The Art of Noticing

It's been a busy and somewhat stressful week. I haven't had much time for gardening. The dry weather meant I still had to at least find some time to water everything every couple of days. But even on the the rushing-around days, the bone-tired days, I still went out to the garden every day just to visit. Just to admire it. Hunch down and check out the new growth on the pea plants, look up in awe at the rate at which the sunflower is growing, squint at those green tomaotes, searching for that first blush of red.

Friends, I do this every single day. It only takes a few minutes, and it makes me feel so much better. I feel like a little kid, squatting down low to really notice that tiny flower the grown-ups walk right past. That delight in the details of plants. Observing the tiny incrimental changes that add up to a grand drama unfolding in slow motion.

Even though I am a food gardener at heart, I always find myself admiring the flowers this time of year. Such wealth of beauty, and so fleeting.

Here are some photos of the garden from the past week:

This little jungle of snow peas, with the first beautiful pea pods coming in.

A rowdy crowd of bush beans, the first little pale flowers just about ready to bloom.

The delicate beauty of these borage flowers, amid the rough, prickly leaves.

A vigorous nasturtium that hitched a ride in my potted blueberry bush.

I don't usually care much for hydrangeas, but I am loving the delicate pattern of bright pink edges fading to white in the centre.