Let It Grow
By Tammy Thornton
When you look out your window, the garden appears to be sleeping. In reality, however, a quiet storm rages beneath the earth, hidden from sight. Venture out into the brisk weather with attentive eyes, and you’ll spy a flurry of activity that’s going unnoticed from the confines of our houses. Like the cast and crew behind the curtain, key players are preparing scenery and rehearsing their lines before the opening day stage production. Yes, spring has been set in motion, and only the naive believe that the garden is slumbering.
Go ahead, move a rock or lift a clump of leaves. Dig your trowel into the defrosted earth — you know you’ve been looking forward to this moment of getting your hands dirty again. You’ll expose forgotten bulbs searching for light, squirming worms, and roots stretching their legs. Tiny creatures who have been hard at work tunneling through the soil will scurry away in search of safety. While winter always seems to last too long above ground, a quick look below unmasks a whole world that’s been thriving under our feet.
Take a walk around the late winter garden. You’ll find daffodils poking through the soil, excited about their big debut. A closer look reveals that these early risers are already in full bud, eager to announce a new season. These harbingers of spring can’t be held back, despite snow or dropping temperatures. Don your reading glasses to see new growth on rose stems. Even the forsythias can be caught offering a sneak peek of the new season. Though the big show is months away, the anxious yellow flowers can’t help stealing a glance on a sunny day.
Blooming prematurely isn’t without its risks for some. Just ask the disappointed camellia flowers that confidently bloomed in January when temperatures were mild. They were cruelly reminded that winter is still ruling on the throne as temperatures dipped into the teens. Their brown flowers serve as a reminder that for today we must be patient a little longer. Fortunately, understudy camellia buds wait in the wings for their own big moment to shine. They may test the waters again in a few weeks.
A few stepping stones away, we notice forgotten pots of cold-hardy pansies blooming their little hearts out. They laugh at the cold and will soon be joined by their grape hyacinth friends who welcome snow like a comforting blanket. Keep a keen eye out for the primroses, crocuses, and winter aconites, which will add more fanciful colors to this new year’s nature walk. We almost missed the elegant ladies called hellebores as they bow their demure heads. But their shyness quickly passes as they flaunt their sophisticated dresses, making them the envy of the winter ball. For them, this is no time for idleness, as this is their moment to hold court. They will have plenty of time to rest in the summer when they will take leave for their beauty sleep.
As we lift our eyes, we will see hydrangea buds eagerly anticipating spring, not to mention the surrounding trees above, biding their time, and lying in wait. So too, we must be patient a little longer. According to Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” Though the waiting is difficult, wait we must, until the proper time. Signs of the spring garden emerging give us evidence of hope. We must have faith that brighter days are ahead.
Tammy Thornton lives with her husband, children, and crazy pets while enjoying a life of gardening, cooking, and going to the beach.
