Wednesday 11 July 2012

whoa, nellie!

The peep grows trees for us.  As we're all allowed outside - providing that we stay in our own yard where it's safe, of course - having some trees in the garden for climbing is a pretty good thing.

Some of the trees were here before the peeps moved in.  Others the peep planted herself.  Some of them are just babies 'cause she's still starting trees every year.  Others are older than me and I'm nine so that's pretty old in cat years but maybe not so old in tree years.  Tree years are more complicated, I think.  Yeah, way more complicated.

There's this one tree in the middle of my front yard that's really, really big.  It's taller than the house by far.  Way taller than the peep, of course.  But the peep grew that tree from a teeny-tiny seed many, many years ago.  She says she planted that seed the first summer they lived in this house which was before I was born.  It was in the year 2000 which is like, oh...  eons and eons ago, I think.  Long before my time.

Well, this practically ancient tree was causing a bit of an uproar at my house 'cause the peep was all upset that it had never bloomed.  Personally, I didn't really care 'cause trees are for climbing not blooming but you know peeps.  She says she grew it specifically for the blooms which aren't very showy but are highly fragrant and magnets for the bees.  I thought I might be able to help her out on the flowery sniffing stuff but I wasn't too sure about turning it into a magnet.  I mean, magnets are made of metal, right?  Well, I don't think the peep realises it but...  trees are made out of wood.  That's a peep for ya!  And I'm beginning to wonder...  if she doesn't know the difference between metal and wood...  well...  perhaps all hope is lost, huh?

But back to the tree and this flowering business.  The tree is called a Tilia.  That's it's official botanical name.  I know 'cause I looked it up.  Most of the time though, the peeps just call it a linden 'cause that's its nickname.  I have a nickname, too.  Sometimes I get called Nissy or Nissy-poo even though my real and proper name is Nerissa.  My best friend Herman calls me Niss and I really like that one.

All these nicknames got me thinking.  What if the Tilia tree has more than one nickname, just like me?  So, I checked it out.  Actually, I just asked the peep.  She said that yes, sometimes people call these trees lime trees.  I said, "Limes?  Like in citrus?"  The peep reassured me that no, they were not any kind of citrus tree and that I needn't worry.  You see, we cats hate the citrus.  But peep #1 said that her grandmother from Scotland used to call linden trees, lime trees.

Hmmm...  this got my mind working at top speed.  Lime...  like chalk...  like chalky soils...  like sweet soils...  like what we don't have in our garden.  Could it be that some peeps call lindens lime trees 'cause they grow on chalky soils?  Hmmm...

So I said to the peep, "Why don't you just lime that sucker?" although it's not actually a sucker.  I believe I mentioned it was a seedling.  Another topic for another post, I think.

So last fall, the peep bought a big ol' bag of lime for the tree.  She gave that one tree the whole bag.  Actually, she went a little crazy with the lime and I had to say to her, "Whoa, Nellie!"  Not that the peep's name is Nelly or anything but that is what one says in situations like these, I think.  Bottom line is, the tree got well and truly limed.

Well folks, just guess what we have this year?  Flowers!  Lots and lots of flowers!  I wouldn't say the tree is covered completely in flowers but there are lots of them.  And when one goes from none to lots in one year...  well...  that's saying something, I think.  Oh, what a little gardening supervisor I am.  Purrs



29 comments:

  1. wow - who knew limes could make trees flower?? MOL glad you guys figured it out - that is a pretty tree.

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  2. What a wise lady cat you are Nerissa.
    Luv Hannah and Lucy xx xx

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  3. Whoa Nellie indeed! You are such a clever girl, Nerissa. Now, would you mind helping my Mama with her garden? har har har *evil laughs*

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  4. That's a lovely tree.
    And a very clever word-connection-solution, Nerissa.

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  5. You really are good at the gardening stuff! We have some trees too but I never get to go out and check them out.

