Letter to Monty Don 48
Dear Monty, I know that despite these rambles being addressed to you, they never reach your eyes or heart, but this question is most certainly directed to you : Can nature be ugly ? I am pondering this question sitting in my cupboard of a 'studio' where I am putting the finishing touches to paintings of British native orchids, pollinators and butterflies for an exhibition next weekend. Now I believe that you understand perfectly well the response you may get when you make statements on GW - including the one about spent buddleja flowers being 'ugly'. I too have always deadheaded my buddleja for the same reason, and as you said to promote new flower spikes. But this ugliness is an intrinsic part of nature - it sets seed to create the next generation, the flowers last but for a few days. Is this ugliness a kind of acknowledgement of the frailty of 'beauty' .... and the cutting off and tidying away a kind of denial ? ( Perhaps I think too much.) I ...
Here you go getting all thought provoking again! Immediately after your heading "No Words" there are, in fact, three. Is there some deep inner meaning here? The dichotomy of silence and noise? Or should I just immerse myself in the unusual array of vertical branches in photo 4?
ReplyDeleteImmerse yourself John ! Those verticals are this years spurs on the apple tree - they need pruning back before spring.
ReplyDelete