A few weeks ago, a young couple stopped to admire the pink dogwood blooming in the front yard.
“How old is that tree?” the young man asked.
“About 20 years,” I replied.
“We planted one, but it’s still really small and it didn’t bloom this year,” he lamented. His face looked both wistful and a little envious.
Instead of comforting him that it would bloom for many years to come, I thoughtlessly told the two of them about the dogwood just around the corner that is three times the size of mine and an annual glory in bloom.
They walked on, and then I thought of what I should have said: When you’re in your early twenties, twenty years seems like a lifetime, because for you, it is. But if you are fortunate enough to stay in the same place for twenty years and watch your tree (and maybe your children) grow up, it will seem much shorter.
Time is the garden’s best friend. Dogwood trees don’t just need good soil, sunlight and water to grow; they grow in time.
But the human experience of time is complicated.
This week the peonies are teasing, promising to bloom soon, but taking their own sweet time. So right now, Impatience is my middle name. I’ve brought a bouquet of fat buds in the house to accelerate their flowering. But in a few short weeks, all the peonies will bloom out, and then it will feel as if their bold, luscious beauty and fragrance have come and gone too fast. And it will be a whole year – an eternity! – before we see them again.
It's hard for gardeners to make peace with time when we think plants are growing too slowly, or so fast we can’t keep up with them. It’s even harder to wait 20 years for a tree to mature.
But watching and waiting are essential skills for all gardeners.
Time is beyond our control. It can’t be fertilized to make it go faster, or cut back to slow down accelerating growth. And even the most advanced theoretical physicists – the ones who confuse us about the nature of time – can’t do anything to alter it.
Fortunately, our impatient waiting – for the peonies to open, for the tomatoes to ripen, or for the dogwood to bloom – is simultaneously the pleasure of anticipation.
When seeds come up, the wait to see those tiny new sprouts helps us appreciate the miracle of it.
Watching plants grow – day by day, week by week, year by year – is perhaps gardening’s best pleasure.
And our anticipation – even when it tips into impatience – is richly rewarded when time passes, as it so reliably does. It’s a wonderful day when the peonies finally bloom, when we eat the first long-awaited tomato, or look up at a flowering dogwood tree.
Anticipation and its rewards make the whole growing season delightful. And planting trees that may live beyond our own lifetimes can make being alive – day by day, week by week, and year by year – deeply satisfying.
So thank you, time, for all you give us.
Jill Severn writes from her home in Olympia, where she grows vegetables, flowers, and a small flock of chickens. She loves conversation among gardeners. Start one by emailing her at jill@theJOLTnews.com
4 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Terrilovesanimals
We love the blooms on everything from trees to plants. Thanks so much for your article!
Sunday, May 26 Report this
Mugwump
There's a saying: "Blessed are those who plant trees under whose shade they will not sit." Some plants are just meant for future generations to enjoy.
Monday, May 27 Report this
KatAshe
I love my peonies. One thing I have observed since planting mine in 1997. Before 2010, my peonies were in full bloom the first week in May. Since then, each year they have bloomed later, nearing six weeks later. As of this writing, my horse chestnut is still in full bloom.
Monday, May 27 Report this
GinnyAnn
Yes! Waiting is so hard. I finally got my front yard re-landscaped after waiting since last November. The shrubs are just tiny sticks so far, but in ten years they will be glorious. The peonies that were in my backyard when I moved in are just blooming, but those I planted last year are still getting established. It's hard to wait for my plants to grow into adulthood, but I have learned to be patient. Nurturing and watching the little ones grow is so satisfying.
Tuesday, May 28 Report this