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  6. Wow! Who knew? Good garden supervising job, Nellie...er, we meant Nerissa. Heh heh.

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  7. Gorgeous flowers. Talk about a good gardner, you are it.

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  8. or....is it possible that the super mild winter and warmer temps helped to create more flowers? Another point to ponder, another subject for another post perhaps?

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    1. Hmmm... I don't really think so 'cause other people have had their lindens bloom in other winters. Just my peep who couldn't get mine doin' its thing. But, that mild spell we had this past winter did effect the locust the peep thinks. Last year it was absolutely covered in blooms. This year, nadda. Peep thinks the buds formed in the mild spell then froze when it got cold again. There's a street with dozens of the trees and none of them bloomed this year, either. That's why peep thinks it was environmental and not just her tree.

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  9. Just please tell your human not to trim her trees. My next door neighbor has a beautiful Magnolia tree. Yesterday she had some tree people over and they absolutely butchered that poor thing. It looks like it had a close encounter of the bad kind with Edward Scissorhands!

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  10. Your human should have been paying attention to you all along - clearly you knew what that tree needed!

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  11. Mes dod not knows yous was such a gardening guru! WoW!
    Kisses
    The Un Whoa-ed Nellie

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  12. Wow Nerissa, excellent work!

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  13. You are a great gardener, Nerissa. I am so glad that your tree bloomed. Do you climb it?

    Herman

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    1. Although the peep is 'supposed' to be growing trees for us to climb, this one is not the most conducive for such activities. The branches are at funny angles, I think. But it's a great tree for scratching. Fantastic scratching post! I do that.

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  14. Awwww Nerissa! What would your peeps do without you!??! Yay for suggesting limes!! Hoorah for getting this beautiful tree to bloom!! Enjoy! take care
    x

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  15. Wow! I'm really impressed! We all have "black thumbs" around here - MomKatt says she can't even grow mold! LOL

    It's a beautiful tree!

    PURRS!
    Selina

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  16. Bravo Nerissa! Thanks to your lime suggestion, your Mom has flowers on her previously non-flowering tree....you have a green thumb (or is that claw??). Concatulations. I bet your Mom will be listening to your suggestions in the future too....

    Kitty Hugs, Sammy

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    1. Nerissa you haz a lovely yard. I am envious, but then your weather is nice and mine is hot n humid n good only for growing mold. Phooey!

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  17. They are lovely, and Nerissa good job xo

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  18. Does anybody call you Hissy Nissy? Cause maybe I will.

    Good job, Hissy Nissy! I think you should get 12 whole salmons and 6 whole toonas all for your smart self.

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  19. Nerissa, you know a lot about trees. I just know that if Mum sticks it in the ground she's got to expect me to dig it up - and that trees are for climbing.
    Mr Woof's more the garden type. He sniffs all the plants, and wees on them when he thinks they need watering.

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  20. Hi Nissy!! Sorry we haven't bin 'round much...... ^..^ da mom haz been feelin Lazy!! go figure..... ^..^

    Whoa Nellie iz right!! It ate a whole bag ov lime ????? We nefur heard ov a Tilia tree..., wunder if we haz dem ^..^ anywho, sumtimez thingzdo good one year, not so much in otherz......,we haz plantz dat do that. But da flowerz are really Pretty ^.,^
    What would your peep do wifowt your expert supervizion ^..^
    Headbonkz ~ ^..^ x6 +1 :)

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  21. Grats to you on figuring out the secret to the Tila tree. We don't have any trees here, but the neighbor has a Gooseberry tree. In the spring and early summer, there are flocks of birds and lots of squirrels eating the gooseberries. It's like the human soap operas, only better. Hope you're enjoying the bees!!

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  22. Hi kitties! I wish we had some pretty trees like that! Or even just regular trees! Or a yard! Or something besides sidewalk, MOL!

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I love hearin' from my pals. I really, REALLY do. PURRS.