Friday, January 04, 2008

Hail To The Humble Houseplant




It is surely Winter today.
I am sitting in my kitchen looking out at my garden.
My 40 year old Pine Trees are whipping around in the wind.
My glorious Hanoki Cypress and faithful Taxus Yews are
blackened from the cold.
My Rhododendrons have their leaves pinched and curled back
like a misbehaving puppy caught in the act.
The stripped brown shoots of my beloved Hydrangea bushes
offer no hint of their lush summer flowers and foliage.
The lawn and flowerbeds are frozen rock solid.

The sun pours through the windows of this house,
its rays reaching the far wall of every room.
There to greet and absorb the light are my houseplants.

For this Gardener, The Indoor Plant is a Friend Indeed.
What would I do without them after
putting my garden to bed for the winter?

I am comforted and calmed watching my plants
take in the winter sun.
When I water them, an earthy fragrance fills the house
and brings me a bit of the growing season I love.

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