Who is this? It is most likely Soehrensia schikendantzii in my garden
We have all heard of the peace and fulfillment that gardening brings. From my own past and ongoing experiences, I can vouch for it. I also know, wherever I end up, and for however long I can do it, I will be gardening. Just today, I went to a grocery store with my brother, and I picked up a few plants, including my first tomato seedling for the year. It has been an odd year, with very little time and budget for gardening. As the saying goes, “The gardening season starts on January 1st and ends on December 31st”, implying famously that depending on where and what you are looking to grow, you can always work on growing, tending or mourning over your unintended (hopefully) herbicidal tendencies.
Taking It In Stride
Look, we have all killed plants. And just as with many endeavors in life, I know many potential great gardeners become disappointed with a few rookie mistakes, label themselves a brown thumb, and simply give up. Without going into the opposite side, the Dunning-Kruger effort (some fun homework for the uninitiated here), I would say people should stop being so unfair to themselves, and we should encourage such giver-uppers to come back to this wonderful hobby, act of service and a great harbinger of peace inside and harmony outside. It may sound like hyperbole to you, but generally, someone who waters an orchid delicately (and knows the ice cube thing is nonsense) and dead-heads a spent rose branch with care would rarely be violent. And that brings us to our next topic.
Meditation, Zen, and Gardening
Touching on the topic of hyperbole again, I can assure you that all those benefits you hear touted about gardening are indeed very true. When you are alone, standing out there in the cold of winter or the heat of summer, digging in something, or adding soil to a pot, weeding out those aggressive plants who just won’t give up (and see, don’t be so sad, plants kill other plants too), or sticking a cutting into a pot already brimming with plants, you slowly start losing yourself. Your mind wanders, and as it waxes, wanes, and empties, many a thought comes and goes. Sometimes, you rush to write them, and sometimes, you don’t remember an idea seconds after it has come to pass. You may forget your place in the audiobook, or never remember the order of favorite songs that just passed through your mind. And therein lies the beauty of gardening. It is very Zen, and close enough to the practice, based on what I learned in my own training. That now takes us tumbling towards the next topic like a tumbleweed in a B-grade Western!
Virtues, Patience, Time and All
I believe, nearly every culture has said wonderful things about gardening. One of the things many of them talk about is how gardening is a hobby, a practice, an undertaking, a venture, and an ode to patience. Many of my close friends, including my brother, rile about how I always take “too long” to do even simple things. I see this differently. People nowadays have become far too obsessed with pushing the limits of speed in every aspect of life.
Just like Zen, Indian culture has also said many things related to gardening and patience. One comes from Kabir, an erstwhile poet and a great couplet composer. He also wrote one of my all-time favorite couplets. It is reproduced here (source referenced at the bottom):
Patience And This Post’s Cover Photo:
The plant, Soehrensia schikendantzii, pictured in this post’s cover photo, lived in a rather shaded spot with me in San Jose, California, with the large tuberous stems, happy in a pot depicting ducks placidly swimming off to somewhere. I did the minimum tending cactii would happily take, if that. And the plant faithfully went about its life. Then, I move to my new location, about 70 miles to the North, and accidentally left the pot in a sunny spot.
Voilà! The plant, instead of grudging me, decided to reward me for finally, even if errantly, changing its location. For the last two years, she has been happily budding away, and for just a day or two producing this remarkable bloom that fills me with joy, yes, but also reminds me of how this plant, which may thankfully outlast my natural life, patiently waited for the right circumstances and decjded to flower.
Yes, patience is a virtue, and yes, I can be deeply frustrating at times, but it is one habit to pick up and dust off in these maddening times, helped by the quaint art, science, and practice of gardening.
Action Items for National Gardening Day
If you have stayed this long with this post, then you already possess a lot of patience. Well, enough of that. There is a reason we have this day. It is tend to your gardens, appreciate other gardeners and encourage new ones. While this should be every day, let’s talk about a few things you can do right away:
- However large or small your garden is, smile. Relax. Tend to the one plant or some of the hundreds you have today. Water them, feed them, or simply clean them up, dead-head them, cut off dead branches or leaves. Basically, play!
- If you see beautiful gardens in and around where you live or work, or in that quaint park you go to, appreciate them. And if you know the gardener(s), appreciate them, and thank them, for bringing forth much needed beauty and carbon eaters into this world!
- Think and discuss how you can keep your garden organic, and water-friendly, while also giving you years of inner peace.
- If there are young ‘uns, or even not-so young ‘uns, who are a little hesitant, or terrified, encourage them. If they are already enthused, enthuse them some more! It is never late to start gardening, and it is always great to start early.
- Share and share alike! Gardening doesn’t have to be expensive for one, so never hesitate to ask for cuttings. Similarluy, think about it, wouldn’t you love to see that small cutting, either of a rose, a succulent or some other wonderful plant, in full-bloom a few years from now? As long as you are not breaking the law by commercially selling off cuttings, and giving away a few to your neighbors or that stranger that stops by to ask, do it!
I hope you have a Happy National Gardening Day, today, and every day!
References:
- The plant in the cover photo/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soehrensia_schickendantzii
- The doha (couplet) from Kabir: https://www.boloji.com/doha-details/5/dheere-dheere-re-mana