How Does Your Garden Grow?
August 3, 2012
Whether it was the stunningly early hot days of Spring and Summer, or the torrential rains that we seem to have each afternoon of late my garden does not seem to be very happy. My roses are barely blooming, many of the Impatiens have simply died off and something out there has decided to make all my Cone Flowers part of their primary food group and is busy eating them away. My usually lush and abundant yard is looking rather raggedy and sad.
I wonder though if perhaps my garden is simply reflecting a little bit of how I feel at the moment. Having the house on the market and wanting it to sell, being frustrated by the lack of success in that regard and feeling somewhat at sixes an sevens because it's difficult to move forward or make plans. Pets and animals always seem to be in tune with human feelings. I wonder if plants are too? Might explain a lot!
Reader Comments (17)
Well - I remember someone telling me (probably my grandmother?) that if we talked to our plants everyday they'd bloom and grow. So then..and to that - perhaps there's something to it? Perhaps our gardens are in tune with our thoughts and feelings and moods?!?!?
Good luck with the house-selling. Summer is - I've heard - always slow. Hopefully things will pick up towards the fall. Patience...lots and lots of patience!
I hate the thought of anyone having to sell their house in this day and age, Marie. BUT I agree with you and Marcie that plants, like pets, pick up our moods and feelings. Surely they do. After all, even the trees are alive and watch what goes on around them!
I have a feeling most of us know exactly what position you're in, so I wish nothing but the best for you and your house in the days to come. Hang in there. Believe all things. In the meantime, I absolutely love your image and title for this tristeza.
i had to look up "tristeza." thanks, michigan girl for teaching this buckeye a new word.
i send you my sincere hope that life blooms for you.
thank you for this lovely post.
Your image is expressively stunning. This bloom has a lot to say;)
Since I work part time in a real estate office, doing bookkeeping, I can sympathize with your frustration. I just hear it from the "other side" of the coin, from those who want to sell those houses.
I like Honey's comment, that "hope that life blooms for you." That so neatly sums up my thoughts for you and your garden.
Yes, I guess plants are too. hope you will be able to move forward soon. love the picture
I think it all goes together. Although, judging from experience and from your beautiful image...our gardens are beautiful even if less than perfect. Maybe we are, too.
I think there are many of us who are feeling like your flower and garden ... still colorful if a bit bruised and batterd, a little wilted, raggedy and sad. And we all need some nourishment and kind words, it's been a strange summer. Love your image ~ all the best with your home situation.
Thanks all so much for your lovely and kind comments!
We're all intertwined, aren't we? We feed off one another's energy - be it human, animal or plant world. And it's worth noting than although raggedy, the flower still retains beauty. Hope the house moves soon and you can move forward.
i would agree with barb, yes i do think our moods - when they are particularly strong in one direction or the other - can be picked up by those around us and why not the natural world. I love the idea that we are all intertwined. good luck with everything and i hope things move forward. i know what its like to be stuck, not going forward or backwards....everything sort of stands still and its hard not to get bogged down. but then things will finally move and you'll find your energy again.
I believe that plants are in tune with human feelings and the rest of the universe too. Everything is connected. A few weeks ago the rose I planted in memory of my Dad was looking a bit like the blooms you describe. I gave a little bit of TLC and some good thoughts and it provided me with a couple of buds and a little spurt of growth.
Your bloom is very pretty, I love the raindrops on it.
I am a firm believer that everything is connected! Send warm wishes for changes!
It has been a tough year for gardens in general, I think, but, yes, I do feel that plants are in tune with us much more than we know.
Change is always a process, a lifelong experience, sometimes easier than at others.
Our gardens are wonderful teachers.
It's easy for us to forget sometimes that there are very real rhythms to the natural world. Just now, even our tropicals have stopped blooming. It's not because of any neighborhood negativity, it's simply too hot for them. A few new pests have popped up, too - an unfortunate side effect of the rain we all prayed for. The critters are having a fine time, but everything seems nibbled and tattered and torn. In another month, or two, things will be back in place, either giving way before the encroachment of autumn or gaining new life in the cooler temperatures.
I suppose part of our task is to be patient while we wait for the seasons to turn.
Some of the plants in my garden are loving the hot, wet summer (my tomatoes) and some are hating it (my peppers and zucchini. I guess you can compare that to the variations in what makes people flourish and what doesn't - bunches of variations.
Having been through the waiting for a house to sell, it does throw you for a loop as you feel like you can't move forward with your plans until the house sells. Then, suddenly it does sell, and you are scrambling like a crazy person to deal with that. I certainly wish you luck and peace in your days!
I'm pretty sure that plants pick up on our moods. In my eyes that's why they can be so soothing and comforting.
I hope that you will finally be able to sell your house and move on, that you life feels better for you. In German we have a word for times like that, we call it "Durststrecken" ("thirsty stretches") and it is very fitting I think.