Perennially Yours
Some months ago, I wrote about the new cottage garden I am creating in my front yard. In it, I plant only perennials.
I like these plants for their non-fussiness. Year after year they hunker down for the cold months, and then emerge with fresh shoots, eager to spread their beauty and fragrance. Every year the plants seem to grow stronger.
Some plants eventually die out, and some succumb to an erratic cold pattern, but most just keep plugging along.
It reminds me of people. Especially those who are low maintenance and keep showing up in spite of foul and unpredictable life circumstances.
Perennials, in general, aren’t known as hearty bloomers. They usually have brief blooming seasons, which means colour pops up and disappears quickly.
Annuals really flaunt their colours and tend to have longer blooming seasons, but at the end of the summer, they are spent and gone.
But perennials quietly make their brief statement and then move on with their life.
Perennials show up best when they are planted in groupings. They are perfectly fine on their own and have a lovely essence as a solitary plant, but gardeners usually plant them in groups of 3 or 5 or 7. It looks better when there’s an odd number, for some reason, and strangely, no plant feels left out for the lack of pairing.
I feel like a perennial.
I’m not the life of the party, or keen on taking centre stage with bright plumage. I like being understated, part of a larger collaboration where everyone takes their turn to shine but no one hogs the limelight. Even being the single person among couples is okay with me.
I like that there’s a dormancy period – a time when one can withdraw to recharge and regather one’s energy for another run at life.
I find perennials to be superb in their uniqueness. It takes time to warm up to them, but once you know their rhythm and their strengths, you discover a very steady and reliable plant.
It’s just how I like my friends. No one needs to make a grand show of it. Just be yourself, and the beauty that is unique to you will shine through.
Perennials — constant, consistent, reliable and persistent. It’s the garden that suits me to the T. Everlasting in its essence, understated in character, and rarely faltering.
May we all cultivate the perennial essence that exists within; the roots that sink deep into the soil of life and the fleeting bloom that leaves a lasting and positive imprint on the world.
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