Collies & Cacti

My gardening tip for this week is too simple, sorry: Don’t ever pay for Aloe Vera plants.

Don’t. 

If you live in Tucson, you probably know a bunch of people that would be happy to pull out some clumps for you. I’m not saying we hate aloe, or that it’s a weed. It’s just that it’s an easy plant to have. A likable, easy to have, bee-friendly, pretty, hummingbird-attracting, medicinal, hard to kill, easy to share plant.

This morning’s walk was very stop and go, as there was so much in bloom to photograph. The dogs were perfectly happy posing, or sniffing around while I snapped cactus pics.

Morning walks are when I intend to list in my head all the things I’m grateful for. Plants are on the list. Flowers, bees, my neighborhood, my little house, my dogs, other peoples’ dogs, that cat crossing the street right there, the Saturday coming in a few days. Friends. My friend Allison, who gave me that pot of little, dark green aloe that have been broken into small clumps, placed in more pots, then broken into more clumps and shared with neighbors, for 15 years. Also grateful for Noma, who gave me a variety of plants, including the grayish aloe that needs very little care but always looks plump and succulent and ready for bees.

It is easy to list the things I’m grateful for at 5:30 in the morning, before the sun is burning my eyeballs and the air is still cool. The dogs are smiling and wagging. At 5:30 tonight, when I’m pedaling home and it’s 100 degrees, instead I’ll be listing swear words and trying to talk myself into continuing this new riding-my-bike to work lifestyle. 

The good thing about tonight’s heat is that it will force me to slow down and notice all the neighborhood dogs out for a walk and all the pretty plants in the posh neighborhood I ride through on my way home. 

And remember, if you find yourself in line at the cashier with plants and one of them is any type of aloe, put the plant down and call me. I’ll pull some out of the ground for you right away.