Flower Power

Flower Power 

     Emma keeps a large informal vegetable garden inside a rickety picket fence. Some vegetables are planted in rows outside the garden fence. Many, however are tucked away in raised beds among the herbs and flowers. I find this style of garden relaxing. It’s a bit wild somehow. A seemingly random mixture of herbs, flowers and vegetables appears at first glance to be self-seeded, springing up quite on its own. I know, however, that Emma’s casual supervision over her plants is actually a skill that is acquired by considerable experience – a great many hours spent in peaceful contemplation of her garden. Pocketfulof Pinecones page 183

     Two years ago I received a letter from a friend and pulled a seed packet out of the envelope. The flower seeds were a gift. She wrote to sprinkle the seeds directly, in autumn, on some soft earth. Cover lightly.

A Contented Toad by the Back Door

     I found a spot in the front garden and did exactly that. In spring they sprouted. The leafy stems grew several inches high. They remained happy that way, all last summer, without flowering. 

     In winter they withered. That’s okay. I knew that Sweet William is a biannual. It blooms where it is seeded – the second year.

Sweet Williams in Full Bloom

     Another long winter passed. In springtime the leafy stems grew double in height. They bloomed more beautifully than I ever imagined. I’ve been able to do so little gardening this year, therefore I was thankful for the timing of this little patch of loveliness.

     Nature is full of wonder but can also be irksome. Our many rain showers threatened my patch. The Sweet Williams drooped, soaked and buffeted by repeated downpours. I hadn’t thought them tall enough to stake.  

A Rain Shower as Viewed from the Front Door

     “Oh, no,” I said to the Man-of-the-House when we got out of the car in our hooded raincoats and walked closer to the house. “Look at my flowers! And the forecast is calling for more rain.” The Man-of-the-House saw the arched-over patch. It was arched to the ground. Not being a man of few words he usually has something to say. I was expecting something. But he was speechless. I could tell, however, by his tightened brow that his sympathy was genuine.  

Frequent Rains Invite Toadstools

    
 “Where are you going,” he said to my back when I stomped (and splashed) away in the spongy wet grass.  

    “To get the clippers,” I said without turning around.

One Hot Pink Sweet William is Eye-Catching

     I cut some flowers and brought them inside out of the rain. They drooped dolefully in a vase. But in the morning I saw hope was not in vain, for the Sweet Williams had straightened their stems overnight. A phrase from the 1970s came to mind: Flower Power. Anyway, I was pleased with my pink-petal bouquet. The morning sun was bright, the sky blue, and I was uplifted by a moment of Mother Culture.

     The rest of the Sweet Williams I left untouched anticipating they would go to seed. A few finger taps to a dry flower-head releases black seeds. A fancy paper bag, I saved from a gift shop purchase, could be used to make seed-packets, it crossed my mind - to slip seeds into my letters. Thus the cycle of life continues.

Homemade Seed Packet of Sweet Williams

   
     Curious, I opened Kate Greenaway's Language of Flowers to look up the meaning of Sweet William. “Gallantry” it stated. “Hmm, that’s suitable,” I thought. The language of flowers is only folklore but I could use a reminder to be brave, spirited, cheerfully self-sacrificing – even nobly chivalrous – translated in feminine terms, that is.  

An Amish Neighbor's Harvest of Hay

     There is a pressing need in my life to practice gallantry. In every Christian life there is struggle, the requirement of long-suffering, the call to be of service and put self aside. There can be pain in the struggle - and even anguish. Yet our Lord Jesus bears all our sorrows. He fills our hearts with the peace of heaven when we place our trust in Him. 

    Nature has tempests but a harvest of ripened fruit is gathered (in time and with trouble) by the Sweet Williams of the world.   

Until Next Time,

Karen Andreola