African Garden + time

Days of Miracle & Wonder

first petal unfurling from Hamamelis 'Sunburst' (Witch Hazel)


While some people look at the burgeoning spring as akin to a miracle, I recognize it for the miracle that it actually is. It just amazes me how life can sprout amidst the cold and snow, how a plant can reawaken and send forth leaves into the hostile world where temperatures still drop well below freezing at night.

Aconitum napellus (Monkshood) in the raised bed
How do the plants "know" it is time to return to the land of the living, to leave their seasonal slumber?
Starting today, every day brings new wonders to the garden. Soon the bees will visit the snowdrops. What a miracle they are, providing the means for the continuance of life. Soon the herons and egrets will return to the pond. How do they know when to leave the warm shores and head north? Soon the daffodils will shoot up from the earth and open wide their glorious blooms.

Narcissus 'Hillstar' from April 2007
Each flower is a miracle, and each day we're given to experience it is a blessing. The most profound miracle of the burgeoning spring is the lightening of our spirits and the joy it brings us.