Allowing for maturity, whatever that may be!

Last Saturday my daughter and I went outside to get in a walk, and some much needed dinner supplies, in-between rain showers. The clouds were blowing high up over each other and capturing the early spring afternoon light. As I was locking up our house I reviewed Lila with her options of traveling; stroller, bike, etc. Declining all given choices she happily agreed to walk. So off we went holding hands much of the way, to the store; and me forgetting the stroller!
When attempting to manage shrubs/trees in the landscape, it is super helpful to step away from time to time and return with a refreshed eye that can make decisions the proper way. Low shrubs, tall shrubs, small trees, large trees; we are so clear about what these distinctions are as we stand in a nursery staring at the plant tag and even when we are planting in our garden. A few years following and we quickly lose track of how each plant was defined. Often times I'll see a garden and there is no distinction between plants, much less defined levels of canopy. The owners will say honestly enough,"that was only supposed to be 3' tall" or "...I had no idea that would get so large!"

On our walk that afternoon Lila had agreed to walk and me being preoccupied with other things forgot to bring the stroller for when she inevitably got tired. I realized this about half way there however didn't think much of it since I could easily enough carry her on my shoulders one way. To my amazement Lila had chosen to walk that afternoon because she wanted to and she did for the first time all the way there and all the way home! I had more or less been open enough to allow her the choice and not get stuck on her past routines so that she could casually say, "I just walked with my Daddy."

One of my favorite times in a garden is when the garden tells me that it is growing up. Maturing into a new stage. This happens when I approach a small shrub and that is competing with it's fellow small shrubs and as I clip a few branches I can see the trunks and they suddenly appear larger and more substantial without all the young twigs on them. So I lift the canopy and a large shrub becomes a small tree. Giving space below it's canopy and above it's neighboring shrubs defines them both in a new way.

On some trees I will often leave lower branches on for a very long time. For sculptural effect, to fill the space or to block a view. It is great when after so long to be able to look a tree differently to listen to it telling you that it is ready for a new role.