Just like a pretty woman knows how one important piece of jewelry can make or break her ensemble, so I too, have been on the lookout for that one “something” we needed inside the patio area in terms of landscaping. It was down to knowing I wanted a palm when I waltzed down the Home Depot nursery aisles after picking up some special colored paint I needed for the window surround in the wall.
I knew it as soon as I came across it—the perfect sized seemingly miniature, feathery palm—actually more a clump of palms. I checked the price—ouch—and drove away determined to mention it to Marc. Marc was working on more trenching to bury electric lines (why is it everything we do here seems to involve such digging all the time?) and didn’t seem very interested once I told him the price (“Damn, that’s a lot for a tree!”). However, I haven’t been married to this man for 20 years and not learned a thing or two about getting him to see reason and the rationale behind the things I want. (grin)
By 3 p.m. we had borrowed the neighbor’s truck and were headed back to Home Depot to buy the palm. I had done some internet research and found out it was commonly termed a Pygmy Palm, a small tropical date palm that is a slow grower not reaching over 15-17’ in height and often used in container and indoor mall applications because of its small size. The boys at Home Depot did a good job of shrink-wrapping the palm for its slow ride home which took us about an hour traveling at 25 mph.
I knew it as soon as I came across it—the perfect sized seemingly miniature, feathery palm—actually more a clump of palms. I checked the price—ouch—and drove away determined to mention it to Marc. Marc was working on more trenching to bury electric lines (why is it everything we do here seems to involve such digging all the time?) and didn’t seem very interested once I told him the price (“Damn, that’s a lot for a tree!”). However, I haven’t been married to this man for 20 years and not learned a thing or two about getting him to see reason and the rationale behind the things I want. (grin)
By 3 p.m. we had borrowed the neighbor’s truck and were headed back to Home Depot to buy the palm. I had done some internet research and found out it was commonly termed a Pygmy Palm, a small tropical date palm that is a slow grower not reaching over 15-17’ in height and often used in container and indoor mall applications because of its small size. The boys at Home Depot did a good job of shrink-wrapping the palm for its slow ride home which took us about an hour traveling at 25 mph.
Once we arrived, the neighbors gathered as if by magic to help Marc unload and then oohed and aahed as we placed it where it was intended to go. Everyone was so taken by its perfectness for its spot—this truly is going to be the crown jewel of our patio. Now, what was I saying about digging?
