By Rev. Wendy Chojnowski
I’ve spent my adult life tending to a garden in one form or another.
From my early days as a young mother of two gifted with a quarter acre suburban plot to brave attempts at creating an English country garden in the midst of brick and concrete towers and onto my present nirvana of a wooded oasis with as much land as trees, I have sought to lose myself in God and garden.
On a good day, I succeed at both…however meagerly or humbly.
After many decades spent at the feet of various masters and spiritual texts, I have come to relish the simple spirituality laid out in the garden.
Soil
The soil is the foundation of every garden. Its content, composition, texture, and porosity determine the direction and success of any garden project. Hard soil will not allow for deep healthy roots. Clay soil will hold too much water. Sandy soil will leach water and nutrients away from the plant. Rocky soil will make planting preparation difficult. Strictly Acid/Alkaline soil will benefit only certain plants. The healthiest plants will grow in a soil that is balanced in nutrients, composition and PH.
However, the rare and unique plants will spring forth in conditions that defy logic and reason.
Just like human beings.
Both are molded and shaped by circumstances into unique expressions of creation.
Some will thrive over extended periods of time, while others will quietly gather strength over time to showcase their beauty at just the right time.
Planting Time
The hardest lesson for a new gardener to absorb is that each plant, much like each individual, possesses within its DNA a unique program for optimal success. And. It varies in ways that rarely make sense to a casual observer.
For instance, some seeds will simply not break open without the harsh, often unpredictable, conditions of winter. While others need the security and certainty of spring moving into summer to coax them upwards towards the sun.
Many seeds jump forward and upwards at the first opportunity to announce their presence to the world. And then there are the Late Bloomers…..They test one’s patience. Cause anxiety attacks in many a novice gardener. Often get booted out of the garden by more vigorous neighbors. And yet….some survive with enough of a contribution to prove themselves worthy of the effort. Watermelons and pumpkins come to mind here…as do tulips, lilies, dahlias, and iris.
Weeds
A weed is any plant that despite lack of invitation or encouragement, flourishes in environments where carefully tended and painfully acquired plants fail abominably.
It resists any and all attempts at reason. Digging it out seems to have the same effects as grooming your eyebrows. They come back fuller and stronger. Herbicides seem to kill and eradicate everything except the intended victim.
Rest
The most trying time in the garden is the time between planting and harvest. It requires faith beyond what most simple humans possess. Faith in the weather, water, soil, insects, self, and Creator. A failure on the part of any single element can wipe out an entire season.
It is the ultimate meditation. An opportunity to practice ‘zen’ and ‘Buddhism’ unlike any other.
Harvest Time
Harvest time is the moment when expectations meet reality.
Frequently, the site of a massive collision without the sirens and attendant special services.
It is the moment when humility and acceptance are born.
Annuals will bloom the first season with the gusto of a seasoned veteran only to retire with a changing of the guard. Some leave behind their seed while others simply fade into memory.
They have the unique capacity to make everyone around them look better as they fill in empty spaces and cover for less vivacious members of garden.
Biennials creep forward slowly. In the first season, they will quietly announce their presence, as if to test the suitability of the prevailing conditions before full investiture. Full glory is revealed the following season along with willing volunteers to carry on the legacy. They fill in the spaces and waiting time between seasonal bloomers.
Perennials are the workhorses of the garden; cultivating and holding together the soil in preparation for those to follow, adding structure and form to what might otherwise be a barren wasteland. They take many forms. Flowers, vegetables, fruits, shrubs, trees, grasses, leafy creations of every size and form…All have their place and purpose in the garden…..
reminding us of the continuousness and tenacity of creation despite man’s inadequacy.