Hello, Wildflowers!
I pity people who believe wildflowers are weeds when they happen to grow in their lawns.
lush grass bejeweled with
dandelions and daisies
pointing at the sun
The Project
I stepped into the final frame of a time-lapse photography
experiment. Blackberry vines are devouring my one
Asian pear tree, pushing it over in slow-motion.
Like a child returning to Narnia, I see the ruins of
the civilization I once forged. Rotting wooden picnic tables
overlook a bizarre braid of ivy and blackberry vines
choking out wild grass and clover. The tops of stones are all
that’s left of the firepit that once hosted end-of-school s’mores
and back-to-school Dutch oven cookouts.
I must come as the destroyer before I return as the planter.
I take my shears to the ravenous blackberry vines
bullying my pear tree. The vines fight back—vicious thorns
ripping into my shirt and soft flesh. The tree cries
in relief and asks why I was gone so long.
Every time the blade of my shovel slices into the ground
and through the roots of weeds and interloping plants,
I smell life and death. My gardening
muscles ache. The tree branches are a mangled, tangled mess.
Each snipped branch means more energy, sky, and sun for fall fruit.
I’m drenched in sweat and full of peace.
I survey the still-untamed orchard before going inside,
and I wonder, what is the project, the trees or me?
Artists Note
I’ve never gotten over my childhood love of daisies and dandelions. I’ve never been a lawn guy. I love yards that are a mix of green and flowers.
I’m doing major landscaping and gardening again for the first time in a long time. Redoing the hill behind our house is my summer exercise routine, and it’s already funneling into my art and the rest of my life.
Don’t worry, I’m taking plenty of allergy medicine before I head out to the pollen zone.
Be the weird you want to see in the world!
Cheers,
Jason
Clover is overtaking the grass in my lawn. I leave it be. The wild bunnies love the sweet clover.
Great post! Why would anyone want boring flat green lawn? Especially as an artist one wants, needs, craves visual diversity because it's interesting!! That biodiversity is also healthy for the world is nice too 😁