thoughts | Seeds of Design

Digest : a summation or condensation of a body of information – Merriam-Webster Dictionary

As we wind down the year and reflect on what we’ve learned and how we’ve performed, I offer this poem as a summary of what I’ve learned from the garden, the greatest classroom/workspace of life.

Masterclass In The Garden

Misty morning, heavy air

heat will rise from sun’s hard stare,

Take tools up, begin early

get work done, before moods turn surly.

Remove the weeds, the nasty thugs

check for disease from vicious bugs

Timely action creates breathing space

to grow and thrive in a state of grace.

Mix and match, create diversity

native plants for sustainability

Working together, righting wrong

It’s keeping balance and growing strong.

Climbing tendrils find their footing

reaching, stretching, pushing, pulling

Every journey needs some support

Footholds, hand-holds, gentle escort.

The circle of life holds the reins

Seed to flower and back to grain

Building homes, feeding family

a universal goal, not an anomaly

– Shobha Vanchiswar

Note: I’m not sharing any photos this week. Instead, I ask that you reflect on your own gardens and gardening year. What life lessons have you learned?

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Fall in the garden is such a time of contradiction. It is as much about endings as it is about beginnings. Hope and despair. Plants are in senescence or going into dormancy – but they do so with panache. The colors of autumn are unparalleled.

The gardening season is coming to a close – the frenzied activity is winding down. Outdoor furnishings are getting put away and the retreat to the indoors has become final.

Yet, this is the time to look ahead, plan for the future. New trees are planted. Perennials are divided and replanted for fuller or new beds and borders next year. Hundreds of bulbs are planted with the intent to make a brighter, more beautiful spring. Fallen leaves are gathered to make new mulch to enrich the soil in times ahead. The spent plants pulled up and tossed return as compost to feed the garden a few seasons later.

It’s a time of farewells so we can we say hello again.

Last weekend, the big cut back and clearing commenced in my garden. I always feel a bit sad at this time as I recall the the joy of the spring and summer just passed. The high expectations with which I greeted the new growth. The celebrations held amidst the beauty of the garden. The bounty that graced the table. Sweet memories were made. It feels bittersweet.

But very quickly, with a sense of deep gratitude, I’m planning madly for the next year. In the myriad bulbs I plant and the new plants I select to add to the perennial beds. The fresh resolve to be more dutiful in my care and stewardship, stay on top of chores and make even more time to simply enjoy the garden. Already, I’m giddy with anticipation.

That’s the very heart and soul of the garden – it unfailingly provides us with so many life lessons. To stay optimistic, take chances, own failures, be responsible, work is its own reward, forgiveness is important and so much more. But right at this moment, the big take home is this – we get yet another chance to do better next year. Everybody deserves that.

Note: I have two paintings in the ‘Colors Of Fall’ art show at the Blue Door Gallery. You are invited!