Conversations With My Garden: My Japanese Maple

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Irescued you from the discard pile at the now sadly defunct Kane’s Flower World. When I brought you home, my late husband asked me why I bought a dead stick.

I replied that you were not dead and that with some loving care you would grow into a healthy and wonderful Japanese maple tree. That was over 30 years ago. When I moved to a new house in a different community, I was determined to bring you with me. You spent the summer in a pot in a friend’s yard as the new house and garden were completed. I visited with you whenever I could, encouraging you to stay healthy until your new home was ready for your arrival. Six companions, each in its own pot, kept you company. All but one survived to continue as part of your community. You survived a second move in your new home as the backyard pond’s geography was altered. Today, you remain to grace the yard alongside your sylvan family.

As you grow and thrive, you have become a mentor to new plants, sharing your story of survival with them, encouraging them during difficult times like last summer’s drought and this past winter’s snow. “You’ve got this,” you tell them as they turn their anxious leaves in your direction. “I did it and so can you.”

You are no longer a “dead stick” but a vigorous healthy creature, determined not to be intimidated by challenging situations. And like so many other survivors of difficult circumstances you have lessons to teach us.

Lesson #1

Never give up. There is always possibility. All it takes is hope, determination and the kindness of someone who believes in you. You are living proof that dead sticks, given a chance by a willing stranger, can begin to restore themselves.

Lesson #2

You can grow where you are planted. If you are adaptable, you can find a way to thrive even in difficult conditions. You can learn to harbor your resources and hone your needs until more fortuitous circumstances come along.

Lesson #3

Believe in yourself. Believe that you don’t have to be the best to persist. And when those beliefs save you, build on them until you are as beautiful and successful a being as you can be. Do not compare yourself with others. Nurture yourself. Build on your strengths and accept those flaws that are part of who you are. No one is perfect. Indeed, your difficult beginning reminds us how possibility exists for all when we refuse to give in and give up.

I love you, my special tree. I am proud of what you have become. Proud of your determination not to succumb to your humble and difficult beginnings. Each time I look at your majestic growth, your courage and resolve, and remember the “stick” I adopted, my will to manage life’s challenges is strengthened. Thank you, little tree, for gracing my garden and my life with your beauty and wisdom. You have truly lived up to your name: Crimson Queen.