IBM's

The first time I ever heard a fellow gardener refer to some of her plants as "IBM's", I wondered when IBM Corp. had branched out, so to speak, into the world of floriculture.  I couldn't wait to see what strange new offerings she had, and I was already plotting the most understated manner in which to convince her to offer me a few cuttings or divisions.  A little further into our conversation, it became clear that IBM simply stood for "I've Been Moved."


It seems that if there is one thing all dyed-in-the-wool gardeners have in common, it's the tendency to move our plants about from one location to another in our landscapes. 
Sometimes we may move them from shade to sun as our trees mature and the conditions in our gardens begin to change.  Sometimes we may simply move them a matter of feet to allow a better view of them from a particular vantage point.  Whatever the reason, we do love to move our plants.

My sister and I have a running joke about moving plants in our flower beds. When we were children, we often ridiculed our grandmother for moving her flowers about from one place to another. Now we are convinced that MaMaw watches us from heaven and gets a real belly-laugh every time she sees us dig up a plant, dig a new hole in another part of our garden, move the plant, and wonder how long it will stay there before it is relocated once again. No new plant purchases are required. It's the ultimate in gardening frugality.


But what would my plants do if they had a choice?  If they could pull their roots from the soil like pulling up feet mired in mud, and walk around to the place of their choosing, then settle into their new location, would they?  Or would they choose simply to remain in the place to which they've become accustomed, avoiding that awkward necessity of having to make new horticultural acquaintances?  We'll never know, because moving around on their own isn't an option.  They must depend on the wisdom and care of their gardener to place them in soil that is suited for their growth; to put them in a place with just the right exposure of sun or shade for photosynthesis; to situate them where they will receive just enough water and nutrients, but not too much.  When the gardener does it all right, the plant grows and thrives.  The plant's survival rests solely in the hands of the gardener.

Unlike plants, we humans have been given the freedom to choose.  That free will is a gift that comes with great responsibility.  Knowing how and when to use our gift isn't always easy.  We must trust our Gardener, who places us exactly where He wants us in our life gardens.


I'm sure there must be many reasons why God deems it necessary to move us from one area of our life garden to another.  Sometimes they may be pretty evident to us.  Most often we never really know the reason, at least not this side of heaven.  One thing about being moved... it's almost always a shock to the plant's system.

When a plant is moved, it is most often moved during a state of dormancy - a time when the plant isn't actively growing (read my post entitled A Snowy January & February).  Oftentimes, when a plant is moved, a good deal of the plant's root system is cut and left behind in the soil as the plant is being dug up from its original (or at least it's last prior) location.  When this happens, the root system that is left attached to the plant isn't always adequate to support the amount of "top growth" on the plant.  Thus, some of the top of the plant has to be pruned, or cut back.


To someone who isn't a gardener, seeing the vicious digging, cutting, whacking and chopping of an innocent plant may be difficult to watch.  But the true gardener knows that it's all necessary for the good of the plant.  It's something I try to keep in mind when my Gardener moves me carefully into a new location, causing me to leave some of my long-time roots in the ground where I had spent so much of my past few years.  I try to cling to those thoughts when I'm being seriously pruned of some branches in my life that are unproductive, and that my new root system just won't support. My free will has to be set aside, and I have to hold fast to the faith I have in my Gardener.

So, where am I in my life garden?  Am I straining my horticultural head to gaze across my landscape and search out a more desirable location?  Am I longing for that shady area across the way?  Do I prefer that spot near the roses and the gardenias because the fragrance is so much sweeter than it is here next to those bitter-smelling marigolds?  Wouldn't it be nicer to be planted near the pond and enjoy the sound of the water as it gently spills over the rocks and into the pool below?  Why is it so difficult to trust that my Gardener has placed me in exactly the right place for this time of my life?  Outside of the shade is a bright parcel of the landscape where I can bask in the warmth of the sun that allows me to grow.  The bitter smell of the marigolds is a deterrent to insects that would otherwise chew at my every inch of my being.  In the quiet corner away from the babbling sounds of the water garden, I can more easily distinguish the voice of my Gardener.  May God always keep me mindful of His unmatched wisdom and His incomprehensible love for me.  And may He forever grant me the grace to bloom where I'm planted.

Jesus replied, "Every plant not planted by my Heavenly Father will be rooted up."  Matthew 15:13 (NLT)