My garden began with a plan.
Tall things in the back.
Mid-sized in the middle
And shorter things along the edge.
It was a good plan
Stella d Ora re-blooming day lilies
Were just the thing for the front.
Leaving room for lettuce and arugula in season.
The middle is full of goodies
Gloriosa Daisies
Purple Coneflower
All kinds of lilies
And lots more.
I reserved the back
For beds of Dahlias
And Hollyhocks.
I love Hollyhocks.
I think of Santa Fe
And gardens of family and friends.
My red ones come from seeds from my mother’s garden.
The pink from my neighbor Patti.
The pink ones have never been as prolific as the red.
So I cherish each one
Along with the memories of Patti
And our gardening adventures.
A few years ago
When a pink hollyhock appeared
At the front edge of the garden.
I left it alone.
You see hollyhocks don’t transplant well
They have a tap-root.
One large deep root.
I’m sure God did it that way
To anchor such a tall plant
And keep it from blowing over.
Smart gardener…God.
Over the past few years.
This single pink hollyhock
Has gotten taller
And taller.
This year it has grown to a whopping 7 1/2 feet.
Way too tall for the front of the garden.
Even for a “relaxed”
Gardener like me.
Yet I can’t bring myself to cut it down.
While it’s in full bloom.
So the plan is to let it finish blooming
And set seed.
Then I will cut it
And lay the branches in the places
I’d like it to be.
At the back.
It will be a few years
Before it grows to these heights.
But I can wait.
After all
Patience is perhaps the greatest
Gardening lesson of all.
Gail
Coco patiently keeping watch over the garden.
