Garden Teachings
Narrow Your Focus
Seed catalogues, tea, and a cold winter’s night make for some beautiful dreams. Lists of vegetables and flowers are scribbled down in my notebook accompanied by a rough yet elaborate pencil drawing of what’s waiting for me in the summer. Fast forward six months later, and I’ve got a bumper crop of basil and a bunch of bug-eaten plant remains. The truth is, although I’ve learned a lot with my hands in the dirt, my dream garden has yet to be constructed. This is because I’m overly enthusiastic. I WANT IT ALL. I want the peonies and the wisteria, the storage-friendly crop of carrots and sauerkraut all winter long.
Year after year my garden whispers. She reminds me gently at first, and then much louder, “stay steady and narrow in your focus. Become really good at a handful of things.”
Where can you narrow your own focus?
Surrender
I’ve learned through my experience in the dirt that nature has a recipe. There are particular formulas and rhythms to follow in order to achieve success. Sometimes it’s easy to get lost in the rinse and repeat process of tending to a garden; and then I’m reminded that I can seed, sow, water, weed, and yet Mother Nature still charts her own course. Last year, I missed the cutworms – and before that, the earwig’s feast. Again, she speaks to me, “It’s not always up to you.”
Where in your life are you meant to let nature run its course?
Unexpected Beauty
Time and time again, I’ve come across a rosette of green leaves growing in the middle of my curated flower bed. Is this a weed? Did I plant this here? I’ve fallen for their tricks many times and pulled them swiftly by the root, but those left behind have taught me to think twice before calling something ugly. Each time I witness the growth of a hollyhock or a mullein plant, I’m filled with delight at their stunning vertical display of blossoms.
What opportunities/beauty are you dismissing because it’s disguised as something else?
Jacquelyn Toupin lives with her family in a heritage farmhouse that has been in her family for several generations. You can follow them on Instagram @raisinghay
