A lot of this is cut and paste from another thread, but I saw others doing introductions, and I thought I would do one! I'm relatively new to the fig world, having only two trees of any size, but am currently rooting around 20 varieties. I live on a quarter of an acre in the middle of my town in Northern California, and I try to squeeze viable gardening space into ever spot that I can. I currently have around 125 varieties of fruiting plants, not counting cuttings. I label all of my trees with their variety names as well as their Latin names.
My hope with my garden is that my children can learn from it. The names of plants, trees, fruits, vegetables; the beauty in cultivating and caring for life. A preference to be among the trees and animals, rather than on a couch staring at a television screen. In 2015 we will be part of our town's garden tour, and I will have the chance to share my passion with more than 1000 people. To teach people of the many varieties of trees, the joys of gardening, and the accessibility; they too can do it! Don't limit yourself to store bought, rock hard peaches, battery produced eggs; don't dismiss a whole family of fruit based on the sub par food being offered! I cannot wait to have this opportunity, and work on my yard every chance that I get. I also am applying for display garden status with the American Hemerocallis Society, so that I can share my garden with visitors throughout the summer months.
My late maternal grandparents fostered my love of gardening, as I spent my summers from age two or so until I graduated high school working in their daylily nursery. They've long since passed on, but I feel that they are with me as I am out in the garden, tending to many of the same daylilies that they themselves did. My paternal grandparents were tomato farmers, and being of Japanese descent had their land and most of their possessions seized during their years of internment at Tule Lake here in California. So, a love for plants runs on both sides of my family.
I recognize that I cannot live forever, that life is fleeting, and that in some unknown amount of time, no one will be alive that will ever have met me. How neat would it be though, if even one of my descendants took a cutting from one of my trees and passed it on, from generation to generation? A great-great-great grandchild of mine, tasting the same delicious fruit that I once did? My children, fostering our love for gardening to their children in turn? Maybe I'm a hopeless romantic.
Now, on to the photos; my apologies that most of my tree pictures are from the dormant season.
My number one garden helper, trying out one of my new pots. Also, the number one fresh peach thief.
The girls! Helpful enough to strip my vegetable garden anytime the gate accidentally gets left open.
Vegetable garden, summer of 2012. Chicken coop in the back!
Peach, nectarine, and pears, spaced on 3 to 4 foot centers.
Trying to get every viable square inch of gardening space, even if the sun exposure isn't ideal.
Interspecifics- pluots, pluerry, apriums, etc. Spaced on 2.5 foot centers.
Some of my potted citrus currently; huddled closely to the house for warmth. My Wekiwa Tangelolo (courtesy of Patty from CRFG in southern California) has some fruit on it!
One of the orange trees that was already growing here when we moved in. Between it and its sister, they produce somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 pounds of oranges per year. I'm not a big orange fan, so we end up giving most of them away.
Daylily, "Wild About Harry" cultivar, named after my late grandfather, Dr. Harry Harwood. Hybridized and named by the late Ra Hansen.
Daylily, "Betty Loves Me", named after my late grandmother, Betty Harwood. Hybridized and named by the late Ben Hager.
These two very special daylilies, planted next to each other.