Some gardeners will
Their flowers place
According to their measure
Tall ones in back
Short ones in front
‘Tis best for viewing pleasure
*
I wish I could
Claim this is what
Takes place in my own garden
*
But that would be
A lie from me
I’d have to beg your pardon
It started out
In this way, yes
All was in perfect order
But I forgot
To see what’s what
And Nature changed the border
So now the tall ones
Bloom in front
While short ones hide behind them
And if I want
To see most flow’rs
I have to go and find them.
***
Dedicated to all who think they can perfectly control a garden. And to those who know better.
Cynthia Reyes Copyright August 2014
Cynthia Reyes 
Good to know who’s really the boss! My garden is even more random than yours. 🙂
Hey Brad:
I’ve seen photos of your garden. It looks quite tidy to me! Nice garden, by the way.
So true! Growing herbs is like herding cats but love the randomness and beauty of it! We just pretend we can organise nature 😉
Well, our herb bed looked so wild (we foolishly placed it at the front of the house) that we planted boxwood around it. Then the boxwood joined the party and went nuts. Much later, my husband trimmed it – and now you can clearly see how wild the herbs are. Ah, well…
Delightful and so true. My garden knew it was the boss from the day it first met me. 😀 Took me a bit longer to figure out that was the arrangement.
A novel idea, Gallivanta. That your garden knew it was boss. Took me many years to figure this out.
I think flower beds often look good with tall plants at the front. I love looking at the garden through tall Verbena bonariensis.
Are you making a virtue of this, Chloris? (big smile) What will ‘serious gardeners’ say?
I have some tall plants at the front deliberately there, (well thats my story!) so I can look through and some have chanced their way by self seeding and then I find it hard to be ruthless and edit them out.
I believe your story, Julie. (smile) I also know about the lack of ruthlessness. Many of the gardening problems I’ve encountered in my life were caused because I wasn’t ruthless enough.
A well planned, perfectly controlled garden with tall plants in the back? Huh? What are you talking about? Never heard of such a thing! Not here, anyway. 🙂
Tell the truth, Jim: Aren’t you on hands and knees manicuring every petal and blade of grass in your garden? (smile)
It always looks so good! By the way, your flowers look so healthy, I think you’re feeding them steroids.
It is hard to control nature. In my semi-tropical garden, it becomes so over grown by this time of year, I just look and walk away. The task is too daunting in the heat.
It takes a wise and mature person to know when to look and walk away!
Such a gentle poem! I love it! It is all so true too. We only have to turn our backs for a day or two and all is different. It’s best not to make too many plans when gardening.
Do perfect gardens only exist in books, Clare?
Tu es une jardinière avisée alors… Très beau jardin où tout se mélange harmonieusement 🙂
Hah!
Je me plais à penser, donc, Christiane!
I’d certainly like to think so.
Mais même le buis, nous avons planté de «contrôler» les plantes exubérantes ont rejoint l’amusement et les jeux et oublié son but.
To those who know better. Myself…indeed. 🙂
Indeed, Rose.
Oh so true, I think all gardens are perfect, not just those in books! 🙂 I love your poem and the pink tulips too!
Thanks, Michael. Here’s to perfectly imperfect gardens!
Well, you were wise to let Mother Nature have her way…your garden looks delightful! Have a lovley weekend, Johanna
Thank you, Joanna.
The older I get, the more I think Nature knows a thing or two.
I like it better your way. It’s fun to discover what is hiding behind and underneath. Have a great weekend, Cynthia. 😀
You too, Levi.
You have that sense of wonder and curiosity too. It’s a good thing.
I am curious. Lol
Love it, I am constantly finding new and weird things coming up in my garden in South Florida. Mother Nature is the best designer sometimes. However, I can’t resist rearranging things. A lot.
I do love a tall pop of color in the front or middle of a perennial bed.
So true. Mother Nature is one heck of a designer. But I also know about finding oneself unable to resist rearranging things. Gardeners do that a lot.
Absolutely, and the problem is..did we improve upon it?
We think so…
I do indeed know better, but I had to learn the hard way.
Well, at least you learned!
Very clever, and very true! But I actually prefer a little disorder as opposed to rank on rank.
I will have to take and post some photos of my petunia trees. Never have I had petunias this tall and strong that they continue to grow upright, not really terrific for potted plants! So I agree with you, Cynthia – nature has its own ways, and if we bend and flex like her flowers, we may find she often does a pretty good job in spite of all our planning!
So well said.
Let’s see the petunia trees, okay?
Go grab the camera and shoot.
Workwise – although we never want to complain when we have paying work – it has been one looooong week, but the petunia trees still flourish. Hopefully, I will have the time to get some shots over the weekend and share.
Okey dokey. I look forward to it.
Love it! I have decided to let Nature be her own artist 🙂
She’s quite an artist!
Reblogged this on Cynthia Reyes and commented:
A fave….
Your post made me snicker. Love the rhyme, love the reality of gardening! Thanks, Cynthia for the giggle. Keep on gardening and be surprised!
Dinae, I’m glad it made you snicker!