So I'm walking the dog around the neighborhood as I do everyday, several times a day. No matter how many times I walk past the alder trees on our street I am enamored with them. They are grand trees with silver bark and eye shaped markings randomly placed. The 2-inch leaves are variegated with a bright shimmering green. They stand like guards in the neighborhood -- I've often wonder how old they are. How did they get here? Were they planted, and if so, how long did it take for them to get that large? In this part of San Diego County, many native trees are uprooted when development is going in, and then non-natives are used for the landscape. Since these alders are California native trees, I happily wonder how they survived the developers plan. I've wondered, too, about how I could grow one. Wouldn't it be lovely to have one growing in our condominium's landscape? I'm notorious for getting cuttings and starting new plants. In fact, I spent the early part of the day carefully selecting offshoots from several of my own plants and planting them in little pots. These plants will go into the front yard, the common area of condominiums, in the fall during rainy season. I've already planted many native plants out there, slowly encroaching the non-native landscape. If I had an emoticon I would insert a dancing smiley face here. Okay, back to the alder... I'm walking Maia and while she's sniffing around for the perfect spot, I'm checking out the alders for viable pieces to borrow. I notice that each alder has little suckers shooting out from their huge trunk. I reach up to feel if they are pliable, which they are, and I firmly tug on one that's about 6 inches long with several leaves growing on it. It breaks off easily -- as I closely examine it -- I see it has several nodes that could potentially produce roots. Thrilled, we finish our walk and head home to temporarily place our newest addition to the landscape in a 6-inch pot.
(Updates to follow.)
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