A GARDEN WALK IN EARLY APRIL

My first impulse this spring was to forego showing pictures of my garden on this blog, something I like to do. I have a large and picturesque botanical garden on an adjacent building lot. It is an eclectic mixture of some 700 trees, shrubs, perennials, vines, ground covers, palms, grasses, and the like. I designed it myself. Tending it has been a therapy of mine for years now. This spring is unusually glorious as we had a wet and mild winter and warm weather arrived early. All the plants seemed to burst out in new growth at the same time.

However, this spring has also brought the ugliest plague in memory. So, somehow, it did not seem quite right to revel in the grand beauty of nature when people were falling sick and dying all around us. Is not our natural impulse in this terrible pandemic to rail against the injustice of it all? Yes, it is, and if that helps, I say go for it. Beat on the wall. Shout at the TV. Weep. Just do not take it out on the other people, or pets, living in your house. Then, for consolation go out and sit in your yard if you do not have a garden, or on your balcony or porch if you do not have a yard. Sit quietly and take in the essence of the season. That is good for the soul too.

So, for a moment, let's set aside the distress of the hour and walk around my garden in this first week of April to see the best of what is in bloom.

My garden is really two gardens separated by a central lawn. On the street side, trellises mark entrances to a walkpath. This one is covered in White Flowering Chocolate Vine (Akebia quinata 'alba'). The flanking shrubs are boxwoods. The tall evergreens are Japanese cedars. They provide a screen near the curb. Chocolate vine is strikingly aromatic in early spring when it puts our small white flowers.

Near the walkpath is a sunny spot facing south. On right is Lady Banks Rose (Rosa banksiae). The small tree in center is Grancy Gray Beard. The large tree is elm. The bare bush on left is Burning Bush.

Going on around the path, we encounter a tree of about 20 feet tall, a Chinese Fringe Tree (Chionanthus retusus). It is covered with elegant "fringe" flowers.

Stepping off the path and looking back toward it, we see a Windmill Pam (Trachycarpus fortunei) (it came from South Carolina) and Spartan Juniper. The green shrub on left is Pearlbush. It has finished blooming. Junipers thrive in my garden and I have many of them, some as ground cover and some as upright shrubs. Spartan is the best of the uprights. This palm and juniper are about about two-thirds grown. The palm is blooming now and will put out black seeds for the birds.

Owing to the wet, warm, and short winter, the roses are already blooming. This is Knock Out Rose. The central lawn is lined with a couple of dozen Knock Out Rose bushes. They are easy to grow, do not require a lot of care, and bloom prolifically from early spring to frost. Knock Out is now the most popular rose in America, for good reason. The purple shrub behind is Loropetalum.

Crossing the lawn, we enter the larger section of the garden. Here the winding walkpaths are lined with trees, shrubs, and perennials. This is a Bridal Wreath (Spiraea cantoniensis 'Reeves'). It is a old-fashioned, common shrub in the south. In early spring, its arching boughs are covered in flower clusters.

Farther down a path we meet Japanese Kerria (Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora'), aka Yellow Rose of Texas. It blooms beautifully for a couple of weeks. I have to admit, it is not my favorite plant because it spreads by underground runners. It is not a "good neighbor" and likes to invade other plants' spaces. I have to keep cutting it back.

Walking on in search of what is in bloom, we encounter a crabapple tree. Flowering fruit trees are glorious at this time of the year. This is Adams Crabapple (Malus 'Adams'), one of the best of the small fruit trees.

I hope you enjoyed our little garden stroll to see the best of what is blooming in my garden now in early April. 

So, here is a final thought. Let out your bad feelings against the virus wreaking death, destruction, and havoc on us. It is natural at this most difficult hour to experience fear, anxiety, anger, and hurt at the horror of the plague all around us. What is happening makes no sense to us. How is it that an incredibly tiny, microscopic organism could be doing all this? Worse, we do not know how bad the plague will get or how long it will last. We feel helpless and vulnerable. All of this is natural. It is therapeutic to let out our bad feelings in healthy ways, that is, in outlets not harmful to others. Just look at the usually stoic TV news people breaking down in tears at the monstrous injustice of it all. Tears are good. They wash the eyes and make us see better in more ways than one.

Then, go out and soak in the beauty of nature. The eyes of your soul will be refreshed. This will also help you see things better.

We do not know why God is allowing this incredibly destructive plague to sweep over us. The human mind cannot know that. What is relevant at this moment in time is that we know from the centuries of the compilation of Jewish and Christian wisdom and tradition God is always with us. God is here among us in this fearful hour. I find a refreshing reminder of this truth as I stroll around my garden. 

We all wish this thing had never come to us. We wish none of this plague had ever happened. But, that decision was not ours to make. The reality is it has happened, it is happening. What matters now is what we do with the time that has been given to us. I think our faith tells us we must be forces of light in this dark hour. We must do what we can to love God and each other, now more than ever in our lifetimes. This is our calling. Peace.