Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Gifts from My Garden


I have a lovely perennial garden. I work hard to keep the weeds away, but other than that, it has to fight for itself. I don't feel like I ask much of it, just that it survive. Heck, I almost never pick it's lovely flowers. But I have a little girl now and I want her to be surrounded by the beauty of the garden.

Yesterday I picked a bouquet and placed each flower into an old and tarnished silver pitcher, telling my daughter the name of each bloom as I poked it into place: Rose Campion, Rudbekia, Fever Few, Astilbe, Bachelor Button, Day Lily, Sun Drop, Coral Bells, Lavendar, and Hosta (for some green).

A. knows to be gentle with the flowers. "They are just babies," I tell her. Of course I let her dig her little fists deep into the scented geranium and the peppermint—those can stand that much toddler love. "Jimanium, Ruhbetia" she says.

When our time in the garden is up we pull off our gardening boots and let them collapse all over each other by the back door.

1 comment:

Aimeé said...

There is a book called "Planting a Rainbow" By Lois Ehlert that you should check out. I just took it out of the library, I'll bring it tomorrow.