Yes, The Garden Will Return!
Every year at this time I find myself wandering the garden and staring at all of the brown and lifeless plants and wondering if, and how, they will ever come back? Yes, I do have a good amount of evergreen structure and other ornamentation in the garden that provides good winter interest, so I think that as a whole the garden always does look somewhat presentable - even in winter - but on those particularly cold and grey days, the imagination takes over and one is left to wonder? Perhaps it is just me, but I am prone to worry. So, when an overcast, February afternoon coaxes me out into the garden to take a look around, I cannot stop the initial thought of dread that inevitably creeps into my head. Standing in the garden, aloud and to no one, I ask “will this really all come up again?”
And of course it will! That is the beauty of a garden, and of nature in general. The resilience and strength of our botanical friends can certainly teach us all a lesson. Deep down I know that I have nothing to worry about; it’s just that late winter feeling of worry, the ‘what if’ idea of the garden somehow not returning (even though it always has and always will) that temporarily invades my thoughts. It really is more of a mental dance than anything else. Going back inside to take a look at a few pictures of the garden from the previous summer that I have stored on my computer does wonders to correct any lingering concerns.
The contrasts of the winter and summer garden
The winter garden indeed has its own beauty. And most days I fully see this. It is just not the same as the abundance of the summertime garden - the exuberance of the flowers, the warm sunshine, the buzzing bees and visiting butterflies - which is probably the thing that most gardeners work towards and look forward to most. A walk around the garden in February is certainly enjoyable for me, but I am longing for some hint of green to start showing through the dull carpet of soil. I am longing for even one crocus, for the hint of a daffodil or tulip or allium. And those things will come; I know that they will; I must be patient. The garden is only temporarily sleeping, resting and gathering strength to put on its grand show once again. I know this, I really do - so with just a sigh or two, I fend off my winter worries and realize that I ultimately have nothing to be concerned with: Mother Nature is in control and she knows exactly what she is doing; the precise timing of the first push of green a mystery until the very day.
Until next time…
