Messy Flora

K would hate this tree. It's a mesquite tree and it shades my parking space at the office. As you can see, it drops loads of big dry seed pods at this time of year, which my car crushes to dust as I come and go.

Earlier each year it is a riot of small yellow flowers which seem to fall from the tree as individual petals, leaving a coating like vibrant yellow snow over everything, and blowing hither and thon on the slightest wisp of breeze.

Although the pods are a bit of a pain - every so often I have to clear them out from where they collect, down beside the windshield wipers and in the seams of the trunk lid; I really like the flowers. Their yellow is a great splash of color against the earth tones of the desert landscape.

But K would hate it, you say? Yes indeed! My dearly beloved who values cleanliness above most things, would classify it as "messy" and be thankful it's not in our yard. Flowers followed by seeds may represent the natural order of propagation, but not in our yard. Our plants are expected to propagate without making a mess. It's a high standard but they seem to be falling in line.