Reflections Of A Gardener Part III

16 years ago

I have grown up, these past few days, because of this forum.

This forum made me feel welcome at first, but I now know

that many here are not as welcoming. It's not easy when half

the people, on the forum, think that nothing about you is real.

I should have known better, but I can't help it if I am naive and

feel thing's deeply. It's who I am. If only they could have heart's

full of the beauty that roses have. Those of you, with grace and

a generous spirit, giving me respect, you are the ones that are as

beautiful as any rose could ever be. It is in the garden, where I can

find the balance again. All of the harshness of the world becomes

softer and goes away.

My garden is far from perfect. It is as imperfect as I am,

but I strive to make it more beautiful every season. It

gives me so much pleasure to see and read what you all

are doing with your gardens. It gives me inspiration on the

road to creating the garden in my imagination. I think, all

our gardens are a painting that will always need just one

more stroke of the brush. Adding ever more color to the

masterpiece.

I would like to play with bringing blues and violets, in the

form of salvia and lavender, as a romantic compliment to the

roses. Something to make one feel as if they have just arrived

in the South Of France. I would like the garden to mature into

a paradise of the senses. Is there anything more captivating

than a garden where the colors and scents are so alive, that a

spell is cast. At that point, it really is magic.

Loving to grow roses, means having a passion for harmony,

I
would say. It must be a need for some kind of inner-peace.

The world will never be perfect, but that bit of earth, that we

work with, will be made into an serene oasis. I look to my

soul, out there in the garden. The dreamer in me comes out

to play. It is what is real!

I made a date, with a friend, to meet in my garden.

You see, the love of her life is moving away. I gave her

a big hug that lasted a long while. While I was hugging

her, I felt the garden hugging me. And I told her that like

in "Pride and Prejudice", Elizabeth thought Mr. Darcy

would never return, but he did. Because when love is true,

it finds it's way back. I always find my way back to the garden.

There are days when many finches surround me in the

garden. They bounce from rose to rose and it is as if a

secret is being whispered to me as they chirp. And with

golden light coming down through the leaves, I know it is

these small moments that make me feel as if the world is a

good place, that I belong. It's makes me feel so loved to

belong to something as special as a garden.

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Comments (37)

niecey
16 years ago
I got to ask you
Are you a writer or a poet on the side
You have such way with words
You can have your own series of romance novels with pics of beautiful roses on the cover.
(I'm placing my order)LOL!
Great Job Devon
Niecey
pete41
16 years ago
Very creative-you could be a writer.
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Thank you so much Krista! Yes, I just love Anna de Diesbach! It's so strange that here I am dreading white in my Garden and here is Penny Lane teaching me to sit down and Shut Up, lol! It is fast becoming one of my favorite roses. Tammy, once you've been involved in Agility, you will be probably like the rest of the Agility folks, ADDICTED, haha! And the dogs have sooo much fun. Life will never be the same, and no, agility dogs will not be jumping over the fence. They will always love their "Puppy School" and can immediately distinguish Puppy School from the plain and boring fence which they'll just ignore, lol! I Promise You This, lol! I'm a bit jealous that you are in Tennessee. Much more opportunities to go to several trials. Kansans have to travel very, very far to get enough trials to compete, but we've got some totally Awesome World Class competitors here. One Kansan even won 1st place in one of the International European Competitions this year. And there are others who regularly make it to World International Team competitions. Must be in the water that Kansans drink, hahaha! Eluane and I can only win through Lord-Blessed Miracles. We only compete 4-5x a year; it's all we can afford. Almost all dog agility folks in Kansas compete in other venues, not just AKC, and they will travel several hundreds of miles as well so they average about 24 trials at the very minimum per year. They also attend classes, seminars from famous handlers. I've been a freelancer/unemployed for over 2 years so we've only taken one class total, lol! So we do the best that we can and count on the Good Lord to carry us the rest of the way, haha! We do have a club membership so we can still practice on our own once a week, so that is good! But not having an instructor is a huge!!!!! problem. You really need classes to do well in agility. I have to depend on my friends in England for advice and we've already made many critical mistakes in trying to do training on our own.... Our training has been experiment after experiment... The rosette is from our Hardest Level, Excellent AKC Jumpers and the course was challenging. We're still stuck in Open though for Standard. We need 2 more wins to get to Excellent :) We also got a very late start in agility. Eluane began at 4.5 years and now she just turned 6 which is "ancient" compared to the fast younger dogs. That's like running a 42 year old compared to a dog in its prime 20 year old range so not much time left for us. But it's still so fun and rewarding and we take the Moments of Grace in our time and stride!
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Noni Morrison
16 years ago
Thank you for being a sensitive guy who says it all so well! Your little essay brought the finches right to my mind's eye, and they are only starting to show up in my garden now so they were very welcome!

IT is so nice getting to know you and now knowing the gorgeous setting you are working with! And I agree, nothing quite so complimentary with roses as lavender in all its varied forms! The scent of lavender and roses always takes me back to a lavender farm in Norfolk, England that I visited about 17 years ago, and all that was going on around me then. ONce again my children are young and the world is an adventure day by day!

It is still an adventure day by day but there are new places to go and new sight and scent associations to internalize!

I hope you have the opportunity to travel the world and fall in love withmany more ideas and scents...just because I think you are one who can really appreciate them! How about leading a garden tour for us, LOL!
sam0738
16 years ago
Hey Devon, You rock .

http://free.napster.com/player/?play_id=19121426&type=track
This will help you with your garden.
{{gwi:319498}}
Glad to see you back.
buford
16 years ago
Devon, beautiful words.

Just remember, don't hate the player, hate the game.
karenforroses
16 years ago
Devon, you have a wonderful way of putting our feelings about our gardens and our roses into words. Thanks so much for sharing. You have the soul of a poet and the heart of a gardener.
moodyblue
16 years ago
So well said Karen and actually all of you, you said it for me. If I had been first on board here. I would have said to Devon "Get Writing" but of course, he already is.

Thanks Devon, You are lucky to have such talent. It really is wonderful to meet such wonderful people on this board. I really am honoured and so greatful that roses steered me in the direction that I needed to be. I love my roses just like you all do here and it is so great to share the passion.

Thanks Devon for putting it all in the right words.
Pauline - Vancouver Island
phylrae
16 years ago
Ditto! :0) Phyl
dinnerdalh
16 years ago
Your love of roses is very evident. Thanks for sharing your feelings.
mandi_s1
16 years ago
Perfect is a destination. A place we come to when there's no where left to go. To seek perfection is to seek an end.

For me gardening is often like growing out a bad haircut. In all the best ways. I look at my plants not for what they are today, but for what they'll be in two years, five and ten years. I look at the oleander envisioning what it will look like when it has surpassed the jasmine trellis in height, and wonder how fast the roses will leap from dormant canes next season.

Don't worry about perfection. When all's said and done looking back over the experiences, you wont think of the imperfections; the ones that got shovel pruned, eaten by ants, stolen by leaf cutters, mildewed till they looked like they were lost in a snowstorm, never grew more than two feet, or took over your entire garden necessitating massive intervention with pruning shears.

People are the same way.
the_bustopher z6 MO
16 years ago
You have an interesting way with words. It seems you say what a lot of us think.

If you are looking to include blues and lavenders into your garden, consider lisianthus, heliotrope, bellflowers, delphinium/larkspurs, and purple zinnias. I'm not sure how each of these would do in your area, but most should do reasonably well. It would add some extra choices to what I think of colors in the introspective part of the color wheel. Blue/purple/white are all elements of what goes into what some call a moon garden. I have one bed of roses in my yard for purple and white roses only. It is my version of a moon garden although it looks more like a mess garden. Don't worry about a garden not being perfect. Mine will never be. Something will always need to be weeded, sprayed, dead-headed, watered, fed, reconstructed, etc.
devon_gardener
Original Author
16 years ago
Mandi s1, I meant, even though I keep looking for the
garden to reach it's full potential, I know that it is an
ever-changing work in progress. Yes, perfection may
never be reached, hence the need for one more stroke
of the artist's brush. Thank you for posting.
gigi-f
16 years ago
Dear Devon,
I haven't been posting much for awhile because of my busy life, but I have read some of your recent posts. For what it's worth, I very much enjoy reading your words, hearing about what you're up to, and the pics of your home are stunning! We can compare pool pictures and maybe come up with some way to plant roses IN the pool! That would be different!
aegis1000
16 years ago
Young gardener,

One thing that you will learn as years go by ... is that people are people, ... and that, ususally, people have reasons for their behaviours (whether good or bad).

As we can't expect our gardens to be perfect ... neither can we expect all those around us to be perfect. We will always find that life and people disappoint us in some ways.

What binds us together on this forum is our love for growing things, ... roses, in this instance.

No matter our spats ... and there have been a few ... we ultimately hang together for the roses.

My wish is that you can put our imperfections behind you ... and that we can continue to be ... with you ... one big happy, if boistrous, family.
zeffyrose
16 years ago
Dear Devon,

I'm so sorry that you have been hurt----don't worry about being naive---I'm 77 years old and I'm constantly surprised by the actions of some folks---both good and bad.

I have loved all your writings---you do have the soul of the poet. I think you should put all your writings in a book-------I want one !!

I was sorry to read that the love of your life is moving away-----

I do have a lovely grandaughter---LOL----JUst kidding I don't think she would be happy that I said that------

I'm so looking forward to more of your thoughts and feelings.

Florence
niecey
16 years ago
Oh my gosh Sam
I just love that picture.
Oh so peaceful.
Niecey
ocdgardener
16 years ago
If your garden is half as purty as you - you've got an eden! ;)
mwenrick
16 years ago
Hi Devon, I wish that I had discovered gardening at your age. It was just a seed in my mind. You, on the other hand know what you love and how to create it. Writing is second nature to you also. Both should earn you a profitable living! I wish you so much luck!
sam0738
16 years ago
Thanks Niecy,
This is close to my home. I love me some Lake George . (trying to be cute)
It is a picture from my Grandfather who taught me garden by example and to always live close to the water. I love Devons pictures so I decided to also share one of mine.
Oh yea, and Niecy , Your garden pics are The best.
I hope we get one more good fall Flush of roses. Lets cross our fingers.
Sam
onewheeler
16 years ago
Well Devon this is the first time I have read any of your posts. I was delighted with the way you wrote. I feel exactly the same way about gardening, it is a journey for me also but one I would take over and over again as the end of the road is never seen, it is a work in progress that demands our vision and tenderness. Keep up the good work. I hope that you always find pure joy in that first touch of the earth after a long cold winter, the smell of it between your fingers will make your senses reel with delight. Squeeze your eyes shut and open them slowly and visualize the impact of a full grown mature rose laden with fragrant flowers, inhale the beauty around you and enjoy all the bounty that nature has to offer, it is a wonderful world after all. Each of us in our own way has created a touch of peace in our corner of the universe.

Rose on young man.

Valerie
zeffyrose
16 years ago
Vslerie---Have you read Devon's Reflections 1 and 11

Thay are beautiful.

Florence
buford
16 years ago
I've got it. Floating planters with roses in them.......
brandyray
16 years ago
Devon- You paint pictures with your words. Don't ever let anyone discourage you! (If you haven't read 'The Rhodora" by Emerson, be sure to look it up.)
As for blue and purple plants, I love my catmint! Makes a nice mat and blooms, blooms, blooms! I often admire the bumble bees who worship there. Brandy
lotsoflowers
16 years ago
I had to come out of lurking to respond to this beautiful post. *Swoon* So young, so handsome, so poetic. And you have a multi-million dollar home with a million dollar backyard to boot. Some lucky girl is going to be so grateful to meet a man like you. I wonder Devon, can we see some garden pics from I think you said the front of your house? I imagine it's gorgeous. I want to see the gardens of a man who loves gardening & women like you do. I'm sure there have been some professionals involved in the design (I know the pics were professionally taken), and I'm hoping one of them can suggest some blues for you. I cannot wait to see the results.

I love your "reflections" but mostly am in awe of your financial & spiritual success at such a young age. I even love the threads with your photo. It adds such a nice touch!
loveisarose_2007
16 years ago
Devon, I'm new to gardenweb, but I love your prose. You are so SEXY. Not just the picture, but there is a sexiness and sensual nature coming from within you. I'll bet your a great lover. (Yes, I'm Blushing).
bettym_grow
16 years ago
Eeewwwww!
sam0738
16 years ago
This is the Rose Forum.
Roses Forum
This forum is meant for the discussion of roses--how to care for them. How to care for roses.
pagan
16 years ago
ROTFLOL!! Ya'll are being evil to that poor boy!
buford
16 years ago
no one is forced to read any of the posts.

Sounds like somebody is jealous.
peg_in_oregon
16 years ago
Not jealous -- just amazed at how so many can fall for such a lie.
Devon, please do submit some pictures of your roses on this site. I'd love to see them.
pete41
16 years ago
I am sure we have ,Peg-just not under the pseudonym.
devon_gardener
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you all for the warm and kind responses. I value
all the comments.

Peg_in_Oregon, I wanted this thread to be more about
thoughts and writings about gardening, not about post-
ing my garden pics. I have a feeling that no matter
what I post, for you it will be a lie. I will post pics
of roses when I wish to, not when the great Peg
in Oregon says I should, to "prove myself". I have
posted rose pics before in Rose Gallery, if you want
to look those up. They are'nt a big deal though.

But you and some others will still have your doubts.
That is your choice, but your only fooling yourself.
Maybe I should choose to believe that you don't exist
either.
ramblinrosez7b
16 years ago
Hey!

{{gwi:319500}}
gardenfanatic2003
16 years ago
Devon, I have Walker's Low nepeta, and I personally find it to be a great companion to roses. It's very soft and airy looking (the foliage and the flowers), so it doesn't detract from the roses. It looks especially nice with white roses. And it thrives in heat and drought, which makes it a good plant for California.

Deanna
zeffyrose
16 years ago
Devon------I love your posts-----

Deanna------in our local paper today they had a big article about Nepeta and Walker's Low was one of the plants they recomend-----

Florence
karenforroses
16 years ago
Where is Devon? We haven't heard from him lately. I miss his posts. Hope all is well.
mendocino_rose
16 years ago
Devon I didn't see this post in August. I'm glad that Karen brought it back. Gardening is far more than dirt. To me it is a whole metaphor for life. I know that you see it that way. When you open your garden it is like opening your heart. Sometimes that means you will be hurt. If we only discussed dirt, fungus, and pragmatism I would have left this forum long ago. I've heard it all in ten years. You bring more than that. Go ahead bring some more!

Reflections Of A Gardener Part III

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