Conditions Need Not Be Perfect

To write, create, grow, thrive

The warm weather has brought plenty of opportunities to watch nature in-action. The seeds I planted in spring are full-fledged plants now, and the perennials from last season are a rainbow of color and fragrance. It’s a gosh darn delight!

I’ve lived in this home for 3 years, and the first year was spent moving in and getting comfortable. The second year I established a garden. And this year, I’m tending to it. A few of the plants from Round 1 are still here: lavender, sage, honeysuckle, strawberries — bought or brought, and happy as pigs in mud. Other plants are volunteers from the previous year’s garden: milkweed, Icelandic poppies, wallflowers— seeds from plants from seeds from plants.

Milkweed blooms emerging and emerged

I was surprised recently by the appearance of lavender in an unexpected place. The plant that I placed has been doing well over the last several seasons and I’m proud of the ways I’ve learned to help it thrive. Sources say that lavender likes poor-quality soil and dry conditions. It doesn’t like a lot of attention, and will suffer if overwatered. As an overly-attentive gardener, that’s a bit of a struggle for me.

I feel the urge to tend to my garden. For it to need me. To nurse it. Mothering. I’m called to nurture it, feed it, water it, prune it — and many plants need that as they’re non-native to this region and/or soil and/or placement.

I suppose this is like parenting and partnership, huh? It needs some attention — watching out for worry burs, noting signs of drought or root rot, tending to the surroundings as well as the plant itself. It’s work, and it requires attention and intention to curate a loving, nourishing garden.

Also, nature does its own thing. These plants don’t need me in the wild. Given the ideal conditions, all this wildlife will continue to thrive long after I’m gone. My hope is the same for my garden of children. For the patients I’ve cared for. The friends and family who’ve come and gone along the way. I want you to need me (I can’t help it, I might be a little codependent on my tribe), and I also don’t want you to need me.

Independent Lavender

And this lavender — though the main plant needed me to place it here for it to be here at all — doesn’t need me. The seeds from last season (or a runner underground) chose their new location between some pavers and stairs. What I would consider the impossible circumstances. Like a rose in concrete:

The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it
learned to walk with out having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.

— Tupac Shakur

It got me thinking about all sorts of things. Our environment. Support systems. Loving attention. Kind intentions. And all the ways we humans interact with each other and our surroundings. We need each other. Need. We might think ourselves strong, independent, self-made individuals. But we thrive in community.

And I’m thankful to have you here as part of mine.

Take good care!

Love,

Jessie

PS: Here’s a song for the road