I'm a slow starter in the morning, and the clock said 3:00 when I staggered out of bed. After a light workout, a big breakfast, and assorted morning devotions, I felt nearly human. Picking up a couple of fruit tree pals on the way, I rolled up to the Suncoast club's meeting site in Nokomis at 6:00. A quarter hour later, a big bus appeared, and by the time the sun peeked over the horizon, three dozen of us were on our way. The back of the bus seemed to collect some of the most passionate enthusiasts, or at least the noisiest, and we talked fruit trees and other horticultural matters all the way to Homestead.
Disembarking from our air-conditioned bubble into the steamy tropical air, we were joined by Richard, sporting a canary yellow shirt and a well-worn leather sun hat. As those who have been to a Fairchild Mango Festival know, Richard has a lot to say. Carrying a folding tree saw and a pair of hand pruners, he poured out a steady stream of horticultural wisdom, historical background, entertaining stories, and general information. The first stop was the native plant area, and then into the groves, for a crash course in how to prune avocados, jakfruit, mamey, and mangos, mangos, mangos.
Remarkably, Richard does all of the pruning of the Fairchild Farm groves, before and after his full days at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, and in addition to multiple business and professional enterprises. And his own house on one acre has about 150 fruit trees. A busy man, indeed, yet generous with his time and knowledge, for a most appreciative audience.
Thanks go to MRFC Secretary Josh Starry for this panorama of us:
Next week I'll pass along some of Richard's pruning wisdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment