we’re searching for awe and lessons and kinship
It goes a little something like this:
First Step: Coffee
Second Step: Couch
Third Step: two sips of coffee
Fourth Step: Go outside with coffee and check on plants
The only two differences between a Hogwarts Transfiguration class and a seed turning into a plant is a wand and time.
In other words, if you can grow a plant from seed, you can perform magic.
After chatting it through with the garden, here’s what we learned this year and what we plan to do differently to get more beauty and more productivity
The shrub I needed would be assigned the delicate job of both joining and reining in the surrounding chaos. In D&D psychology, I think “Neutral Good” would best describe it.
Pierre said it would be the Marius Pontmercy of the garden. When I told him I had no idea what that meant, I received an impressive eye roll. I was sure they’d go all the way around.
There’s a thin and fickle line between ‘volunteer’ and ‘weed.’ It’s defined by - and only makes sense to - the gardener.
Don’t worry though, I’m not trying to rehash political tragedy. But, if you need to shed a tear, I’d understand.
No no. we’re bringing this back to gardening. Remember how x numbers of ballots determined not only an entire election but also our future livelihood (cuz of planetary destruction by humans, particularly by that Big-Oil-enabling SOB whose name rhymes with insaney)?
Well, this is all to say that small factions and fractions can and do make an impact (PSA please vote in the upcoming midterms!). I SWEAR I’M GETTING TO GARDENING!
“I absolutely love tulips,” says everyone from April to mid-May.
“Meh. Do I really need tulips?” says everyone (or maybe just me) during the Fall bulb planting window.
There’s a distinct feel to an August garden. We’re in act four of a Shakespearean tragedy. I don’t want to say it’s all downhill from here because there is still so much tea to drop. But y’all…it’s downhill from here.
It’s hard to imagine that it's all easily forgotten when the process actually works. When a plant with real leaves, a strong stem, bustling roots, and a goddam actual flower exists because you made it so. Let’s be clear that the plant was responsible for 80% of that.
But seed meeting soil? Watering? Cover? Transplanting at the right stage? Well, that was me.