The "Grew Some" Tale Continues...

Pumpkin vine leaf. (Click pictures for larger view)

"Do you want to hear a gruesome story?
A farmer planted a pumpkin seed.
He watered it and cared for it very well,
and soon it grew some, and grew some, and grew some ...."
~ Unknown

In the magic flowerbed....
sixteen little pumpkin plants grew as the lady waited and watched. Soon the tiny cotyledons, the "seed leaves" gave way to the larger, broader, heart-shaped leaf of the pumpkin vine; and soon the vines filled the little flowerbed with no place to go but..........


June 16

...over the side of the landscape timbers and out into the side yard. Here the vine found lush grass and sent out tendrils to wrap around the blades. Soon at each junction of leaf and vine, secondary roots dug deep into the grassy earth, anchoring the vine.


June 18

At first the vines were compact like a lush rounded bush. The lady faithfully watered the plants when the leaves drooped from the heat and fed them with special nutrients in the water spray. Sometimes it seemed as if the vine with leaves and tendrils grew when she turned her back even for a few minutes.


June 25

Then one day, the plants seemed to break free, growing in all directions; a few spread to the west, towards the backyard fence, the tomatoes and the fig tree; others spread towards the east to the front of the house, some in front of the boxwoods and one tenacious vine growing behind the bush with tendrils pushing upward along the brick wall.


July 2

One group of vines headed to the south, across the yard in the direction of the neighbor's house, so the lady gently turned the ends back towards the front yard. Now the man who mowed the yard had to carefully navigate around the still tender plants.


July 7

Who knew that this was still just the beginning of this fairytale? Who knew that "fairytales" could be so gruesome? Who knew things were about to get out of hand with a new twist? Who knew?

The saga will continue.........but not today.
(end of post)