I haven't been coping well lately and so I've been spending a great deal of time in my Gardens... reflecting and getting back to Center.
The Garden can Teach me much about trying to survive, thrive and even bloom where you're planted.
My Easter Lillies bloom much later than those in ideal and pampered conditions... but they do eventually bloom... better late than never! Even surrounded by thorns they stay as tender as they're supposed to.
My Pumpkin Patch has bloomed in spite of being planted out of Season, in an awkward location and expected to do well at an unseasonable time of their Life Cycle. Much like myself, I definitely recognize the parallels of being expected to do things well late in the Life Cycle that are certainly out of sync with this Season of Life!!!
My Easter Lillies aren't as sturdy or strong as their Greenhouse counterparts and so they often bend under the weight of their Blossoms and threaten to break... so need to be propped up under the weight of the beautiful things they attempt to bear and sustain.
I've got Blossoming Onions amid the Mints... maybe they should not even be there, but it's where they've been given to survive, thrive and bloom and so they put forth everything they've got and still attempt to produce a healthy sized Onion in shallow soil and a cramped container they have to share with a more aggressive and hardy group of living things...
My dear Lavender, grown from seed, is most definitely out of it's element in this harsh unforgiving environment and climate... and so it is definitely stunted and obviously showing the signs of being under more pressure than a Lavender is used to enduring... but it still managed some tiny Blossoms that smell just as sweet even though they're feeble compared to how they should look under ideal conditions. They survive against all odds... even though the 'thriving' part is questionable...
My Basils never made it when transplanted from desirable locations and conditions... and so I learned that only those who endured much from the very start learned to adapt, improvise and thrive where they were expected to perform.
I've got a big ole' jumble of Herbs and edible Bulbs in one area, where I sowed many very old 'mystery' seeds and bulbs just to see what might come up... they were all so aged and shriveled that I wasn't even sure any would even try to germinate, grow and produce a desirable outcome or any outcome at all. Now I'm almost certain that's not the way to do it to expect a good outcome... and maybe with 'traditional' upbringing they would have fared better... but its where they are and they've made the best of it and given us much in spite of an unconventional situation to survive, thrive and bloom in...
And my Tomato Seeds... well, they just decided they were going to show out and grow wildly and take over their space... so sometimes they need pruning for their own good...
I'm allowing things to Blossom that perhaps most Gardeners wouldn't because just maybe you're not supposed to let them get to that stage... and I'll certainly learn from my mistakes in the Garden, just like we learn from our mistakes in Life...
I've got some wee plants that put forth enormous showy Blossoms...
And big, rangy plants that put forth wee Blossoms that are still pretty in their own right...
I've got hanging Gardens... growing where no plant would choose to grow naturally in Nature...
And plants that only put forth their Blossoms at Night and you have to witness before mid-Morning... when they will be spent...
I've got plants that produce continuously and abundantly...
And some that only produce their beauty once, for a brief period of time...
Some are soft... and delicate...
Others are tough... hard... and thorny...
Some hide to Bloom... where there might be sufficient protection...
Some risk coming out where it's going to be Hot and brutal...
Some weren't expected to last very long and have defied the odds and done quite well...
And draw the attention of and offer comfort to even the most indifferent of those around them... *winks*
Yes, I'm learning a lot from time spent in the Garden... Life Lessons on trying to Survive, Thrive and Bloom where you are planted... making the very best of it...
And finding those sweet little things around you to Smile about along the way...
Dawn... The Bohemian