Garden Reflections on the Unexpected and Unwanted
By By Jean Golicz, Volunteer Gardener
Posted on
Once a month, the volunteer gardeners at Mercy Center will share lessons learned, both spiritual and practical. Look for these reflections on spirit and soil. Perhaps you might even consider joining us for a chat in the garden and a cup of tea. If interested, please contact Ann McGovern, RSM, at 203.245.0401, ext. 111.
Spirit
A spring snow is heavy on our hearts and gardens. We are, after all, beginning to anticipate spring. On a day that is slowly growing longer and warmer, we wander in our yards picking up fallen branches and looking for signs of growth. We are sure spring is finally here. And then, totally unexpected and surely unwanted, a cold and harsh wind comes out of the north.
Is there any benefit to this furious display of lingering winter? Yes, if our hearts and the ground we trod have begun to soften. Spring snow mixed with disappointment is the poor man’s fertilizer. This heavy cover contains trace elements of nitrogen that will slowly dissolve into the garden nourishing the promise of spring. So, opening our hearts, we yield and soak in this lesson: That sometimes the unexpected and unwanted nourishes us.
Soil
This is a quiet time of year in the garden offering opportunities for observation and reflection. Looking through seed catalogues and planning your garden is just one activity. It is also a good time to clean, oil and sharpen your garden tools. If you are desperate for some new life consider forcing branches of forsythia, witch hazel or pussy willow.
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