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Nana’s Cactus

September 27, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

My short memoir, Nana’s Cactus, was recently published in Arkansas Review. Arkansas Review, an Arkansas State University literary journal, is more difficult to find than a regular magazine so you likely haven’t read it. My story is about a cactus and Nana and Elvis and life and death. Although I’m not going to re-print it here, I will give you the back story on the plant itself.

As long as I can remember, Nana’s cactus thrived in a dusty glass terrarium on her carport at the home place. In the mid-1970s when Nana and Papa moved to Keiser, that cactus moved to their new carport in Keiser. Each time we visited Nana and Papa (daily?), we walked by her cactus to get to her back porch. Hundreds of times.

The cactus was a tangle of a plant that lived outside no matter the weather. During fall, the blades were often buried in layers of leaves. It spent many winters beneath two or three inches of snow yet always bloomed bright yellow in May.

I took a cutting with me to college. It traveled with me to several apartments in Waco, my first house in Dallas and my last home on Worth Street in Munger Place. Several years ago when it outgrew its largest pot (it’s not the easiest to transplant as you might imagine – see those needles in the picture below!), John planted it in the hottest corner of our Dallas flower bed.

Last week I started over with Nana’s Cactus. I took another small cutting, repotted it and moved it with me to Fayetteville. I think it’s happy to be back in Arkansas.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

P.S. My sister and Momma have cuttings of Nana’s cactus. Other family members do too.

Nana – Frances Johnson Creecy

Musical Pairing:

Bobby Goldsboro, Honey

We have a cistern!

August 29, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Yesterday while the dogs explored their new backyard, I tackled this side bed filled with bedraggled lamb’s ear. It had been days since I’d done any gardening. Believe me, I needed it.

After pulling parched leaves from this section of bed, I gave it a long soaking. But not with just any old city water. Water from our very own cistern!

Yes, underneath the back porch, a 3,500 gallon cistern collects rainwater. The cistern is original to the home (built in 1876) and was restored by the prior owners. They even capped it with this antique water cover brought back from New Orleans.

This cistern is one of my favorite things about the house.

Maybe it’s my imagination, but after only one watering and a good night’s sleep, I think the lamb’s ear already looks better.

What do you think?

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

“Water is the driving force in nature.”
― Leonardo da Vinci

Our crepe myrtle show.

August 12, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

The first year we lived in our house, we planted a crepe myrtle in our front yard. To make an impact right away, we bought a decent sized tree, large enough that we couldn’t carry it home in our car. The guys from the nursery delivered and planted it on Thanksgiving Day which we thought was strange timing. Of course because of that, we never forgot the day it joined our yard.

Unfortunately, our crepe myrtle was always a poor performer. She never bloomed very well.

Until this summer.

Of course this summer, the summer we decided to move, our crepe myrtle is putting on a gorgeous show with heavy hot pink blossoms visible from both our downstairs and upstairs porches.

Maybe she’s happy because of this summer’s below normal temperatures (and by below normal I mean 95 degrees instead of 105 degrees).

Or perhaps our above average rainfall is responsible for her enthusiasm.

Maybe she’s doing her part to improve curbside appearance, trying to help us sell the house?

Or maybe she’s just saying goodbye as we prepare to walk away.