Room To Grow

     The foliage is a swirl of yellow green, white and emerald. Like leaves of  fancy Italian paper, they  cascade over the edge of the pot on lithe arms. Until I stopped paying attention.
     While I was busy doing other garden things, my ivy out grew its original pot. The leaves began to wither and brown around the edges. The plant began to shed. I changed my watering schedule. I moved the pot. No changes. I googled the symptoms. Answer? Your plant has run out of room!
     I chose a new pot, trimmed the dead leaves, loosened the roots, and carefully transplanted my friend. I fertilized it and placed it in a new area of the garden. There was an palpable sigh of relief as the ivy put out out spring green leaves and the white edges slowly returned.

     Now, several months later, the new leaves have formed a canopy that shields a toad from the hot Texas sun. He spends every morning under the leafy umbrella and ignores me as I tend the plants. I am delighted that the ivy has beauty and function; none of these changes would have transpired without room to grow.

     My son left home for the first part of Army officer training. He will be challenged physically, mentally and emotionally. It's his time to root down and expand. His time. His choices. As we dropped him at the airport, I could sense his hesitation, but there was more. If you are 22 years old, your parents' ways start to feel limited.  Now, there is the possibility of space. As any experienced gardener knows, you need room to grow.