{"id":1394,"date":"2014-11-09T22:15:44","date_gmt":"2014-11-09T22:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.siteandinsight.com\/?p=1394"},"modified":"2014-11-09T22:15:44","modified_gmt":"2014-11-09T22:15:44","slug":"reflecting-on-my-tree-and-on-other-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenvillaartgarden.com\/fr\/reflecting-on-my-tree-and-on-other-things\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflecting on My Tree — and On Other Things"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week I wrote about reflections in the garden. I intended to continue the theme this week… and I will return to it. But this week I’m reflecting in a different way, looking\u00a0back at where I’ve been, considering where I’m going to go.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"We<\/a>

We leave our mark wherever we go.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

For the last few months I’ve been taking part in a meme organized by Lucy Corrander of Loose and Leafy<\/a> (great blog name, Lucy!). Starting in March this year, I’ve ‘followed’ a corkscrew hazel that I planted in 2011. I’ve chronicled its growth, the way its leaves changed colour over the months and how its branches became increasingly twisted. And\u00a0every month I have disliked the tree more and more.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The twisted branches need space to show their sculptural qualities. The ones at the base of the tree are too close together. They rub against each other. Not good.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I thought I was ‘following’ my tree in the same way I would\u00a0‘follow’ a garden guru: \u00a0paying\u00a0attention to what the guru\u00a0was saying and thinking\u00a0about how I could\u00a0use the advice.<\/p>\n

But I was wrong. I wasn’t ‘following’ at all. I was out in front, too busy talking to\u00a0listen. So I missed the message my tree was sending. Help! I’m in the wrong place! Move me. Please!<\/p>\n

Tucked in among other plants, too close to an attractive neighbour, the attractions of the corkscrew hazel were obscured. Cutting back the surrounding plants gave an open view and created a \u00a0space quiet enough for me to hear what the tree was saying.<\/p>\n

\"Why<\/a>

Why did I plant it here in the first place? Clearly it is the right tree in the wrong place.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reflecting on the eight previous blog posts I’ve written about this tree makes me realize that\u00a0I’ve been blaming the tree for my mistake. Today, when I went out to dig it up, to dispose of it, to throw it away, I noticed a small bud. Two buds, in fact.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

Buds are a \u00a0promise of things to come.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Those buds reminded of why I bought the tree in the first place: the roughly textured, crinkled burgundy leaves. The buds looked the same, like\u00a0leaves to come.<\/p>\n

So I’ve changed my mind and given my corkscrew hazel a reprieve. How could I get rid of it?\u00a0It\u00a0was trying so hard to please.<\/p>\n

In the spring, when the hazel comes out from its winter wraps, I’ll find\u00a0a better spot for it, someplace where it\u00a0can stand on its own. The twisting branches suggest that a place\u00a0where a path splits\u00a0or changes direction might do.\u00a0Or maybe I’ll plant it by the pond, where shadowy\u00a0branches will\u00a0create reflections of their own.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A twisted tree is reflected in the water in a San Francisco garden.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I doubt I’ll write about the tree again. Or at least, not this year. Perhaps a few years from now, when my tree has grown enough for its merits to shine, I’ll bask in its reflected glory.<\/p>\n

Time will tell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week I wrote about reflections in the garden. I intended to continue the theme this week… and I will return to it. But this week I’m reflecting in a different way, looking\u00a0back at where I’ve been, considering where I’m going to go.     For the last few months I’ve been taking part in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,21],"tags":[261,363,263],"class_list":["post-1394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-glen-villa","category-plants","tag-corkscrew-hazel","tag-corylus-avellana-red-majestic","tag-follow-a-tree","category-38","category-21","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenvillaartgarden.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenvillaartgarden.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenvillaartgarden.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenvillaartgarden.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenvillaartgarden.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/glenvillaartgarden.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenvillaartgarden.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenvillaartgarden.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenvillaartgarden.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenvillaartgarden.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}