Dress her for the dance

I think of spring as a young lady dressing, slowly and with perfection for her dance. Though she has been to many a dance each one is the excitement of her first.  She dresses from the inside out. Stark naked she welcomes the April showers that warm her and she baths her soul with sunshine absorbing the anticipation of what is to come. her body tenderly rubbed by the gardeners hand as compost is applied to her winter worn skin to refresh, soften and add nutrition to the layers beneath what you see.

A beautiful dress waits to be put on. Her undergarments are delicate and pretty, the paper like petals of the daffodils, the silken petals of the tulips... for a woman should always dress from the inside out to feel totally beautiful.

A few "garden art" pieces added in, is her jewelry Depending on her size and her personality she knows what fits and she can wear well, that will add to her appearance, not distract from it.

It takes her a long time to dress, though not really. Its only that months ago the dance was so far off, it is just now the excitement that it is time, makes it seem so to those waiting as she emerges....

Fully dressed, in a flowing gown of color that fits her complexion, she is exquisite, appearing flawless to the eyes that love her, and know her for the joy she gives over and over again to their life.

She is greeted by smiles and eyes that assure her, without words, how beautiful she is.

As she takes the hand of her date (the gardener) she hears, "Spring, look at you! Not expecting it could be possible for you to be any more beautiful,  suddenly before my eyes, here you are... My Tender Spring has grown... into Magnificent Summer. May I have this Dance?

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Spring has come to my part of the world, and I am filled with a fever of Umph and desire to nurture her along.

The transformation of my garden each year is a pleasure I wait the winter long to happen once spring begins to dress the earth. Our daffodils have already bloomed and are on their way of here now..but tulips are still to bloom, mere leaves now shooting up, but I know within that cluster is a bloom storing her energy for her colorful arrival.

Perennials emerge daily and sometimes I find myself bending to scratch away some soil carefully just to see if something so special as my tall Delphinium or my perennial sweet peas are wakening.

I desire to purchase MUCH, and I consciously hold back knowing its not a good time for me to do so...this time will come to me when I get back to work and earn to be able to spend on my passion... and patient I must be for now...I do  however buy one or two inexpensive pick-me-ups to plant in the garden on outings with the pleasure of having my brother here visiting and taking me to places. Doing so keeps me inspired.

The wants of a gardener are always present but her needs become less as her garden is established over the years..and when one wants for nothing how appreciative are they of the getting when they do?

I'm weeding the front garden today as it sometimes gets ahead of me because my back garden is my haven and I tend her more often...I sure hope I didn't favor any of my children in this way as they grew up. I don't suspect I have, though I do know that I loved them (greatly) all for different reasons, for whom they were and I still love them in that way, each for whom they are to me and to the US we share.  But I am guilty of enjoying my time in the back garden before I get the front garden orderly, weeded and tended with TLC. Sorry front garden.

Over the years, growing into myself as a gardener, I have learned to garden for myself not others and not for what it looks like from the street...Walk up, look, snell touch, there is so much more to please than meets the eye from afar. I've learned I'm not an instant gratification garden I prefer to buy smaller plants early on and watch them grow into their own. Much like children, if you nurture by good example, with a loving hand and an understanding of their individual needs, when they do bloom into adulthood you smile on them with a deep seeded pride of "I had a little something to do with this beauty I see." Its a good place to reach in your life with your children and with you garden.   

I'm not much of a heavy mulcher, though I do compost yearly,  and certainly don't do the mulching gig for the aesthetic practice of such..

Having just been read an article (on the phone with my Florida gardening friend that appeared in her local newspaper) written by Raymond Serba in the voice of 'from the plants point of view' I now have my thoughts confirmed as being correct about this heavy  mulching craze, at least from the point of the plant. I prefer my soil to look and feel like soil and my plants do too, according to 'from the plants point of view', anyway ...and weed cloth..oh my! I won't even tell you what your plants and your garden as a whole in harmony with nature, think of you for having placed that down :-). Just think of being a worm and crawling beneath it...whose garden would you choose to nourish, weed cloth or natural earth, air and breathing ability? Now I am not saying you should not mulch if that's your preference of a finishing touch look...and yes it does keep some moisture in pehaps, but there is a fine line between mulching and tooo much mulching ...and if mulching is your thing, do it, but, do it the proper way... giving the base of the plant room to breath...please.

A gardener gardens as she fits, and often as time will give her to do so....to each his/her own practice of how one does it. 

I only encourage you to get outside as spring wakes now and enjoy your space or someone else's if you aren't inclined to enjoy the practice of digging deep..but beware one step on the shovel may lead to one bed and then another and another...it's an expensive habit but a healthy one for the gardener and for the good earth.

