Report From PIA – August 11
As you regular readers well know, I’m tired of hot sun and no rain. Cranky, you might say. As I sat on the deck tonight, looking at part of my lakeside border, I was able to get some perspective on my bad temper…and none too soon I must say.
Since I completely believe that everything is connected to everything else, and that there is information everywhere, I frequently look to my surroundings for guidance. After walking around the garden after work, I decided to take in the view this evening, asking, “What’s here that I can use?”
I was looking at some of my favorite perennials: ‘Plum Pudding’ Heuchera, Hakonechloa ‘Aureola’, ‘Final Touch’ daylilies and Heuchera ‘Southern Comfort.’ This simple combination offers foliage and flower color, textures, and movement. In short, there was a great deal of variety in that one small section of the garden.
Hmmmm… variety. I’ve had that in spades recently, even if it’s not been the selection I would have chosen. An unusually busy summer, some unforeseen and unwanted health issues, not as much forward movement in my work as I’d like and hoses and sprinklers as my new best friends are just a few things that have figured prominently.
The diversity in our lives isn’t always the sort we’re particularly fond of. Variety may be the spice of life, but too much seasoning can make any dish unpalatable.
I gazed at the ‘Plum Pudding’ Heuchera, which I’ve been meaning to deadhead for, oh, at least two months, and realized that even though the empty flower stalks were still there, it was nonetheless a very attractive plant, empty stalks and all. Is the message that I might find appeal in my life’s unwanted multiplicity, or at least find another focus? Instead of looking at all of the aspects of this summer I wish were changed, could I not see it as a season filled with incredible textures and variety?
