I will not force it…this time.
Jun 16, 2023
This time last year, when there were not many blooms in the garden to harvest for the home, I went and bought some flowers.
Part of my early flower farming journey means that I have been so used to having homegrown flowers on my desk and around the home for the last few years that the lack of blooms at the end of Autumn was noticeable and deeply missed. I missed the colour and form and fragrance around the home.
I was so excited to get some flowers into the house, so went to the florist, picked up a couple of bunches and headed home. When I unwrapped the flowers, I saw that they were quite 'weak' in colour and didn't seem that strong. I gave them a long inhale and then realised they had no fragrance.
Oh well, I thought. They've been force grown, so…
These particular blooms generally have a long vase life, between six to eight days, and after three days, they were done for. The colour was gone, and the petals were falling; by day four I admitted to myself that my need to have flowers in the wrong season was not as delightful as I had hoped.
Some things cannot be forced. Or if they can, the outcomes are not always as we had hoped.
This year, I am going to be patient. In a world where it is possible to have anything we want, from anywhere in the world, at any time of day, we are misled into thinking nature can be commanded at our will.
Now, this is not a comment on flower farmers, they need to maximise their income streams, and greenhouses are wonderful to get ahead of the season or to extend the season.
The same for florists; sometimes flying in flowers is what sustains their businesses, but at this stage in my flower farming journey, I do not have these pressures, so I am going to practice patience.
I am going to wait.
I have already harvested some early paperwhites from the garden, for which I am very grateful, their fragrance is amazing.
Then the Eirlicheer jonquils will emerge, then the daffodils…and then we are off!
But, it will be a while before Spring hits and the blooms are abundant. And I will wait.
There is a season for everything. Nature has its own time. We are nature, and we have our own time too.
Certain aspects or stages of life cannot be forced, no matter how much we want them now.
Our wanting can be a great indicator of what is important to us, but forcing the outcome can still leave us wanting because it was not the right time.
A dear friend shared with me a few weeks ago that she is trusting the timing of her life.
Is there anything you are forcing in your life right now? Maybe it’s not the right time.
Wishing you a weekend of trusting the timing of your life.
As always, I would love to hear your insights, thoughts or musings.