Misfortune creates opportunity to appreciate beauty of nature
Over the years of managing a large garden and meeting writing deadlines, I’ve found the poem Leisure by W.H. Davies often coming to mind as I scurried about outdoors or worked at my desk. “What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. …
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.”
The lines have been dancing in my head frequently through the spring, since a knee injury at the beginning of April brought significant limits to my physical labours as it enforced frequent rest periods.
Adjusting to a new routine of stopping often to rest has introduced me to a different approach to work that has become a sort of sideways benefit of the injury, as well as a confirmation of a longtime belief that, when misfortune happens, there is the possibility of learning something from it.
Without the injury and periods of necessary repose, I probably would not have stopped frequently to soak in the spectacular beauty of the rhododendrons this spring. And I might not have relished the loveliness of two small trees that I’d grown from seed.
On two separate occasions, at garden events, I was handed seeds and asked to plant them. Neither person knew the exact identity of the parent plants.
Both seeds germinated, the plants eventually installed side by side in a back garden bed. This spring, both were unusually full of flowers — a camellia with single pink flowers, charming in their simplicity, and a deciduous magnolia that I believe to be Magnolia salicifolia (anise magnolia). I took the time often this spring throughout the trees’ flowering periods, to “stand and stare.”
Some of the nicest trees and shrubs in the garden are ones I’ve grown from seed.
They include peonies, sun rose (Cistus) and several species of daphne. It is hugely satisfying to see the seeds germinate, observe the plants as they develop, install them in the garden and watch them producing their first round of bloom.
Garden therapy. The timing of the injury coincided with the retirement of a friend who had moved into a condo nearby.
She missed her garden and volunteered to pop by for sessions of “garden therapy” here. She’s a trooper, undaunted by grubby tasks. She’s taken to my father’s asparagus knife, her tool of choice for digging up dandelions she has chased down.
With limited time in the garden, I decided to stick to the basics: Get at least the main vegetables planted, keep as many weeds as possible from going to seed. My friend has turned out to be a blessedly enthusiastic weeder.
In return, I sometimes have items from the garden to share — sticks of rhubarb, salad greens, flowers.
At her last visit she commented on the carpets of sedum scattered here and there along garden edges, and asked whether they would suit a sloping rock garden that was not easy to water in her sister-inlaw’s garden. Easy. I just picked up an old clay pot filled with sedums and handed it over.
GARDEN EVENTS
Orchid meeting. The Victoria Orchid Society will meet on Monday, June 25, at 7:30 p.m. in Gordon Head United Church Hall, 4201 Tyndall Ave. Alan Koch from Gold Country Orchids in Lincoln, California, will speak about “Species Habitat and Hybrid Culture.” Guests are welcome.
Open garden. The Feeding Ourselves and Others Community Garden Project, also known as Serenity Farm, is holding its annual Open Garden on Tuesday, June 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the grounds of Seven Oaks, 4574 Blenkinsop Rd. The project provides therapeutic gardening opportunities for citizens with various personal challenges. feedingourselvesandothers.com.
View Royal meeting. The View Royal Garden Club will meet on Wednesday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m. in Wheeley Hall, 500 Admirals Rd. in Esquimalt. Mark C. Dickerson, Victoria’s Garden Coach, will present techniques used by professional growers to keep hanging baskets and planters beautiful into fall. The evening will also include a judged mini show of exhibits from members’ gardens and a sales table with plants and garden items. Non-member drop-in fee $5. Information at 250-727-6159.
Garden picnic. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd. in Saanich, is hosting a Picnic in the Gardens event on Wednesday, June 27, from 5 to 8 p.m. Bring along a picnic and enjoy your meal in a beautiful setting while listening to live local music. Admission is by donation. Details at hcp.ca.