really technical and impress your friends and co-workers, you can call them by their Latin name: Philodendron bippinnitifidum, a wondrously rhythmic appellation that flows trippingly off the tongue in such a way that makes you want to tap your fingers in accompaniment. (Go ahead; repeat bippinnitifidum several times in a row - you’ll see what I mean).

When Mrs. MZM and I first saw Phil, he was a nothing remarkable; just an ordinary plant in a 3-gallon plastic container at the local discount nursery. Queenie was a smaller version in a 1-gallon container. To be honest, we weren’t even specifically looking for philodendrons; we just had an empty spot on our patio to fill. And having just returned from our year in Aruba, we wanted something, you know, tropical to remind us of *sigh* paradise lost.

Anyway, after wandering around the nursery for a while, we ended up in the area where they keep the plants under that black mesh thingie. You know; for the plants that aren’t supposed to have “full sun”. We spotted Phil among the many fine specimens, and before you could say philodendron bippinnitifidum (can you hear my fingers a-tappin’?), we had him and Queenie firmly nestled in their new pots on our patio: Phil on one side, Queenie on the other.

At least, we assumed it would be a good spot. I mean, there was no direct sun, plenty of indirect light, water every couple of days or so - what more could they want? In fact, they did pretty well at first; growing a bit as they settled in. Sadly, though, over the next few months we saw dismaying signs of unhappiness. First, it was yellowish leaves; then it was droopy stems. (Don’t you just hate it when that happens? I know I do!) It almost seemed as if they had stopped growing, too.

What could be wrong? At first we thought they might be getting too much shade, so we moved them to where they could get a few hours of gentle morning sun. Fertilizer didn’t help, either. We tried everything we could think of, to no avail. Phil and Queenie just weren’t thriving on the patio.

We finally realized they had outgrown their pots (constricting their roots a bit), so we moved them into the ground. Phil got a nice spot over in the corner, while Queenie ended up near the patio. That should do the trick, we thought.

Strangely, Phil didn’t seem to do well in his new home, either. I mean, he had partial shade, good water, nice soil, and anything else we could think of, but nothing seemed to help. His leaves turned an even sicklier yellow as the stems slowly eventually drooped down to the dirt. To be honest, we thought he was a goner.

Queenie, on the other hand, seemed to perk up a little. But still, she never grew any bigger, no matter what. Fertilizer, water, you name it, she never changed. Now what?

We finally decided since Phil wasn’t doing the job we’d hired him for - which was to fill up that particular corner - well, we needed to find a larger and hopefully hardier occupant. But rather than jerk him up by the roots and send him to that great compost heap in the sky, we tried one last thing: we planted him next to Queenie.

That’s when the magic happened.

In an absolutely amazing transformation, both Phil and Queenie perked up virtually overnight! What’s more; within a couple of weeks their leaves had not only turned fully green again, but they were both standing up proudly as growing plants ought. It was the most stunning turnaround we’d ever seen.

It was obviously a match made in gardening heaven. Once we put them together, they began to grow like crazy! These days, both Phil and Queenie are prospering beautifully. And not only that, but they’re growing a family, too (if you look at the photo closely, you’ll see Phil is now a grandpa). Life is indeed good.

Now, it should be obvious to all but the most clueless that what you just read describes not only a sweet, albeit peculiar, love story. But there are at least two, and probably many more, valuable life lessons to be gleaned from this heartfelt tale as well.

The Sweet Spot

See, like us, in order to not only grow, but to prosper, Phil and Queenie needed to be in the right spot. Oh, those other places were OK; they just weren’t quite the right environment. In fact, they even seemed to hinder further growth. Not good.

We’re like that too, aren’t we? A constricting environment can hinder our own growth as well. We need space to spread our wings, don’t we? Yep; finding the right spot can make all the difference.

So you have to ask yourself the question: Am I in the right place? (And don’t forget its corollary: … Is it the right time?) If you’re not, or the timing is off (and I’ve been there, believe me!), then life can be as tough as tryin’ to rope a calf with a hair net: you might be able to do it, but it won’t be easy!

Everybody Needs Somebody Sometime

And here’s’ another thing: Unless they happen to be Triffids (and if they are, then - Run! Run for your life!), plants don’t usually have the ability to relocate themselves. Well, duh. Thus, Phil and Queenie depended on us to get them to the right spot.

In some ways, it’s the same for humans, too. Oh, sure, we work and we work, and we do everything we can to make the most of what we have, right? But when you get right down to it, is anybody ever truly “self-made”? Of course not! The truth is we all depend upon each other in an interconnected way that boggles the brain (sound of brain, boggling) if we’d just take the time to realize it.

My (unsolicited and possibly unwanted) advice? Why fight it? Don’t be afraid to depend on someone else for something you can’t do for yourself. It’s not a sign of weakness, you know. In fact, looked at from some angles, it could be a sign of strength.

______________________

Anyway, Phil and Queenie are doing fine - they send their regards. Their family keeps growing all the time. And they do brighten up that spot in the garden.

Happy Endings

Now c’mon, admit it; don’t you just love happy endings? You know; when all the strings in a story get tied together, and you’re left with a sense of completeness? Doesn’t it just make you feel good all over when that happens? When was the last time you experienced a happy ending? Care to share it with us?

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!