Lessons from the garden

Lily of the valley

Lily of the valley grows in the shade of bigger, more obvious plants-under trees or shrubs. Dwarfed in my garden by the tulips and ceanothus. However, its tiny white flowers which seem so insignificant in bright sunshine, glow in the gloom of the shadows. I’ve tried to grow it in more open parts of the garden but it stubbornly refuses my offer of a better view, more light, or just a place where I could see it better. Each spring I cut just a few of its beautiful flowers with their waxy perfection to enjoy their secret weapon- a scent that is so unexpectedly sweet and powerful.

So what’s the lesson? Simply that sometimes, in the quiet shady, out of the way corners of life, there is found something unexpectedly glorious which is only apparent to those who make the effort to look beyond the obvious.