Morning Star

Night blooming cereus just before dawn

These days, when it’s so incredibly hot, it’s really such a great feeling to be up before dawn when it’s very cool. This morning I rose at my regular work-time (5 a.m.) and went outside to take care of some watering. It was perfectly quiet and still and the air had a real chill, so unlike the day before when the temperature was over 100 degrees and stifling. I was enjoying the dark morning cool and my watering, when I came across an incredible starburst on my night-blooming cereus. This bloom was huge and had a fragrance that was incredible. I’d only seen the wilted remains of the cereus blossoms after the sun was up, so this was a real sight: waxy-white knife-shaped petals with a fireworks blast of yellow in the center — spectacular! I couldn’t wait for the light to rise behind the hills enough so that I could snap a picture of it. While I was taking the picture I noticed that if I stood back enough I could get into the frame that other scene-stealer in my garden, the papaya tree.

Two garden stars share the frame

Just over a month ago I had noticed (also while watering; seeing these changes is why I enjoy hand-watering so much) that the trunk of my papaya tree had sprouted fruit. It’s been steadily gaining size since and is now quite heavy and large. I’m not a papaya fan — it has a barf-y smell for me — but one of my sisters loves it, so when I saw the tree offered for sale at the Rubidoux swap meet I bought it. The vendor assured me it would be able to handle the climate here so I took him at his word. That was about 6 months ago and it’s grown over a foot since then. I love how as the tree grows the leaves wilt and drop off leaving the distinctive scarring on the trunk. Now, I can’t wait for the fruit to ripen so I can present it to my sister, Julie. I just hope she cuts it open at home!