Gone To Seed

Seeds are marvellous mini-miracles.

To look at them, one would never suspect

that inside each tiny package,

a seed,

dry and wrinkled,

some no bigger than a grain of sand,

Could contain the power of

Transformation!

If you didn't witness it with your own eyes

would you believe it at all?

To begin this transformation

the plant must first come

completely undone.

It drops this gift-wrapped,

blueprint of itself

to the ground

Where it must remain

buried deep

in the dark

earth

Until the light

calls it back

to life

Miracles occur in the most unlikely places.

~

There are more miracles

in a square yard

of earth

than in all the fables

of the world.

And So It Begins

Winter is playing a game of peek-a-boo with us,

you know how it likes to keep things fun.

A little frost here to decorate the flowers that remain,

a dusting of snow there that disappears by mid-day...

It knows how downright unenthusiastic we can be

when it first arrives so it likes to keep us guessing,

is it here or is it not?

We become increasingly grumpy and morose

as everything around us shrivels up and dies

once the cold temperatures set in.

Our colourful landscape is stripped bare,

reduced to black and white.

And the plants that once brought us such happiness and joy?

They've turned into scary-looking monsters

that shiver in place and haunt our garden.

But, this does happen every year.

Don't lose heart.

In no time, once our eyes lose all memory

of what vibrant spring, summer and fall colours look like,

all that white fluffy stuff

will appear more and more beautiful.

Of course, there are also winter survival strategies:

You can always pretend it's just not happening.

This liar seagull is splashing around

in -1 C sun-dappled water,

but you'd never know it.

Because it's swimming in the balmy waters

of Lake Denial!

Dreaming of warmer temperatures

and soft, flower-scented breezes works well too.

If you do it right
by the time you wake up
it'll be Spring again!

But, probably the best strategy of all

is to find your inner glow,

(we all have one.)

Surround yourself with the warmth and light
of family and friends.

Laugh, complain,
be daring and go outside.

There's plenty to enjoy about every season.

Magic Is In The Air

Did you know that flowers exhale magic?

That their blooms light the air?

If you don't believe me,

give one a (gentle) shake

and watch the magic tumble out.

Starlight

Sunlight finds this Clematis seed head;

I imagine it's like looking into

the middle of a

Star.

They Shall Remain Nameless

So, I have a huge fascination for clematis

But it appears they can be quite fussy about their growing conditions

I prefer to believe that a plant is difficult and fussy

rather than blame myself for being a poor gardener :)

Anyway, here's my clematis growing strategy

I plant them here and there

And when they die off, or grow in a lacklustre fashion

I plant a new one right next to it

This way, whether the old one dies or blooms

I don't really care

Its replacement is ready to take over

And sometimes, in banner years

I get every clematis I ever planted

(some tripled up in the same spot)

all blooming at once

And this is why

much as I'd like to give you

all the names of all the clematis you see in these photos

I can't!

If you don't name something

you won't get attached to it, right?

Anyway, their tags have faded long ago

Or been thrown out in a fit of temper (mine, not theirs)

Wouldn't you know it,

this is one of those banner years

Neighbours have stopped by

to admire my gorgeous clematis display

Thinking me to be some kind of clematis "expert"

they ask me all kinds of questions about my soil, fertilizer and techniques

I hold them off for a while

fending off their questions as best I can

But when I can't produce or remember

even one of my clematis' names

I am finally exposed as the fraud

that I am:)

A Magical Lamp

The Magical Lamp in my enchanted garden

is

Aglow

It has opened itself up

Illuminating our way through

the dark forests

Of these unfamiliar lands

Magic is afoot

Silver threads are being spun

The rays of light are becoming

Stronger

New lamps appear each day

Helping to guide us to our

Destination 

Quirky Clematis

My clematis are such interesting characters.

Some of them grab their neighbour's hand

and grow together

Some are shy

and hide each chance they get

Some reach out

and wave their leaves at me

like they're trying to hail a passing cab

Then there are those daredevils

who bungee jump

out into the world

with no safety net

sure that everything will work out

and where they land

is where they're meant to be

While others triple wrap themselves

And hang on for dear life

So whether you're a happy-go-lucky,

seize-the-day

leaf waver

Or feel safer holding the hand of a friend

Just remember to keep on growing :)