The Heart of the Matter

I wonder what we would see in people if we peeled away the layers and saw their heart, tender and raw. How much of their true selves would fall pulsing into our laps, their mask of flesh and bone stripped bare. Before I am a writer, blogger, or gardener, I am a storyteller and my quirky personality echoes through my posts. My writing is a piece of me, genuine and exposed, a small piece of my heart in black text on a screen.

'Bridal Wreath' spirea was blooming profusely in the cottage gardens

 of Ward and Algonquin Islands.

Writing a blog is less about sharing photos of our plants than of telling the stories of our gardens, our love of gardening, and ultimately, of ourselves. We lay bare our passions as we dig, design, and write. Little bits of ourselves slip out in the cracks between the words we chose and those we don't. Every blog is a voice, a story, a small piece of someone, neatly packaged and ready to be opened.

I love the textures, colors, and layering of this combo.

Do you ever wonder about the people behind the blogs? I recently attended the 2015 Blogger Fling held in Toronto. But as much as I wanted to see all the incredible gardens, I really went for the people. 

Peony from Marion Jarvie's garden

I went to spend three days with the amazing people who write the blogs I devour. I wanted to immerse myself in a community of gardeners who understand the need and desire to share their stories of gardening and life. I went to Toronto to add their voice to mine, to let it weave into the story of my garden because in the end, regardless of whether we tell our story in words or photos, we are all storytellers.

The view from a steep wooded garden overlooking the lake.