In the 2006 film, "Miss Potter", (based on the story of children's author and illustrator, and later conservationist, Beatrix Potter), Norman Warne's sister, Millie, on having tea with Beatrix, says, "Oh do let us take tea in the garden, Mother. It's too beautiful a day in every way not to share it with the flowers."
At certain times of the year, especially this year when the feeling that Spring has been slow in coming and Winter has seemed to linger longer than usual, I can identify fully with her sentiments when the flowers are in full bloom.
Earlier this year (probably around the end of Autumn or the beginning of Winter) my garden was looking rather bleak. Probably true for most gardens. But here in the Southern Hemisphere we don't get a blanket of snow to cover the bare branches and soil and make it look partly presentable. Instead, we tend to get rain - lots of it - and with the rain, weeds.
In an effort to cheer my garden and to look ahead, I planted a whole lot of bulbs. For years I have planted daffodils and irises, but this year I decided that, one, I probably have enough of both (especially since both have naturalised), and, two, it would be nice to have some more colour in the garden come Spring.
My garden tends to work on a principle that you can never have too much blue, with perhaps a tiny bit of pale pink and white thrown in for good measure. However, because most bulbs are short lived in terms of flowering, and because they tend to flower before everything else, I decided to throw caution to the wind and plant a riot of colour (well, for me, at least).
The result ...
When I'm sitting inside, it makes me happy to see the colour in the garden. And when it's "too beautiful a day not to share it with the flowers" I'm happy to be outside enjoying it, too.
The way it all works has been a bit of a surprise for me since I carefully chose several colours when I bought the bulbs online, but then I decided to throw them all into a paperbag and plant each bulb as I pulled them out, not knowing what colour was going where. I'm not always so "spontaneous" but I'm not at all unhappy with the result.
This morning as I was reading my Bible I came across these verses in 1 John:3-7, 9:
Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
As I read these verses I was reminded of my garden. I plant bulbs - irises, daffodils, ranunculus - and come Spring, what should appear but irises, daffodils, and ranunculus. In the same way, what we plant in our lives, will bring forth the same fruit. Galatians 6:7-9 says a similar thing:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
What are we sowing today?
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV
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