When we first bought this house, I knew EXACTLY how I wanted to landscape the front. And job #1 was to plant a Magnolia out from the corner of the house. That idea was dismissed by my Love when he pointed out the proximity of the well. What a kill joy. So, I snuck a Lilac into the ground and promised myself that I would train it to look like a multi-stemmed tree. (See the Felco #2 article for my obsession with pruning plants) Well, in case you were wondering, keeping a Lilac in order is harder than it sounds. Lilacs, by nature, do not wish to look like multi-stemmed trees. Their DNA demands a shrubby countenance, and their determination is hard to restrain. I snip back watersprouts and hack away at suckers all season long. Someday, when I move from this house, that Lilac will sing Hallelujah and revert to its wild nature. But today - after 8 years of chopping, trimming and waiting - I feel like I finally have a multi-stemmed flowering tree on the corner of my house! So I will stand here, looking silly with my head in this shrub, sniffing and sighing with delight. I think I've earned the privilege.
