Cosmos (orange) and Hyacinth Bean vines in a wild tangle in Stella’s garden. There’s one giant sunflower in there too which will bloom sometime soon.
Earlier this summer Stella became a gardener. She planted and fertilized, worried and weeded. She tried this and that and some things worked and some (the strawberries which the squirrels keep eating) didn’t. Like all gardeners, Stella planted with an eye towards pleasing more than just herself. Although she was always the number one audience for her garden, Steve and I and our neighbors all enjoy what she’s done. As with many things in life, some of the fruits of her labor came to blossom late — long after she left for college. The Morning Glories are now blooming and the giant yellow Cosmos which she worried about all summer “When are they going to bloom, mom?” are now a tangy little cluster that cheers me up every time I go outside. Divine wildness has taken over Stella’s garden as vines wrap themselves around the towering sunflower and Cosmos stalks. It’s a riot out there!
So, here’s to all the gardeners who plant and water and make the world such a beautiful place — who give their time and hard work to all in the generous impulse that is gardening. Thank you! And here’s to nature which labors mightily month after month, day after day, with only a small bit of help from us — some direction and water, some love and attention. What a miracle is a garden.
More pictures of Stella’s garden at flickr.
