Yesterday Andrew and his crew of seven came over to trim the trees before the next two garden shows. This is unusual for October as most of the annuals are on the wane and the ground is about to be readied for spring, by November anyway. This year is special because none other than the BBC is planning a new T.V. series titled “Around the World in 80 Gardens” for 2008, to be shown in prime time and with world wide distribution. I remember being in some foreign country bored or stuck in my room and having the luxury of the BBC to watch. This is such a plum for me to have been chosen to be one of the “80”. The Friends of Robinson Garden unanimously agreed. I am delighted you can imagine.

However, in order to get light on the annuals, those eye ticklers that get planted or replanted in my case three times a year, the big Jacaranda had to be “laced out” and brought down to mid-garden size. Then there is always Jim Belushi’s excesses, an invasion of trees and shrubs (he’s not one to clean up after himself), one of his trees had actually penetrated the back door of my house. In January he moves out.

There are also Japanese boxwood hedges to be tamed, reconfigured if you like, trained into unusual shapes like diamonds, globes and even a rooster. This somehow challenged the boss man Mr. Andrew Hernandez. “Oh, I give your garden great care. Other clients don’t seem to notice what I do,, you notice everything.”

Mr. Hernandez is a man of patriarchal proportion, gentle and kind to me, exacting toward his men. He showed special spirit that day. Come to think of it, he always does.

As the men were preparing to leave, he mentioned that his birthday was coming up. The trucks were piled high with branches of Eugenia and Belushi extrania and the like, ropes were neatly encircled, the atmosphere was sweet with a golden cast of afternoon light. So I asked him what birthday that might be.. “in numbers”? “That’ll be 67”, he said as we walked in tandem toward the cab of his stately old truck. “….and you know what I want for my birthday?” I smiled, having enjoyed the visit. “I want you!!”

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originally posted at julienewmar.com October 21, 2007