Winter Sleep

by Turian Gardener

I look out my window again. The garden plots have been put to sleep. The foliage has been removed and the earth lies covered in snow. The sunflowers no longer tower over the herbs, and it seems like a long time ago that the last of the roses were cut for indoor beauty.

I contemplate the pruning that lies ahead as I sip hot tea. For now, however, there is rest and the dazzling snow that I hope will provide much-needed moisture so that the desired plants can compete well against the weeds this coming year.

A month of rest. The community gardens nearby are silent. The snow seems to make everything quiet. We who love to dig in the dirt and pot plants and buy seeds often think that the joy of gardening involves never-ending work. It is hard to watch garden plots that do not need some sort of tending.

The lesson, I think, is that the ground needs rest, and that it is honoring nature to allow ourselves a time of rest as well.

Besides, there are all those catalogs to drool over and plan with, and we all gotta “read the literature” sometime!

Until next time, I wish you well,

Turian Gardener

Turian Gardener is an occasional contributor. May she always have water.