Summer Sons and Damson Plums
Guest entry by Southern Boone Learning Gardening AmeriCorps Sarah Cramer. Her mother was the first recipient of Edible Landscaping services through our "Give a Fruit Tree" gift option in winter of 2013.
Just as paper is considered the traditional first wedding anniversary gift, dwarf Damson plum trees are considered the traditional “thanks for letting me live in your house and eat all of your bacon last summer” Christmas gift. Or so we in the Cramer family have decided. You’re confused? Let’s back up:
Two springs ago, Ethan, the boyfriend of my good friend Maeve called and asked if my childhood bedroom in my parents’ house was unoccupied, and if he could stay there for the summer because he’d be working from Columbia. Being incredibly hospitable, my parents of course said yes. Also, to make the situation even sillier, Maeve was to stay with me at my house that summer. Maeve was my roommate, and Ethan became Keith and Betty’s “Summer Son.” I joked that one day I’d arrive at their house and find all of the pictures of me replaced with pictures of Ethan, but my being weirdly threatened by the latest resident of my old room isn’t really pertinent to this story…
Anyway, last fall, Maeve received an email from CCUA advertising fruit trees as an option for holiday gift giving, and immediately thought of my parents. So, to say thanks for a summer of generosity, Maeve and Ethan gave the Cramers the promise of a fruit tree for their yard come spring. Once the weather warmed up, Liberty, CCUA’s edible landscaping guru, contacted my mom to discuss fruit tree varieties and the installation process. They decided on the dwarf Damson plum, chose a sunny spot in the front yard, and when the time came, Liberty planted and mulched the tree, and gave detailed instructions for care. Then, she patiently humored my mom as Betty talked her ear off and gave her a tour of our backyard beekeeping operation…but there I go with another tangent that’s not really pertinent to this story…
Since last spring, the once leafless little plum tree has grown almost a foot and continues to thrive in its sunny front yard spot of honor.
Even if you don’t have a surrogate set of summer parents to thank this holiday season, Maeve, Ethan, Keith, Betty, and I all agree that the gift of a fruit tree is hard to beat. It’s a true “gift that keeps on giving,” and in the darkest part of winter, it’s just nice to be reminded that spring will eventually come around once more.