Wondering through the garden today seeing what's blooming, what's going dormant, and how many weeds I'll be pulling this weekend, I came across several pots of dwarf dahlias I planted months ago. Unfortunately I've had these dahlias off to the side of the garden not really giving them much attention. We all have them, those plants placed in the yard that are a little neglected and often not the focus compared to the more showcased areas. We occasionally throw some water and fertilizer their way and kind of forget them.So here is this little flower standing so proud and tall in it's 8" plastic pot. In the afternoon sun it's rich red petals seemed to glow really grabbing my attention. And though this diminutive flower is only about an inch across, it was the brightest star of the garden today. I admired it for the longest time, the more I studied it the more I discovered. It was the most perfect flower.
It reminded me that sometimes in our hurried lives, we're often looking for the biggest or the best, the showiest or the latest, and we need those gentle reminders to remind us that "it is often the simple things in life that are the sweetest". Isn't is amazing what a small dahlia can do!
9 comments:
Thank you for sharing this posting. It's just the reminder I needed when it comes to why I garden and why I plant anything. Basically, it's for those moments. I don't make 'em, I just attempt to grow 'em. :-)
I once posted part of a poem I learned from my parents long ago, by Sergeant Joyce Kilmer (WWI!), entitled Trees. "I think that I shall never see, a poem as lovely as a tree . . .
. . . for poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree."
Have a good day.
Hi Bob,I could not see the Red Dahlia when i dropped by, but I love the sentiment.I try to photograph and blog the common alongside the exotic.From orchids on one post to the humble Dandelion, or daisys.Its good that the flower drew you in, untill you noticed how perfect it was.
The two flowers I photographed was the Red Clover.It was amazingly detailed at close range, and the other was the Scarlet Pimpernell.That was maybe a quarter of inch across, a weed in Mums garden.People thought it was an exotic Impatiens!
We can find beauty and solace in the common things if we look closely enough.
Yes that is amazing Bob. So simple and pretty.
I have been working in the garden today and my fingers are getting worked to the bone. Ugh!
However, i like how things are looking . . all tidy.
Keep having fun,
Becky
I'm going to plant more dahlias next year! They carry the garden in late summer don't they. For some reason your picture won't come up for me either but maybe it is a Firefox thing or some other gremlin.
Hey Bob, we all need the little things to make us slow down and truly reflect on what is important and what is not. L:ike you said the biggest, the best and latest are not always what is right for us or not at all like what we thought it was going to be. Your story reminded me of a little yellow marigold that came up between the rocks on the patio this year. During the garden tour people would point at the little 4 inch guy with it's one flower about the size of a quarter and smile. It stole the attention from the others that were bigger and better. Thanks for the reminder Bob!!
Bob, I thought the very same when I worked outdoors this past weekend. The thoughts came to me when I looked at my neglected dahlia pots as well which at the beginning of summer were well taken care of. As the summer progressed I looked at the "bigger things" and they were out of my mind. I have a white one which is still showing beautiful blossoms and a red one as well. Thanks for sharing, Andrea
I was delighted to see many of you have had some similar expierences and stories. Thank you for your sharing comments, thoughts and stories :)
Hear hear! I agree wholeheartedly...in fact, it's the quick moments of beauty in nature that make me feel better every day, no matter what else is going on. Like spotting an eagle on the way to work, or taking a flower picture and realizing you also got a tiny spider in the shot. Even the deer getting comfortable in my yard the other day made me feel good that wildlife find my property inviting. You know those people who are "hand-wringers", staying pissed all day over a single negative event and labeling it a "bad day"? Well I made my mind up a long time ago to be the sort of person who can feel good all day because of a single pleasant event...most of the time, it actually works!
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