As an artist, I spend a lot of time visualizing things I would like to create, from simple projects, to things I want to think into existence for my life.
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| a Chinese lantern plant |
One of my personal dreams is to one day have a beautiful garden at my home. I've always possessed an inner gardener, one who loves the feel of the earth in her hands and relishes the fruit of carefully tended plots. I love flowers, succulent cactus, and edibles, and my dream garden would have all of these.
Having thumbed through seed catalogs time and again over the years, I could name off some of the magical things I would grow *ahem*, will grow when the opportunity arrives. I want beautiful colors, strange shapes, and tasty specimens. I want everything from crispy cukes, to paw paws, to edible flowers that I can dust with pretty sugars and perch on homemade cakes. I can see myself strolling, sitting, sketching, and just renewing in my perfect garden. I've grown things in the past, and enjoyed the satisfaction of creating something from seed, earth, sun, and water, but because of limited time and other resources to devote to maintenance (like keeping hungry pests away), I have temporarily given it up.
While out exploring with a friend recently, I happened onto a plant precariously tossed beside an old railroad depot. It had obviously been ditched there, because there were just branches lying on the ground. I recognized it as an elusive favorite, which I had never seen in person, and one that I had pictured for my own garden, a Chinese lantern. The petals on the "lanterns" were gorgeous shades of soft pink, green, and tan, and they reminded me of my goal, so I brought home some of the stems. I managed to extract seeds from some of the pods, and may be able to start them in a pot. Who knows, this could be the first step to that dream coming true! Before I forget, I wanted to share this awesome video, which in part, inspired this post. So I can't take credit for the "garden of your mind" idea, lol. Hope you like :o) p.s. I love Mr. Rogers and PBS. We go waaay back!
Update: I'm officially back at it with a slowly expanding container garden! Follow my "grow things" board on Pinterest to see what I'm cultivating!
Keep planting the seeds and watering the garden of your mind... fantastic!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post! I too feel the same way about gardening and picture vivid colors and a restful place to relax and read, possibly in a hammock. After much research this year, I decided to venture out and plant what I wanted to be a full flower garden. However between the pests and the dry, dry weather not too many of the seeds survived. Maybe better luck next year. I do always plant a small vegetable garden that seems to have really taken off this year.
ReplyDeleteNice! I love growing food!
DeleteI, too, love the feel of dirt under my fingernails and watching the magic of a seed sprouting and growing into a plant. Gardeners are always filled with hope and dreams - sometimes they come true and sometimes they don't. Beautiful post, Renee. Hope your Chinese lanterns blossom.
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