Of Gardens and Metaphors

The ragtag garden looks tattered and worn. The delphiniums have turned gray and seedy. Daisies, summer-sweet are fading. I’ve sheared back the shabby spent spring ground cover: rock cress, blue creeping veronica and phlox, but I’ve been a bit slow about the lamb’s ear—there’s a reason. The pale spikes like gray ghosts in the garden keep me company and I like to drag that particular chore out through the whole summer, if possible, just to get a dose of its fruity wonderful scent occasionally.

I spent my gardening time last week spiffing up flower beds from the ravages of time and season. I filled several bags with the garden debris: ground cover cuttings, deadheads and surrendered pansies. Ah, well…my heart always aches when I pull out a dying pansy, but I try to be philosophical about it though. I planted the pansies last fall; they’ve done their job and more.

Mid-summer gardens wan a bit, mine do, anyway. Most of my flower beds are perennial shade gardens and what does get plenty of sunlight. I make the most of by planting favorite sun-loving perennials. All but the roses are over by August. I should bring in late summer bloomers, but I’m alright with the absence, I have my few annuals and the vegetable garden. And always there is ‘Lady in Red’ salvia that I plant for the humming birds.

What has the condition of my garden got to do with writing? Maybe, nothing, but it got me thinking—about gathering metaphors. It’s a whole lot like gardening and a good place to find metaphors, too. Sometimes the places you look have an abundance of what could be used as a metaphor, sometimes you have to really look and consider before you find something that will work.

I think the more places you visit, the more experience you have, the easier you find them, think of them, use them. Visit your garden or your neighbors, visit a museum or aquarium, zoo. If you’re writing about another time period or place visit someplace that has some connection, however tenuous. Collect paint chips, just for the color names. Pick up magazines about the subject or time period (flea markets are great for this. The magazines are cheap and plentiful and you can just about find them on any subject.) Magazines are amazing for great detail and descriptive words condensed. Look for surprising names, traits—the perfect imagery-metaphors.

This type of research has an added benefit—it’s fun and it fills the well and what’s summer for?

And remember: it's not what you find, but how you use it.