ROGATION DAYS
Rogation Days in the church calendar originated in late ancient times. The word rogation is taken from the Latin verb "rogare," to ask. It was a time in spring of asking for blessings on the fields and in preparation for Ascension Day. The color is purple. This year, Rogation Days are April 25 and May 7-9. In the past I have had several "Blessings of the Garden" at Rogation time with full pageantry and garden party. They were wonderful events. Not this year. I do not have the heart. Much of my town lies in ruin from the March 19 storms. Forty of my neighbors lost their homes and hundreds more cannot live in their houses until necessary repairs are made. Countless hundreds of trees were destroyed. Some of them ancient magnificent wonders; and a few had shaded the first white settlers here in 1833. With so many of my neighbors still suffering the effects of the worst of nature, I could not summon up the will to celebrate the beauty of nature this year. It just did not seem right. This is not the time for a garden party.
Nevertheless, time moves on and spring is here in its full glory. My garden is at its overall best now, in early May with all the roses in full bloom. Here are some views of my garden this week:
Knock Out Roses. The central lawn is lined with these shrub roses. If you have room for one rose, choose this one. It is the most popular rose in America, for good reason: easy to grow, requires little attention, and is relatively pest free. Plus, it blooms well from frost to frost. I prune these back in winter to promote fresh growth in spring. This helps. The tree behind is corkscrew willow.
A spreading shrub rose "Magic Blanket." It is covered with pure white flowers. The grasses are "Zebra Grass." The ground cover is "Andorra Juniper." The small tree near the center is "Eve's Necklace." The large trees are sweetgums which I loathe and intend to have removed soon.
Rose "Coral Drift." Another shrub rose, this one with coral, or orange/red flowers.
Yellow False Indigo (Baptista "Screaming Yellow"). False indigo comes in several colors and is a reliable, easy perennial.
Chinese Fringe Tree ( Chionanthus retusus). Cousin of the more popular Grancy Gray Beard tree. This is an excellent small tree. This one is full grown at about 15 feet. In spring it is covered with white "fringe." In autumn it turns a stunning yellow.
Purple Smoke Tree (Cotinus coggygris "Purple"). Unusual small tree that bursts into attention-getting puffs of "smoke" in the spring. Large tree behind is River Birch.
Bearded Iris "Firebreather" (Iris germanica 'firebreather'). Iris is not my favorite flower because it blooms only a few days. Irises are showiest when planted in great masses along water, as at the beautiful Iris garden in Sumter SC. I keep this one because of its unusual color.
On trellis, Crossvine (Bigonia capreolata var. atrosanguinea). A shady seating area. The vine is telling me its wants more sun.
I have thoroughly enjoyed working in my garden in the past few weeks. The weather is perfect; the birds are singing; and the pesky insects have not matured. I started my garden 15 years ago and planted almost all of the (now 700) plants myself. Today it is a mature garden and so I spend most of my time weeding, pruning, fertilizing, spraying and the like. These are easier on the back. I still get my hands in the dirt since that is an indispensable part of garden therapy.
And so I end with this ode to nature, the closing lines from one of my favorite books, Cross Creek, by Marjory Kennan Rawlings. It is a loving memoir of the old Florida I knew as a child. No one could have said it better about any little Garden of Eden:
But what of the land? It seems to me that the earth may be borrowed but not bought. It may be used, but not owned. It gives itself in response to love and tending, offers its seasonal flowering and fruiting. But we are tenants and not possessors, lovers and not masters. Cross Creek belongs to the wind and the rain, to the sun and the seasons, to the cosmic secrecy of seed, and beyond all, to time.
