Diary of a Gardener - January is Over
My mother always told me as a child, that time flies by so fast the older you get. I never understood what she meant, that time is somehow faster, like the clock ticks seconds faster? The best way I could understand is how long it took for Christmas to arrive again each year as a child. Waiting for the lights and Santa to arrive seemed like an eternity. It is a southern saying, but when something is taking a long time, you would say “it’s as slow as Christmas.” Now I understand what she meant by time flying by us, as if all the clocks in the house were flying around outside our windows like Elmira Gulch in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy’s house was inside the tornado. It is a strange concept for a child to understand, but now I understand. How is January already over? February and warmer weather and the end of our possible frost here in southwest FL is here. Spring will arrive and our flowers and plants should start to come alive once again.
This is my favorite time of year. I can work outside without the threat of dehydration or sunburn or that feeling of my skin baking in the sun while outside in the garden. This is the time of year I play with annuals (flowers) and plant seeds of flowers that normally will not grow this far south due to our extreme heat in the summertime. This is the time of year for new, new growth, new beginnings and for me, a major revamp. Yes, I told you last week my gardens were complete, but like I said I would, I did some more work. That should be no surprise to anyone who knows me. Nothing major but more decluttering and more organizing. Opening more space so your eyes can focus on the plants. There was more trimming and removal of smaller plants that did not like being transplanted, especially before our cold snap that left them a tad bit unhappy.
The one thing I am focusing on sadly, is how badly my roses have black spot. I remember this happening last year as well, but it is so ugly. Time to get back on my regime of consistent preventative care. Warmer weather also brings more pests.
I read something this week that made me more aware of the time I spend in my garden and how important it is for me and could be for you too. The observations we make in our gardens are the small “stop time” moments. The moment you stop to look at a bee or butterfly. The moments you observe a flower and I mean really observe it, from a botanical scientist perspective. Looking at its designs and curves and how it shimmers in the light or asking yourself why the flower is designed this way in nature. What is its job? Nature has a job to do and our “stop time” moments are not it; however, we get to observe and be thankful for the job Mother Nature has because it benefits us on the most basic of levels. Beauty. Next time you are out in your garden or anywhere that nature catches your eye, I encourage you to stop and really look.
This past week I visited Peace River Botanical Gardens, in Punta Gorda, FL. Aside from the garden’s beauty and artwork displayed I could not help but find myself looking at the amazing sky. The clouds looked like they were paintings. I opened my camera to take a selfie and the view was this incredible sky. On our way home, my mom and I pointed out all the clouds and how blue the sky was. When I looked back at my photos of the gardens, I could not help but be drawn to the sky once again. I could not have painted the sky better. It was truly a masterpiece.
There is a word that keeps coming up I was not aware of until recently. Biophilia, which suggests that humans possess an innate desire to seek connections with nature. This is something I want to know more about. Am I biophilia? Shouldn’t we all be?
