The end of the year syndrome is always a funny thing. We rush to finish things only to start them over again in the new year. For a brief moment, a thin slice in time, we stand still, to reflect. In fact, this is actually not a time in the year in which we stand still and reflect, it is actually a time of hyperactivity! We rush to get things done, only in order to rush to get our homes in order for friends and family to come over, to cook up a storm to feed the hungry bunch, and to “end the year off” — whatever that might mean in our day and age.
So, I find myself in this kind of situation, where I am desperately trying to get everything done before Christmas dinners and all the family things. What am I finding myself doing? Well, gardening!
As I am finishing everything up, I noticed all the fruits in my garden. Some baby lemons, figs by the handful, and the successful gooseberries I struggled to grow for so long. None of these fruits will be ready for Christmas, nor new years. These plants do not abide by our rules, and none of them are rushing to finish the year off like we are. We humans are a funny bunch, as we can learn so much from nature, yet we plod onwards towards who knows what.
Every year, I tell myself to slow down, take things easier. And here is just another reminder from the garden: slow down, your fruits will not be ready even if you are attempting to rush. Slow down. Slow down.
But even though I wanted to slow down, and even though nature goes by her own rules, things still needed to happen...
| Cuttings ready to be planted. | Clearing made. | Cuttings planted. |
It took me two to three months to make these cuttings. I thought that they would die, but lo and behold, here they are alive and ready to be planted! Now, it is that waiting game: things need to grow and all that I can do is provide some water and some nutrients in the form of compost. The rest is in the hands of father time and mother nature.
The cuttings that I made here and planted were African daisies, producing the most beautiful of flowers. In the coming months, I will hopefully have plenty of flowers.
| Cuttings I made a month ago. | Cuttings I made four or so months ago and already planted. | Same cuttings I made four months ago and planted. |
Similar to the African daisies, these ground cover plants (above left) grows so easy, and you can literally stick them in the ground and with enough water they will grow into a fierce network of flowers. I make cuttings and I stick pieces of cuttings all over the garden, and where they want to grow they will grow.
As I will show below, I planted some 4-5 new plants as well. I cluster 3 or so cuttings per small container, just as a fail-safe, so that I know that there will be something growing. But now, if the plants are prolific, they will all survive and grow close to each other. With ground covers like these, it is no problem. Soon, they will really cover all of this exposed ground.
Cuttings planted between other cuttings also growing.
And so, the last cuttings for the year are planted. I will probably not get too much gardening before the new year. Or maybe I will find some time. But as per schedule, this might be the last one. Funny thing we humans, cutting the current year from the future one so rigidly from the past ones. In either case, the new year will have its own set of unique difficulties.
For now, we can bask in the hope and presence of plants and their infinite growth.
Happy Christmas gardening, and keep well!
All the musings and writings are my own. The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D300.