The snake part of your story was entertaining, Sharon, but I immediately fixed most of my attention on Ninna's sustainable shade garden. When I finished reading, I also savored a quiet moment of reflection.

'Ain't nothin' supposed to grow alone.'

Wise words, well-shared, and definitely worth remembering.

Wise words from a wise woman of long ago. I'm so glad they attached themselves to one as young as you, Chelle.
Thank you.

That is interesting and funny about 'ain't nothin supposed to grow alone'. This spring, when I brought out the plants that had overwintered in our home, I couldn't bear to separate the gardenia and the mandevilla, as the gardenia seemed to let the mandevilla hug and hold onto it all winter. (Mandevilla didn't really enjoy being in the house...). Now they are both happy and growing like weeds near our small fountain.

I also suddenly feel a little guilty about my Jade plant, essentially the only houseplant that stays inside year round... all by itself. However, it is the toughest plant I've ever had... it's been knocked off the bay window seat over and over by my small dogs, nearly froze to death by it's former owner who left it behind to die... it's kind of a testament to resilience and is now big and beautiful. Maybe that one is okay to grow alone.

As for the snake, I hope I don't have nightmares! When I lived in Arizona, there were always snakes lurking. I had an agreement with them... they could live there but I must never see them! Most of them respected that agreement. Most...

Love all the shade garden info! As always, a fun and thought provoking article!

Funny about 'growing alone', isn't it.
I realize now that's why I always tuck something extra into houseplants. Wandering Jew grows up my ficus trees, sometimes philodendron. My Peggy Martin rose grows up the redbud tree, and of course a rescued climbing rose grows up the wisteria, so does New Dawn.

I guess Ninna's advice stuck even if at the time I didn't realize it. One time I had a giant blue morning glory growing up the crabapple tree. As soon as the apples started ripening for the birds, there were cardinals flitting through the blue blooms grabbing the reddish apples. It was a traffic stopper all summer long. Everybody wanted to know what kind of tree bloomed blue and produced red apples.

Crazy things.

Thanks for reading the article. I'm trying to forget the snake thing too.

lurk.....

Lurk away, Woof!!

Heheheh, I would be right at home with Ninna. Even with dealing with a rattlesnake.

Nice story, Sharon, or "reminisce" I should say.

"Nothing should grow alone". I have a pine tree friend who has a nice cedar tree growing with it. They are like an island in the middle of one end of my garden/field. I never had the heart to take either of them down. It's been 28 years now and they still reside there, together.

Now as for that snake. I reckon it is best he lived alone, or at least traveled alone!

Best to all. Wishing cooler weather and cool drink to everyone!

Shoe (roasting in NC)

Roasting here too, Shoe, with never a drop of rain in months.

Tree friends and buddies. That's just the way it is.
Thanks Shoe.
You stay cool, too.

Thank you, Sharon, for sharing such precious memories. Your story immediately reminded me of my grandpa who lived with us 8-9 months of the year when I was growing up (grams had passed on early). He had been an iron worker and farmer in his younger years and, although blind in the latter years, he was always able to identify what I had growing in the garden by touch. Through him, I learned the "old ways" - methods that I still utilize in my own little organic garden today. That generation had so much wisdom to impart!

The snake portion reminded me immediately of the time I was weeding a back hillside under Acasia trees and a rosy boa plopped down a few feet from me (at one time, someone's "pet" I am sure). To say that it gave me a start is an understatement - more like cardiac arrhythmia! By the time I returned with a serpent slayer armed to do battle, the slithering menace had vanished.

Anyway, thank you for the memories and thank you, so much, for sharing.

I love when my articles dredge up memories for readers. The older I get the more memories pop in and sometimes give me a surprise or two. Thanks OG for sharing your memory too.

You are right about our ancestors; they had so much knowledge and aren't we the lucky ones to have that knowledge now. I doubt if I would be the same person without mine. There isn't much to leave my children and grandchildren, but I can leave them my memories.

Thank you so much, OldGardener!

And thank you to you!

DH finds snakes fascinating and kept a couple for pets when he was little. He says they're helpful for keeping down insects and rodents and that some of them are pretty; for example copperheads have an irridescent quality about them and a bright color. One time he caught a black snake on the Eastern shore basking on a rock, half asleep...well over 6' which was longer than DH, at age 14, was tall. Well, he snuck up on it and grabbed it around the neck where it couldn't bite and then it coiled around DH's arm all the way up to his shoulder and then it started to squeeze. DH was afraid his circulation was going to be cut off, but the snake was only trying to pull his head away, the better to get away from DH. Finally, he unwrapped the snake with his other hand and then grabbed him with both hands and threw him back into the pond.

DH doesn't say what he thought or felt about this incident, but I imagine that his encounters with non-city, or wildish, beings at his aunt's home on the Eastern shore might have been like a visit to another plane of existence. A house his family moved to when he was a boy was full of books on natural history, and those books, combined with the visits to his aunt, I think, might have been a kind of Aunt Ninna for him...like a different route to a reverence for all things wild and beautiful in their own ways - outside the domain of the city.

Sharon, a post by Horseshoe led me to your article, and I had no idea how much company we have with a fascination (not saying love, outside of DH) for snakes etc. and what they have to teach us.

Thank you - I always love your insights.

Thanks, Bluespiral, for reading and for your comment. I loved your husband's story. Nice, too, that he had those 'great' learning experiences when he was growing up! I say 'great' but at the time, I might not have considered them so great.

Thanks again, so nice to see you here!

Sharon, maybe the path we all travel toward love/friendship and beauty has an unimagionable range of guides. Instead of someone like your Ninna, DH had an alcoholic father which might have had something to do with making snakes so attractive to DH. So, your assessment of DH's experience as [not so great] was close to the mark; but perhaps awful, as in full of awe, might have been closer, and perhaps "awe" could be the common ground between Ninna and DH's alcoholic father that closes that circle.

Love your stories, too.

In a roundabout way, you might be right.

Thank you Sharon. I need to try to post more on topic and less convoluted. May we all have a snake-less day.

Hey. You can post any which way to my stories. I love your convoluted responses - remember, I'm the one who understands them.

Thank you Sharon. I need to try to post more on topic and less convoluted. May we all have a snake-less day.