My Garden Stories

By Renu Muthoo Thusoo

I always knew nature heals us and is good for us not only physically but also for our mental health and well being. During the past one year of social isolation, lockdowns, working from home, my garden provided me and my family with positivity, happiness, physical activity and joys of being together with nature. Following are my heartfelt feelings and thoughts for the various plants/flowers that grow in my garden. Over the course of summer, I had written about them in the form of posts and I am sharing the collection with you all. For the gardening enthusiasts, I am adding the name, their cultivar (of those I know), and the growing conditions. These are all perennials and grow back every spring, year after year.

These Shasta daisies are the stalwarts of my garden. These beauties are a powerhouse of energy and bloom their heads off during the season, starting early and finishing late, and then getting ready to brace the cold and snow only to return stronger, taller and sturdier. I simply adore them for spreading joy and happiness, uplifting my soul and never failing to amaze me. They are no nonsense plants, nothing, absolutely nothing, breaks their spirit, be it pests, insects, less water, more water, too much sun, too much shade. All they need is love and that is what they spread. They are my smile givers, my stress busters, and my soul uplifters. If I were to be born again as a plant, I would want to be them, or maybe I was them in one of my previous janams.

 Shasta Daisy– Becky; Part sun/ full sun

The show-stopper of my garden has to be this single Rose bushwith hundreds of tiny vibrant beauties creating a rouge rush in the midst of green. This ‘queen of the garden’ is my hope bush and opens my heart up to all those lovely possibilities that this universe has to offer. For long, I struggled with growing roses and believed that my energies did not align with them, until this stunner happened. She exudes hope and optimism, makes me feel accomplished, filling my heart with contentment and peace. During summer, every day, she greets me cheerfully, with each one of her blooms reminding me of HIS divine presence and grace!

 Climbing rose; Full sun

Meet the givers of my garden. These day lilies are the epitome of selflessness. Each flower blooms only for a day. With the rising sun, each grown bud unfurls its petals to offer its exquisite beauty and cheerful charm. Their short life span does not deter them from selflessly giving us all they have, without holding anything back for themselves. During the day they put out such a magnificent show, brightening the garden with their cheerful, happy exquisite blooms. In the darkness of the night, these blooms quietly wilt away only to pave the way for the next set of buds to bloom, the next morning. These selfless givers are great teachers of living in the present moment and not waiting for that imaginary perfect moment in the future to be happy. They inspire me to love fully, be happy, and express gratitude, in this very moment. Despite this lockdown, despite this fear, despite all the negativity this virus has brought forth, we have so much to be grateful for and to be happy for. So, sending out positive vibes and happy thoughts with these selfless givers of my garden.

Daylily - After welcoming my Ram Lalla home and celebrating the birth of Sri Krishna, I am back with my garden stories. Today is all about the different shades of green: Hostas - my sunshine in my shade garden. Outwardly, Hostas are just ‘plain vanilla’ kind of plants, with no colorful blooms, with no exotic textures, with no heady fragrances, yet they hold immense beauty in their simplicity and their energy brightens the dark corners, lightens the shade edges, bringing the garden alive with thriving life. I get drawn to them for their uncomplicated nature and for their unwavering resilience to overcome any difficult condition. Their leaves flow and glisten with poise and weave their magic that connects to the core of my heart offering a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. They are humble and down to earth plants, not only metaphorically but literally as they stay low, close to the earth with their leaves arching downwards trying to touch the ground with outflowing creativity. They bring peace and contentment to my heart probably because green is the color of the heart chakra. These lovely shades of green, illuminate not only the dark corners of my garden but lighten and brighten the whole garden. They are my energy boosters, mood uplifters, and happiness spreaders.

 Hostas: Blue elgens, Appletini, Fragrant bouquet,Wide brim :Shade Plants

A tribute that I wrote for my garden:

I talk to them

add a little love

a handful of warmth filled dirt

and bask in the dappled shade

with them...

And let them know my gratitude

for being there for me

during the golden sunrise,

or the darkness of clouds,

in the drenching of rains,

or in the crimson of the setting sun...

I dream with them

the little buds that turn into ravishing beauties

I watch them grow

just like my little one.....

We play together

and tell the stories of the heart...

they listen and I speak

to the content of my heart

till there is nothing more to be heard

just the tranquil silence,

with contentment and simple peace,

and just the tranquil silence.