If At First You Don’t Succeed...

New planting to fill the void left by the death of the maple that I guerrilla planted back in May in the sidewalk tree pit under Jane's window.

Early this week, before the heavy rain, the surprise (! not the pink I was expecting from the seed, but, instead, a...) white hibiscus was settled into its new home in #YorkvilleUESTreePit530E81 beneath Jane’s window (remember apartment-bound Jane from the Summer who offered water by lowering her tote bag from her window?  She came again to her window while I was planting this time too, to thank me.). I hope this will give her something nicer to gaze upon than the rectangle of empty dirt where the maple I planted in Spring died for lack of water over the hot Summer.  The maple went in right before a spell when I wasn't getting out much, and it was literally the first seedling I planted in the tree pits... the hole may have been too small, there were no soil amendments, and then on top of that no water, exposure to every dog walking by....  Poor thing barely stood a chance, even if it was the biggest of the seedlings.  Ah well.  Lessons ... and try, try again.

[The white hibiscus was the most established of the ones growing in the planter, the largest, and had been in the center.  I had thought it was one from the Mother Ship and had planned to keep it as a symbolic link and because pink blooms would have matched my profile photo.  It was easier to give up to Jane when I discovered those sentimental attributions were misplaced.  But it was quite settled in.  Only turning the planter on its side helped.  The rescued plastic sled is most useful as an oversized makeshift potting tray for situations like this.]

This white hibiscus came from seeds I collected from Carl Schurz Park and planted in a container last Fall - so a freebie, just needing a bit of labor and care.  After the maple died, I had in mind to transplant the hibiscus, but decided to keep custody so I could water it over the Summer until around now, with the cooling temperatures, so it still has time to establish before harsh Winter. 

[The skinny bulb digging tool - I think that's what it was designed for, anyway - definitely made the digging easier than using the hand shovels alone.]

I should be able to be more vigilant this time around with watering, and the doorman of the building offered water as I was planting, so hopefully he will take it upon himself every now and then to help too.  And the porter, who was a little grumpy about my decorative arrangement of stems at the base (I thought they looked cute; he said the Sanitation police would look for any reason to ticket the building; I disagreed - it certainly looked no worse than the neglected tree pit left on HIS watch, so I suspect it was more a control issue - in any event, I removed them), nonetheless had a hose - he might be more willing to use it now that this plant has flowers.  Flowers seemed to be what he was hoping for when I was there burying seeds over the Summer, but none came up.  And Mother Nature hopefully will bring Autumn rains.  I also added compost to the pit this time, and amended with stem cuttings generously provided, again, by Sikking Flowers, so fingers crossed for survival this time around.

[I thought the decorative ring of cut sunflower stems at the base were cute and the dirt berm would help to pool water.  The porter didn't like these.  The stems I removed right off.  On walk-bys in the days after, the berm is gone - a victim, I suspect, of the porter's house.  Oh well.  As long as he gives the pit some water.]

With some luck, the white hibiscus will make it to 2021 and bloom again for Jane next year.  Hopefully it will get enough sun - the tree pit is on the south side of the street, so then the buildings cast their shadows northward at the height of day, but it seems this spot should get some morning sun.  The plant should live - whether it will be enough to blossom is another story.  Time will tell.

[The decorative sunflower stalks were gone by the time this photo was taken.  The tiny little dug up spots are where I buried pumpkin seeds that I discovered among the compost sprinkled into the hole I dug.  I don't know whether the seeds were even viable, and some looked already sprouted.  We shall see... having the verdant sprouts just to liven up the pot would not be a bad thing at all.  No eating of the sprouts, though - too many dogs out and about.]

Here's hoping our efforts now - plant wise, get out the vote-wise, otherwise - yield a better 2021 for us and all of our neighbors.

[A mature bud fell off as the white hibiscus was being dislodged from the planter.  I stuck it back into the soil, because why not? It seems to be blooming, then closing, in the days since - I didn't think that would be possible without roots and stem; maybe just the moisture being absorbed through the base of the bud is enough?]