Report From PIA – June 7
Last night I woke up at 1 AM and glanced out the window as I walked to the bathroom. There were huge fireflies outside, moving fast, and blinking five rapid flashes followed by a pause. No, I was not dreaming. I stayed up for some time watching them, making sure that I had the pattern down (1-2-3-4-5-pause) and marveling at how large and bright they were. Magical.
This evening I worked in the garden from 5:30 to 7:30, hoeing weeds, planting two Sunny Knockout roses in the fragrance garden, and applying diatomaceous earth to new annuals in order to thwart the earwigs. I finished the evening by watering some containers and newly planted perennials, and as the water streamed from the hose I looked around the garden. It was magical.
For all the work that goes into a garden, there are always elements that are out of our control. Sure, we plant, water, weed and dust as best we can, and be assured that without that involvement there would be no garden. But after all of our efforts, Nature, serendipity and the plants themselves step in and something delightful occurs.
We humans have some greater responsibility here. Not only do we need to work to create an environment favorable for growth, but we also need to be willing and able to stop and see the enchantment that results. In the morning or evening, and in the middle of the night, magic happens.
Sometimes the magic is in the unexpected arrangement of plants. On the edge of the rain garden the Echium, daisies, Primula japonica and variegated winterberry come together in the perfect, cheerful combination of blue, yellow and white.
