“A bud is defined as a dormant projection on a stem from which growth may develop when the environmental conditions are favorable.” – Practical Botany for Gardeners*, Geoff Hodge
Did you know that many plants, like the Rhododendron in the image above, lay the groundwork for spring growth the year before?
While the sun is warm and plentiful, plants and trees create buds that will become flowers and leaves in the following spring. Current growth and the foundation for new growth are laid at the same time.
I just learned this recently and think it’s amazing that buds hang on through the winter like that! They survive harsh winters with cold temperatures, less nutrients and less sunlight.
They are encapsulated on the tip of a branch or nestled at the joining of stems and branches. Some will unfurl into leaves, some will burst into flowers.
It seems to require an audacious amount of hope to create little tiny capsules of life and trust that they will survive the winter. There are, of course, metaphors for life in all of this.
Making small beginnings, even when the work seems bigger than we can manage.
Trusting our own growth, even if we don’t see it right away.
Parts of our lives that are currently blooming may have been started years ago and there are future parts of ourselves that may already be set up to bloom.
I can’t help but feel a little of that audacious hope for myself knowing that.
“It is amazing that the fate of something as large as a tree rests within the tiny buds which bridge the gap between the growing seasons.”
Bruce Rottink, Buds: A Bridge to the Future
Quote inspired by Buds: A Bridge to the Future
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