This is a story of thoughtfulness, mindfulness, growth, near-destruction, and perseverance. This is the story of Pimm.
It was early summer 2016 and I made a random post on Facebook asking where I could purchase a tree that normally grows in the wild: a mimosa tree. Several people chimed in that I could “have” theirs as they are typically considered a trash-tree or weed, because they grow wild and are difficult to get rid of. They are far from that to me. They remind me of everything good and sweet and pure of rural Georgia summer mornings and nights. And to see them in their glory, as in the photo above, when they are in full pink-puff bloom!
Kim Graham and Steven Hyatt, are two photographer friends of mine. Kim read my FB post and texted me that she was going to leave a “surprise” on my step. Steven had dug up this baby mimosa that was sprouting right outside his office. He and Kim placed it in a bag with its baby root system, and brought it to my front door. Notice how the leaves on this are closed. It’s part of its nature to open and close at sunrise/sunset.
Pimm is a hybrid name of Pamela + Jim. He sat in his plastic bag for a couple of days, and I’d water his big clump of dirt and roots while in residence on my porch. On day three, I chose a sunny place in my yard and planted the baby sapling. I was afraid my lawn service might not see him, so I staked him off, put mulch around him, and said a prayer for his growth. Every morning and evening it was such a treat to go out and water him. These are hardy plants and he began growing immediately.
My son and husband got into the daily ritual of am/pm checking of Pimm. We’d delight in every new sprout, watching his leaves open and close with the daylight or sunset. He loves water and every so often, some nice fertilizer mixed in was like a super-growth supplement. I changed out his stake to this conical one; he was growing tall, but branching out a bit, and yet was still delicate. This seemed a better fit at that time.
The wire of the tomato cage was actually thicker/larger than the stalk of the baby tree.
Here you can see that Pimm has had substantial growth; lots of new branches. I knew he liked the spot in the yard where he was placed. And already, he was outgrowing the tomato cage. About a month or so after this photo, I staked him to a 4-foot black pole for continued upright growth.
On October 8, Hurricane Matthew slammed into the SC coast. By and large, we were incredibly lucky that no substantive property damage happened. But our neighbor’s tree lost a large limb and fell into our yard. And yes, over Pimm.
I dreaded making this walk out to the side yard. But amazingly, the side view showed that Pimm wasn’t taken out by the fallen branch! He was grazed, but not down. If possible, this made me love the little guy even more. He’d made it through the immense winds, a tree nearly toppling over on him, and the flooded yard. He persevered and survived.
Pimm today. He looks like a gangly teenager, sprouting a floppy hairdo. I think he’s going to make it.
With a heart full of love and gratitude to Kim + Steven. And also to my husband Jim and son Culley for their keen interest in Pimm’s growth.