Dear Reader:

One lesson gardening has taught me is that it is never too late to plant a seed or plant a tree. Mother’s law of nature embodies humans too in this observation. It is never too late to start over in our dreams and goals for new relationships or vocations.

Yesterday the daffodils I planted from seeds in late February (when other daffodils were already blooming) have just started to bloom themselves. I thought I would’t see daffodil blooms until next year and now lo and behold here they are all popping out with buds galore. All they needed were soil and water….they, then, took life from there.

As long as we are breathing, there is hope. Hope for a change in our lives. Even our state motto reminds us:

“While I breathe, I hope.”

In many parts of  Africa a new slogan has, also, emerged:

“It is never too late to plant a tree.”

Trees are desperately needed in Africa as they provide many essentials needed for life. This excerpt came from the article Soil for Life by Pat Featherstone.

It’s Spring in Africa. The trees herald the change of season by bursting forth with their new foliage, many preceding the soft greens with breathtaking shows of delicate blossoms that produce the fruits and seeds which will be welcomed by man and beast alike in the summer that lies ahead. It’s time to plant a tree.

But how many will last long enough to provide homes for birds and animals in their lofty boughs, or provide us with much sought after protection from the elements all year round? How many will bear fruit?

Around the world, over thousands of years, man has impacted on the great forests by felling huge swathes for living space, fuel, building materials and cropland. Mankind is continuing ‘the old, old story’ of what happens when forests are cut down – rivers silt up, the land turns into desert or scrubland; civilisations succumb to environmental degradation.

Somebody once said “The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” So how can we do our bit? Here are a few creative, low-cost ideas on how to get tree planting going :

• Plant a tree on your birthday.
• Plant one over the festive season, instead of spending your time and money in shopping malls.
• Give trees as gifts to show how much you care.
• Teach other people how to plant and take care of them.
• Save seeds; take cuttings. It will reduce the cost of planting trees. It may take a bit longer, but your patience will be rewarded.
• Plant a tree from a truncheon (small branch) taken from another tree. It takes a shorter time to grow a tree.

…………………………

If we have trees and books to read…we are wealthy people indeed. I do spend an inordinate amount of time divided between the garden and reading all kinds of materials… books, magazines, journals, etc. A Jeffersonian style of life and I love it!

So until tomorrow….the next time I tell myself it is too late to do this or that…I will just look at my photos of daffodils blooming in mid-April after being planted by seed in late February and early March. It is never too late for life to surprise us if we stop and let it in.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Look at the “dueling” Gerber daisies (their blooms were back to back facing opposite directions)…the family feud must be over…now the daisies are on the same page at the same time. Passion plants and roses…is there a prettier combination?