December 18, 2011

Lovely as a Tree

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

~Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914



















Although not a long lasting presence in the garden, the playful and colorful leaf litter from the Japanese Maples has brought immense joy in quiet moments spent in observation of their beauty.  Thank you, thank you, thank you Christmas garden!

16 comments:

  1. they're really gorgeous. like red roses.

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  2. these are incredibly beautiful...the way they have scattered themselves is especially gorgeous...as if nature knew you were coming to take their picture...

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  3. Freshly fallen leaf litter is so beautiful and your Japanese maple shots are gorgeous! What a lovely Christmas gift your garden has given you!

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  4. Cat, the maple leaves are made and arranged by nature and captured by you. What a good combination of players. It was far to short a season here for the Japanese maples and I wish I took more time with them here. Beautiful work. The Kilmer poem was my favorite as a kid and I knew it by heart. Thanks for the memory.

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  5. Beautiful as always Cat!

    What is that sedge-like plant in the second-to-last photo?

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  6. Japanese maples are such beautiful trees. Their leaves in your pictures remind me of stars...

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  7. @Alan, it's carex 'Sparkler' A fairly new addition to my deep shade bed. Surprised it performed as well as it did as it likes it on the moist side but I guess it's so shady there that it adapted just fine. I supplemented every few weeks just to help it along through the driest months. I love the way it looks so festive with the red maple leaves!

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  8. Very pretty leaves. I like the addition of the poem, too. I think all gardeners love and respect their trees.

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  9. I was pleasantly surprised to happen upon your gardening blog; it's calming and inspirational. I too enjoy combining garden poetry with photos so especially appreciated this post.

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  10. A stunning post Cat! Great poem with beautiful photos.

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  11. Beautifully captured Cat! So tranquil!

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  12. Your gorgeous photos reminded me of my japanese maple that had colour like yours, but the leaves fell almost all at once after a cold night (this is weeks ago) and I did not capture the photo in time. Wishing you a Merry Christmas.

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  13. Hermosas imágenes y muy bello el poema!! un abrazo y ¡Feliz Navidad!!!

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  14. Hi Cat, Beautiful shots as always! Merry Christmas to you and your family! I hope that you have a wonderful holiday. All the best for the new year!

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  15. You really are a wiz with the camera. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Gardening Year.

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  16. Lovely leaves, Cat. Is that one of Bob's cedar stumps in there? Hope you have a joyful Christmas with your family.

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