"There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep" Homer
January. The garden is sleeping. The turn of the year has been a much colder one than we have become accustomed to on the Sussex coast over recent years. Daytime temperatures are just above freezing, and the often-dark days exacerbate the chill. Thankfully the torrents of rain and winds ended in December temporarily, but the saturation and pool made the wake. On these days the sun rises at 8.05am and is gone by 1605pm. Eight hours of light out of the twenty-four. And what can we report? Brief minutes "checking" for broken panes on the greenhouse, fencing panels that might be loose; you get my drift, checking not gardening. I still have many large pots outside that are just empty or some with pelargoniums within their own pots, lifted inside. There have been gallons of rain tipped out of them. The irony cannot be lost of those hot days of August last year, " six consecutive days in the south with temperatures over 34 Celsius" when the water butts were dry, and the earth parched. If gardens are sleeping, do they dream? Many are the theories about what dreams represent, indeed, Sigmund Freud set up a whole practice and movement to do just that. One theory on the purpose of dreaming is that it consolidates memories, strengthens them even and makes them easier to recall. Those are comforting thoughts. As are the sight of butterflies on the flowers, the sound of birdsong, the deep breath of fresh air, the emergence of plants from the ground and the door being open to hours of relaxation and enjoyment. Perhaps the garden dreams of these too. By the end of January, the sun is rising by 7.37am and setting at 16.50pm. That is 70 minutes longer than at the beginning of the month. That is a positive thought. Winter will not be over, but we are moving towards the light, sustained by those thoughts and dreams ....
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AuthorI launched this website on 16th August 2020 to bring together my thoughts on gardening,, its importance for health and wellbeing and two projects running concurrently, a renovation of my own garden on the West Sussex coast at Lancing and a nearby allotment. But also to learn from other gardeners about the inspirations for their plots, about their gardening projects and enjoyment of beautiful plants and gardens Archives
February 2024
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