Good morning, everyone.
I've been living with a fair bit of angst for the last month. My dad spent 3 weeks with us. The man can't sit still if you super-glue him to a chair. So, one day, he decided to weed the garden. He did a bang-up job of it, removing only weeds. Then, his interest turned towards one of big adeniums that had a serious weed infestation. I never rip out the weeds in my adeniums. Instead, I cut them off at ground level with scissors. That way, I am not disturbing the plant's roots.
While I was busy in the house, he ripped out everything he could find before I stepped outside, saw what he was doing and almost fainted. The Florida weather hath caused me to have a case of the vapors! I told him to stop that and explained my reasoning. He just brushed my objections away and kept away from the adeniums. That poor plant has lost 98% of its leaves, it stopped blooming and is looking mighty pitiful. That one has an 18-inch diameter caudex. I am hoping it's only a temper tantrum on the part of the adenium. These plants are known to be temperamental.
The end justifies the means. I will now keep a loaded shotgun by the front door, inside. Anyone who ministers to my plants is going to hear a big, vengeful noise. Helpful people around me is the reason I can't have nice things. AARRGGHH!
Take care, all. I got to go load me a shotgun.
Sylvain.
