My little tabletop fairy garden is not doing well. In fact, it doesn't look much like this picture any more. The big window over my desk that I love so much doesn't love my plants at this time of the year. While winter is traditionally a dark and dismal time of the year in terms of sunlight, this year seems to be taking the award for most dark and cloudy days in a row without sun. As all the windows in my sweet little studio apartment are west facing, they only get direct light in the afternoon, and at this time of year it is mainly from about 2 pm to 4:30 or 5 p.m. So my little plants are struggling to hang in there. The only two plants that seem to be holding their own are the little bamboo plant I bought on a whim in the autumn, and an as-yet unidentified plant that looks like the top of a pineapple (for all I know it could be the top of a pineapple) that I rescued from a departing office member 8 years ago which is now about 3 feet tall. I suspect it is trying to be a tree but is having an identity crisis as it's stem is way too thin to support its weight. I have it staked and am awaiting its decision.
A friend suggested that I get a grow light to help my plants get through the winter. Another friend suggested that I just break down and get some really nice artificial plants. There are some on the market that look remarkably real and only require a damp cloth to wipe off their leaves for care as compared to the constant feeding, watering and nurturing of real plants. I have to admit that I did give that one some thought. I was even swayed temporarily by the photos online of big, handsome plants with large, green, shiny leaves, giving the room the look and feel of a tropical paradise. However, at the core of my being, where the ever-present gardener lives, her little voice whispered to me, " but oh, dear one, you so deserve the real thing."
Yes, I do. And so do you. We all deserve the best. No one should have to settle for second best. Mother Nature doesn't give us her second best trees, or flowers, or animals. She gives us the very best that she can create. Why? Because we're worth it. If she thinks so, who are we to argue? We are all deserving of the best that life has to offer us. A fake plant may look nice, but a real plant is a feast for our senses. Besides, nothing speaks to our hearts as much as being a part of the birth and growth of something beautiful.
So this weekend I am going to do a little comparison shopping for grow lights and boxes for my little tabletop garden. I may even treat myself to some herb seeds and get an early start on spring. No more cooking with the dried stuff any longer ... I deserve the best, and so do you!
And so it is.
