By Linda Wiggen Kraft, Green & Growing Editor
“God spoke today in flowers, and I, who was waiting on words, almost missed the conversation”― Ingrid Goff-Maidoff
This poem appeared online recently. The beautiful words captured what many of us miss when looking at or being surrounded by gardens. Nature speaks its own language. But we have to listen beyond our physical ears. We can listen with our hearts and all our senses. Stop and listen with awe and open up each cell of your body and each cell of your being to “hear” what is there.
This time of year is a perfect time to stop and listen both with ears and heart in order to join into a garden conversation. Gardens seem loveliest this time of year, despite the sweaty heat of summer’s last days. The garden work of planting and weeding is usually over, and that which never got done will have to wait. Gardens are pretty much on their own now. It is a time of pause to sit back, relax, and enjoy. Take time to be open and aware of all that is happening and not feel the need to do more.
In my garden the late summer into fall fullness speaks of a job well done. Not by me, but by the plants who in many cases appear proud of the beauty and nourishment they have shared. The ever-blooming Easy-Does-It Rose, Fairy Rose and other roses are blooming again in the cooler air. The Pee Gee Hydrangeas hang heavy with white blossoms turning pink and green. The perennial Sky-Blue Asters bloom next to the yellows of Fireworks Goldenrod. Five-foot tall self-sowing flowering tobacco Nicotiana Sylvestris and the Angel Trumpet datura both scent the night with their fragrant white blossoms.
The fragrance of rosemary, fennel and basil fills the vegetable garden. The air is also filled with sounds of insects, especially cicadas and birds. Goldfinches descend from their hiding spots to eat the browned seeds of Echinacea Purpurea while hummingbirds stop on their migrating journey.
I stand in wonder in the early morning before the heat returns. I watch and listen and feel blessed to be part of this diverse amazing creation. My plot of city land calls to the life that longs to live here. I am not the only one sensing this call. The plants, animals and even the stones resonate with this calling and answer with their own response. This response is a silent conversation that goes beyond the ears. It is a subtle garden song. It speaks through the heart and can only be heard when one is very quiet and still. It takes time to hear it. But it is there. Always.
Linda Wiggen Kraft is a landscape designer of holistic/organic gardens. She is an artist and creativity workshop leader. She is teaching an all-day “Fantasy & Real Flower Art” workshop Oct 18th. Her ceramic jewelry and pottery are available online and at www.gardendistrictstl.com. Find out more, subscribe to her blog and Instagram at www.creativityforthesoul.com Call her at 314 504-4266