The Space To Grow

On bright and sunny days, my mother would call out my name from the backyard, an enthusiastic cry to help her out in the garden. As a child, or more like a sullen teenager, I would slink into the garden and whine about the unfortunate timing of her ask. “ I was just getting to the good episode of the show” or “I need to finish this chapter, I am almost at the end of the book” or the classic “ I have so much homework to do right now. I would have an array of excuses ready to escape the monotony of gardening. So she would watch me slip back into the house and while my time away.

I would watch her though. Sometimes, when my raging hormones weren’t asking me to grouch around, I would watch her through the window or the little bench in my backyard. She would pull out the weeds surely but softly, and even out the soil around the plants. She’d prune the leaves with her little red scissors that were always in her pocket as she hummed her favorite 90s songs. She’d whisper little somethings to the plants, making them witness to secrets and anecdotes that were for no one else but them. But the last part was her favorite part. She’d grab our pink garden hose and douse them in water, her humming switched to a full out song. She loved watching them dance in their own personal rain from their own personal cloud. I never understood why gardening was her favorite back then.

Flash forward, my parents dropped me off to university. New country, new home, new people. New me? For the most part I was the same. I loved curling up into a corner and reading, blocking away the whole world. I was still loud and bold, with a slightly crazed look in my eyes. Yes, I was more mature now than I was back then, but who isn’t? What changed then? The people in my mind changed. There was a newfound respect for all those kids who had the courage to live alone and be independent. There was a respect for all those who raised their own money just so they could go to university. And then there was respect for my parents. They raised me and made sure I had everything I wanted and smiled through all the times I broke their heart.

So maybe that’s why I got into gardening. It was a step closer to my mother. I started out with one indoor plant. A little succulent that I could not go wrong with. Upon my success with the succulent, I bought more and more until I was surrounded by plants. Maybe this was not exactly gardening, but hey, I was trying. Over time, I essentially became what they call a plant mother. I would do my daily check on the online marketplace for more plants, water my already owned ones, prune them with my red little scissors, all while humming my favorite songs.

I was way closer to my mother than ever before. So now, I have about 12 plants. I bought them all locally, and I take care of them every day. I am constantly coming up with various ways to set them in my room, looking at plant accessories and hangers and decorative pots. What have I learnt since the time I bought my first plant? Well, I learnt that it takes a lot of finesse and patience to let a plant grow. It needs to have room and enough water to grow the way it is supposed to. And most important of all, give them space. Don’t hover around or watch them constantly. Give them the time to grow themselves, and you will see the results. My mother did the same with me.

Oh, and it never hurts to have a pair of red scissors around :)