Looking for good news on Digg this week, I found these items:
Photo by Grzegorz Łobiński
Number one is this exciting breakthrough in cancer treatment. With a Digg rating of 1684, it shows that it resonated with readers. Patients with untreatable prostrate cancer received an experimental treatment and fully recovered.
That is one upbeat story.
Number two tells us how to be happy. It seems that you need to be old, male and Republican.
Actually, the kniphofia don’t smell as far as I can tell. But even without a smell, my one plant on the rocky slope of my backyard has been a perky signal that Spring is turning into Summer nearly all of the years in my new house. Kniphofia weren’t common in my coastal SoCal neighborhood and I had never grown them before. They are native to South Africa and grow well with other plants from Mediterranean climates. I thought that their spiky flowers weren’t attractive and planted things I found prettier.
In NoCal I am more open. I tried one and it has been a faithful performer ever since. It doesn’t mind the rocks and has never been put on the drip lines. Every year it makes a bold display of spikes colored like candy corn. This variety is supposed to rebloom later in Summer but mine never has. Perhaps some irrigation would make a difference but I can’t be bothered. If it is happy now, why risk upsetting it.
Depute my success with this kniphofia, my other attempts have failed. I planted two in the beds around the lawn but neither survived the first winter. While I am happy with my one original plant, I wonder about kniphofia in general. What explains my early success and recent failures? Did I pick the one variety suited for my garden or was it just beginners luck? Was I more tender with the first plant and careless with the others? I don’t know.
I don’t think that I will ever find out. As plants fail me by not returning for a second year, I become reluctant to give them a second chance. The wild exuberance of my first years in the new garden is now resigned acceptance of the limits imposed by the climate and the rocky ground. I have learned not to believe that every plant recommended for my climate will grow and thrive. I stick with the proven winners and I plant more. Examples are daffodils, iris and roses. Early on, I expected kniphofia to be one of the winners. I expected to see waves of spiky, succulent foliage and colorful flower stalks around my yard. I still enjoy my first one when it returns each year. But I won’t try any more. In my yard, it’s three strikes and you’re out.
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