As any Buddhist will tell you, everything passes and nothing lasts forever. It’s an idea I’m more than willing to embrace when I’m faced with something I don’t like – eg winter – which can’t go quickly enough as far as I’m concerned. But I struggle with the idea in spring, when everything moves so fast. If I could freeze any moment in time, it would be now. There’s colour and blossom everywhere, it’s warm, it’s light, and there are a good six months of half-decent growing weather and oodles of daylight ahead.
And then there are wisteria and peonies – a few weeks early this year. They don’t last long, but I guess that’s part of their charm. On the garden design course I did a few years back, peonies weren’t seen as particularly useful plants as they flower so fleetingly, but I think I’d definitely have some in my garden. And a wisteria too, come to that. And I’d do my best to accept that they won’t be around for too long…