Dear Reader:

The nicest thing about having a garden…is that over time, with added plants for different seasons, even parts of seasons…like early spring or late spring, early summer or late summer….one gets to enjoy something new popping up throughout every season of the year. It is always a welcoming surprise when it happens.

Early on I was told to plants hostas…one of the easiest plants to maintain I was reassured. (unless, of course, you have lots of deer or rabbits in your neighborhood.)

My only problem was…hostas are partial to shade and that is one entity I am in short supply of in my garden…it gets a lot of sun. But then one day I got the fountain (for the garden) installed…in my one shady area of the back yard and I, intuitively, knew this would be the best place to put my hostas.

I then made one decision that turned out to be the right one…to keep the three hostas I bought in their big black planter containers…against some gardeners’ advice. Every year some of my friends’ neighbors would tell me to remove them and plant them but I have never done it…six years out and still going.

When the cold comes I can lug the planters back to the wooded area and leave them to “sleep” through the winter…protected by nature…the bushes and trees and leaves. I call this spot at the back of my garden the “Waiting Woods.” 

If I am not sure if some plant is truly dead or simply “playing dead” I drop it off in this special area and give it time to sprout a little green or use the dirt from the dead plant during spring planting. Either way…it is economical and practical.

Last year I thought only one hosta had made it through the winter…but I simply left the other two hostas to wait a little longer in the woods…and sure enough…one day when I glanced over…there were bright green leaves peeking over the container. They, too, were ready to decorate the fountain again.

Each year they are more beautiful than the year before. By keeping them in their large containers…slugs can’t get to them and I fortunately don’t have rabbits or deer so they are safe to just grow and bloom and add beauty to my life.

“All that we need is to lift our spirits, is to gaze at the natural beauty of the world for a few moments.”  (Kohet)

I have been wondering, however, why this year I seem so drawn to hostas…much more so than in previous years…I sit in my swing each evening and watch the buds grow and slowly open…it is like watching a slow documentary video…up close and personal.

Then when I did some research yesterday on these beautiful plants I discovered their symbolism is two-fold.…health and mystery.

Here we are in the  “maybe middle” (who knows?) of the COVID19 pandemic, which is shrouded in mystery…with more questions than answers… and it is definitely affecting our health…physically, mentally, and emotionally. *Yes…hostas should be the showcase plant this year.

Hostas’ origins are oriental but have morphed into several different variegated specimens…the most common is called  “Plantain Lilies”…because their buds bloom in late summer- July and August…many gardeners have nicknamed them “August Hostas.”

Each bloom has six tepals…either white, lavender, or violet in color. The only strong fragrant scent comes from  the “Hosta Plantaginea.” It has white flowers about four inches long…they open in the evening and close by morning.

I picked them out especially when I first thought my “Moon Garden” would be filled with plants that bloom at night. *(Night bloom- picture I took right before 9:00 last evening of a one of my hosta blooms))

***( I later decided I wanted day plants too…why only have beauty for 1/2 a twenty-four hour period? Right?)  🙂

Working in a garden teaches us that we are all one in the universe…sharing the same cosmic energy. One excellent and readily available source of cosmic energy is plant life. Being attached to the earth, plants draw cosmic energy directly from the earth. We are able to draw cosmic energy from plant life, which is why we will often return from spending time in a garden feeling renewed and ‘up’.

( I never cease to feel happier and more fulfilled when I come back in the house following my daily garden “inspection.”)

So until tomorrow

“Every insect, every plant, every animal…all living things are a soul gaining experience.” Kohet

Some more “pretties”…

Vickie sent me this photo and said that now I wasn’t the only gardener with a fairy garden…Look at these four cool yellow mushrooms that sprang up in her potted plant…she’s right…she does have a fairy garden now…with lots of “housing.” 🙂

Yesterday I did a relatively rare thing…I fell sound asleep in mid-afternoon and didn’t wake up until almost 6:00! For some reason I haven’t slept well the last two nights and I just finally ‘hit the wall’ I reckon! But unfortunately someone from the Burrell family stopped by with all kinds of goodies from cleaning out their house and left them on the porch.

I was still foggy trying to wake up completely when I opened my front door to go get my mail…and then shrieked…an orange man was pointing something up at me! I feel sure the neighborhood heard my scream…it was my “hot date” waiting…Mr. “Boo” Man with a bag containing a Halloween book. Too funny! Thank you one and all Burrell family and I pray you are still around so I can see you before you head back to the mountains!