A Visit from a Hummingbird

This morning I was pleasantly surprised to see a hummingbird sucking nectar from one of the Canna lilies in the compound. Looking out of my bedroom window, it was a pretty sight as it was my first time to see a hummingbird come around here. Though it is not the only winged visitor, it added to the variety. We have bees, butterflies, sparrows, weaver birds on the daily…and now since the mangoes are in season, there are also fruit flies (ahem!).

The presence of these visitors are a testimony (to me) that my gardening efforts are paying off. Before I decided to actively pursue my latent interest in ornamental plants and flowers, this compound was barely this vibrant. What changed?

You see, since the lockdowns of 2021, I had a lot of time on my hands and I wanted away from the electronic distractions: TV, radio, phone, computer etc. So, I decided to get a few tools and work the compound. The challenge: I was limited in knowledge of gardening and plants, and the soil in which they grow. In addition, there were few plants I could work with. But as they say, start where you are with what you have. The other uphill task was the soil; it had been degraded by the construction works that had been taking place.

What was stacked against me did not deter but rather helped me go through the mix of emotions and situations I was going through then—job loss, depression, disappointment, isolation. It was not only a journey of coping but learning as well. I learnt how to compost using kitchen waste—food scraps, leftovers, charcoal dust. I learnt how earthworms break down organic matter, make and clean soil (though I didn’t get to know why they were coming through the bathroom tiles). I learnt about pH (acidic, alkaline, and neutral) and which plants preferred which type. I learnt about how plants behave during wet and dry seasons, what to do and what not to do. I often learnt by trial and error, though mostly by accident. I “killed” many, “revived” several, most survived.

Petunia, Purple Heart, Coleus, Madagascar periwinkle, mint, fire cracker, night blooming jasmine, moss rose, agave, false heather, rosemary, Wandering Jew, Pride of Barbados, arrowhead, Starfish cactus, nopal (prickly pear cactus) plus other succulents are some of those I have added to this space. Each of these plants comes with a story of its own. Some were picked from the church yard, others from overgrown fences, some salvaged from badly done pruning, others uprooted from roadsides, several were donated, and I think one or two were “stolen”.

I learnt from others as well; Unique Plant Collectors group, Maua n More, Joe’s Red Worm Farm, and from Abwooli my mum, a plant lover (she would be surprised as we often did not agree on several aspects….some of the plants I got from her compound). I also learn from various online resources, The Spruce is my favourite, Alison short courses, Rural Sprout and Dave’s Garden are my other ports of call. Some of the remedial knowledge I had prior was from my science classes in school.

Gardening is a worthwhile hobby, therapeutic and engaging. As it goes, a butterfly flaps its wings in one part of the world, and there is a hurricane in another. Amid the ongoing #COP28 [28th UN Conference of Parties meeting) and the #WorldSoilDay [... marked every 5 December, see the key messages for the 2023 edition at https://www.fao.org/world-soil-day/key-messages/en/... ], I would like to believe my efforts to transform a degraded part are just a pin dropped in a truckload of sand. It is an inspiration to keep going.?