Symbolic Gardening

My favourite garden task is this. The hydrangea is magnificent in summer and in autumn. As winter comes the blooms fade to papery fineness and neutral colour: but they are still beautiful in their way and they protect the unborn buds through the cold months.

With the spring, it is time for them to make way. The hydrangea looks dead and dry; but remove a few heads, gently, respectfully, and new, green life is revealed, on its way to its own magnificence.

Gardening can give a glimpse of the eternal force that through the green fuse drives the flower.