Whenever the world weighs me down, a sure way to get a spiritual lift is to go to a place where I am surrounded by plants, plants and more plants. That might be the woods, a botanical garden or my backyard. It could be a plant shop or nursery.
Under the soft glow of a greenhouse skylight, my eyes delight at the multitude of brightly colored flowers and one hundred shades of greenery from the lightest yellow green to the darkest blue green. And that's just the showy flowering plants.
Young ferns, ivy, succulents, ground cover, and a vast array of other interesting plants also overflow the tables and shelves. I enjoy slowly scanning their beautiful shapes and textures as well.
I'm intrigued, for example, by the many jigs and jags of rabbit's foot fern leaves and the furry rootstalks (rhizomes) that give the plant its name. Every plant is unique upon close observation, a living enigma to experience and try to better understand by seeing, smelling, and sometimes touching.
It's no wonder that garden Buddhas are so common among the yard sculptures at the plant shops around town. I know because my husband, who enjoys potting and growing plants, and I visit a variety of them during various times of the year. Sometimes we are in the market for a particular plant. Often, however, we are just looking - seeking some "plant therapy," as we call it. Usually, however, we do find a beauty or two to take home.
Caring for our houseplants and outdoor plants is just another way to feed our nature need.
Photos by Kathy Hagood
