I got to spend this morning in the yard, contemplating life and talking to myself. Perfection. Enjoy the fruits of my labor! You can contemplate these metaphors as deeply as you would like:
-I love my ugly garden. I didn't plant enough for the late summer, so one bed looks very spare. I got some bargain end of season plants that haven't filled in their spots, and the dahlias are in desperate need of sunshine so they sprawl all over the sidewalk reaching for the sun. I still keep tending my ugly garden. Come spring I'll move the dahlias to a happier spot, I'll add some plants to fill in the spaces, and the stunted bargain plants will have had a good chance to prepare for a new season. When you see an ugly garden, consider it a work in progress. If you have an ugly garden, keep going - everything improves with attention and focus.
-If you planted the butterfly bush, you can't very well be mad at the caterpillars gnawing on your plants. Pick 'em off and move on.
-Gardening has only a little to do with tending the plants you want to grow. The rest is pulling weeds and squishing bugs.
-Speaking of squishing bugs...a garden enjoys the company of spiders and snakes. Don't squish without cause.
-Plants always turn their heads toward the sun. Sometimes that makes 'em grow a little funny. At least they are headed in the right direction. They'd be silly to spend their day looking at you instead of the sun after all.
-Every plant has an ugly season. If you know an ugly plant, just keep watering. Every plant has a pretty season too.
-Some people say they don't garden because everything they touch dies. This seems silly, because everything a master gardener touches dies too. The only difference I figure is that good gardeners expect that.
What is your best garden metaphor?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment