Friday, November 8th, 2013

Writing Prompt – Putting the Garden to Bed for the Winter

© Mariykaa | Dreamstime.comThe Husband of Awesome™ and I closed up the garden last weekend. We wrapped up the delicate figs with blankets, hoping to baby them over until the spring. We gave the lawn a last once over, hoping it won’t need to be cut again this year. I hacked about a bazillion volunteer Rose of Sharon bushes out of the front flower bed.

There’s more to do, fertilizing and getting empty pots back into the shed, for instance. We just ran out of time.

I love tending the garden, whether it’s spring–and the ground is ripe for rebirth–or fall, when blooms are dying off and everything is ready for sleep. I love the dirt. (And puttering is a great time to noodle over plots.)

Gardens are so full of metaphor…and wonderful inspirations for writing.

Here’s Your Prompt:

  • Write about the sending down of roots (or balling up of them -if the plant is trapped in a pot). Write about making roots of your own, or pulling up your roots and moving on. Write about severing your roots.
     
  • Write about a character that’s been transplanted. If you journal, write about a move you made.
     
  • Write about a garden in the spring, or the summer, or the winter, or the fall. Carefully choose imagery to depict the season. Does a tree look the same in summer as spring?
     
  • Weeds. Write about pulling weeds in a garden, or culling the weeds from your life. Write about a character living in the weeds. Write about weed. 😉
     
  • Is former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins correct, “The soil is full of marvels…”?
     
  • What grows in the garden of earthly delights?
     

Good Luck!

 

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Image Copyright © Mariykaa | Dreamstime.com. Used by permission.

Saturday, September 7th, 2013

I Have Figs!!

I have been babying a few fig trees for the last few years, wrapping them up in blankets and straw each winter and letting them breath in the spring.

One has taken off really well, the other two only so-so. The second two are a different variety, so it could be that they’re much more slow growing. I really need to do so some research on them…

In all these years, I haven’t had a fig. But now I do! Check out this guy:

Brand new fig on a fig tree.

At first, I thought it was going to be the only fig, but then I noticed this little guy on the other variety of fig:

Brand new fig on a fig tree.

I know it’s late in the season, and I can’t help but wonder if we hadn’t had that late frost in May this year if I wouldn’t have seen these fellas earlier. I can only hope that we don’t have an early frost: or else I’ll lose these before they even get a chance.

For those who are wondering, here are my figs. The tallest tree towers over me by a good three feet, so I’d say it’s close to nine or ten feet tall.

IMG_0519a_450

Keep your fingers crossed: no early frost!

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

Happy Vernal Equinox! Welcome, Spring!

Lilacs in the Front YardHappy Vernal Equinox!

Even though I’m bummed I didn’t get one really good snow day this past winter (am I the only adult I know who LOVES sledding?) I’m looking forward to spring.

I want to uncover my fig trees, dig in the dirt and watch the flowers bloom.

(I am now anxiously awaiting those precious few days when the lilac bush under my window is bursting with color and fragrance. Lilacs are my absolute favorite!)

I’m also getting that “spring cleaning” bug. Anyone else?