I am People!

I had not previously realised my plurality nor the multiplicity of my personalities but, it appears, It has been the case for some time.

What brought it to my attention was a chat with Mary, my wife, about an hydrangea in the garden – Hydrangea ‘Hot Chocolate’. This is a cultivar of Hydrangea aspera, a species which is inclined to be more upright than most. It has leaves which are a dark purple/burgundy and large flattened lacecap flowers-heads which have attractive pink blossom around the outside with blue flowers in the centre.

Mary passed comment that it is prone to some damage because “people” walk in to the bed and break it…by accident. She was, at least, a little forgiving. “People” walk down that path beside the glasshouse, into the bed, over that little begonia that I like and break branches off the hydrangea.”  “Who are these people?” was the thought that sprung into my mind, for there are only the two of us and visitors to the garden are very rare.

“People” apparently do a lot of damage in our garden. “People” sometimes stand into the flower beds! “People” sometimes fail to appreciate the benefits and beauty of a good edge to a lawn. “People” regularly fail to understand the necessity for the constant dead-heading of flowers, especially roses and daylilies, and the amount of time this takes. “People” are oftentimes inconsistent in their watering regimes and plants suffer. “People” don’t realise the benefit of cutting the foliage of pulmonarias and aquilegias completely to the ground as soon as they finish flowering – and the same applies to Alchemillas and early geraniums: a cut to the ground brings new and fresh foliage which is very pleasant in the garden. “People”, it seems, have a lot to learn.

I would nod my head and agree with her when she makes these statements for I have found that she is always right in gardening matters and, at the same time, I bemoan the world we live in which has so many poorly informed people, given to such low standards of gardening and raise my eyes to the heavens to be at one with her in her complaining. However – after the hydrangeas discussion yesterday and in a rare moment of insight – I have come to realise that these “people” are me and I am the people!

Slow learner! Gentle and patient teacher!