It's all I wanted, really...

For four months it's all I wanted and at last, it's mine.

My Mexican Sage Bush (Salvia Leucantha) has bloomed! Can we say Excited?

I was about ready to give up and put the plant curbside for Wednesday morning pick-up after seeing this plant in full bloom everywhere except in my garden. I admit to Sage Bush envy - why not my garden?

I thought the problem was location. Maybe it wasn't getting enough full sunlight, so, it got prime spot in the front yard. Waited. Nothing.

I thought maybe I'm not giving it enough water, so, I increased the number of times I find myself outdoors watering my plants (okay, so the others were a bit under hydrated - now they're doing great!), but for my Sage Bush - nothing.

I called in reinforcements. I called in a gardener/landscape expert, Kathy Alford, to consult on my yard and garden, see how to spruce it up. Kathy took one look at my Salvia and said 'that needs to be cut back, it's too leggy. You haven't been able to get blooms, have you?' Ah! the answer.

So, after our consultation, and recommendation that I do little more than containers since the house isn't mine, I cut back the Sage Bush - quite low as she recommended. Watered it. Cleared anything that might obstruct full sunlight. Waited. Nothing.

Watered. Waited, watered. Watered, waited. Waited. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. My ego bruised, I was done. I had seen Sage Bushes bloom beautifully in the worst conditions; in the shallowest pots, in brindled shade, in dry sidewalk spots. I gave it a little condo compared to some of the pots and containers I saw other Sage growing in - and blossoming!

So I decided its failure wasn't due to anything I did, or didn't do. It didn't like my garden space, or my skill, maybe my aesthetics - who knows. I was done. My Wednesday entry was going to be about my time spent putting out curbside. Done. Fin. Finitto. Basta. The morning of my return from my businees trip, I walked down to Bernie's where I get my morning fix of caffeine in the neighborhood. On the way, I ran into no fewer than five large Sage Bushes - in full bloom, as if to mock me. Frankly, I take stuff like that personally. I resolved to get rid of my frustrations. I started thinking of other plants to put in its place. Cacti. I started thinking of all the succulents that would do well, and even give color to my front yard - and I wouldn't have to give them all the attention the Sage had been getting.

I got home after one a.m. last night from an eight hour drive. As I walked up the walkway, I glanced over where the Sage Bush sits. In my peripheral view, I thought I caught a glimpse of color - could it be? Too exhausted, and hands too full of 'stuff' from work, and the night (or early morning) much too dark to inspect, I came in and straight to bed. Eight hours of late night driving can be brutal. Maybe it was just a hallucination.

But this morning, I poured my first cup of coffee (Finca Morena from Honduras, from beans brought home from Ritual, a favorite of mine in the Mission District in San Francisco - awesome, awesome coffee) and headed outside to take a look. Yes. Yes, indeed, a beautiful thing indeed. Two beautiful, deep lavender colored blooms. Concrete proof of my efforts - in both patience and perseverance. And I guess, procrastination because I meant to throw it before I left on my business trip, meant to throw out my frustrations, put them out on the curb last month, but things got in the way. I'm glad they did.

For good measure, I'm going out just as soon as I finish this - to give it a little bit of care and attention, some water - to thank it for making me happy. It's the least I could do for even thinking of tossing it out.

This is all I wanted - a Sage Bush that blooms, by the steps, first thing I see when I come home. Our deal is complete. How good is that!