When planting your garden this year, remember to leave a little room in your garden for the fairies to dance and the angels to rest. And plant some extra dill, fennel and parsley, invite the caterpillars to enjoy for they are the beauty of the fleeting butterfly in summer... inexpensive to grow these herbs if you reseed them often in intervals of plantings,..plant at one time two for your culinary use, and one for the caterpillars...and be of happy heart when you see it munched to barren stems instead of disappointed. All things work together in a garden ...harmony of spirit comes to those who allow it to be as it Mother Nature set out for it be...a few weeds give off necessary nitrogen, a few eaten holes in something means what ever is enjoying that isn't eating something  else..good bugs need the bad bugs to eat...it's when we try to balance with chemicals we throw the  whole natural progression all out of whack and for a loop.I encourage to hand pick off unwanted pests and avoid the use of chemicals unless something becomes too destrucive and your choice is no other..... garden with a conscience for all living, and for the earth. Its the only one we are blessed to have.

No matter what part of the world you live in I invite you to dance with me through spring and take my hand when we greet summer...summer comes so quickly once spring arrives, that when spring does comes to your part of the world don't overlook her virtue for soon she will be gone. Dress her well from the inside out and enjoy her beauty as she grows into whom she is meant to be...for this year anyway..and as all gardeners know...There is always next year to look forward too and to correct the mistakes you make this year...

uummmm :-)...like this blue chair I painted yesterday....Only one coat so far and it's just not me! Maybe I'll scruff it up some and rub it with an antiquing medium, maybe I'll try to let it grow on me or maybe I'll strip it again or paint it a diiferent color...But whatever I do to it I will enjoy the process of finding what it is meant to be and in the end I'll be happy with how it turns out. I plan to use it for the coop in some capacity.

It's one of those opportunities of making something from nothing..found it in the trash, perfect condition but loaded up with many coats of dark dark dark varnish on it when I said ..Hummm maybe I can strip this, sand this down, and paint this a bright garden blue and love it...Lots of elbow work later....oh mehthinks now, NOT!  :-))))))))

Until next time....Enjoy the springtime of your life.   

Comments

[Lynn Hudgins]

Carol
Another amazing posting. I have never written anything perhaps to timid. Oh well this is cyberspace and anything goes. Your writing and the way you express yourself makes one wish for your talent. You are truly a blessing to all that meet you. Thanks for being YOU!
Hugs!
Lynn

[Carola]

Love the blue chair! Blue is one of my fave spring colors! I wish you and your family a very happy Easter time! Hugs Carol xox

[Mrs.Staggs]

This is beautiful Carolyn.
I just dropped by to wish you a joy filled Easter.

[FFran aka Redondowriter]

I just love the idea of spring as a young girl preparing for a dance. I hope you will be publishing this somewhere, Carolyn. I have left some room to dance with you and spring on my patio, but how I wish you were here to make it less old-ladyish and more like a wild garden. I love that blue chair.

[Loretta]

What a lovely metaphor you have woven through your dance. And the blue chair - c'est tres jolie! Very Cezanne!

[Roz Cawley]

The chair is GORGEOUS! I just adore that colour - it is the same colour as the domes of the churches on Santorini - the colur of shutters on cottages in France and the prows of boats in Portugal - and it means MEDITERRANEAN life to me. Oh, how I long for a burst of that blue again - thank you for a glimpse of it right now, Carolyn. It will be a delight in your garden this year!

[Jeri Sue]

I am so embarrassed... so matter of fact and stilted in my descriptions of Spring coming to Texas; then you go and paint a portrait of 'dressing for the dance'. If I could, I would be there in a minute flat to dance with you. I am heeding your advice though, and so appreciate the 'lessons' from your years of experience. I will remember I am merely a novice at gardening.... and writing. Love and Hugs, JS

[ardi]

How lovely - our spring lady is timidly peeking out of her spring shower and smiling sweetly. The rainstorms that have ravaged the NW may be over and she is ready to go on with her preparations. Thanks for this wonderful image. I will always think of it when spring approaches.

[gary]

You can still buy much, just buy it very small. I admit that I find that a bit hard to do myself, though

[darla]

The blue chair is great, if it stays outdoors it will age gracefully on its own won't it? Can you wait for that?

Your tribute to spring was beautiful to read.

Darla

[Britt-Arnhild]

How beautiful and suitable to look at spring as a girl dressing for her first dance :-)

[Mary Lou/Texas]

Another beautiful post straight from a kindred spirit. I LOVE the blue chair!!!
I am going to paint some of my garden furniture a similar color. Your posts are my favorite, and I check for them each day.
Thank you for saying what we gardeners feel and giving us wonderful ideas.

I feel like you are my neighbor.