Nature's Handmaiden

There may be a hidden garden nymph

deep within that incessantly casts spells on

unsuspecting gardeners. How else

to account for the mystic fever that

overtakes the senses of those with a

penchant to immersing themselves in

nature's mysteries of the seasons

much less the proclivities of annuals

to comfortably ensconce themselves

in areas of the world far from the

havens whose native species they are?

At the very least a garden muse who

whispers beguilingly in one's ear

prompting the hysteria of seasonal

spring planting to relieve the tedium

of white in favour of a rainbow's burst

of colour. And so we surrender ourselves

to the irresistible, feverishly planting

and cossetting plants beloved of that

strange species that call themselves the

harbingers of form and fragrance in the

exquisite delicacy of a garden well loved.