A friend once came across a seedling she didn't recognise in her garden. This often happens in gardens. I have no idea where my dark-red hollyhocks or the pure white aquilegia, which appear every year by the side of the mower bay, blew in from. They are happy accidents.
Gardens are made of such happy accidents. Anything you actually meant to grow, and spent far too much money on after going crazy with the seed catalogue, will probably be doomed to failure. I let things self-seed, which means that you have, at the end of summer, a garden made up of sticks. But it's worth a bit of scruffiness for all those free plants in place of expensive packets of seed.
My friend was very excited about her stray seedling. It could turn out to be something spectacular. She cosseted it, and fed it, and peered at it, frequently. Her seedling grew like a triffid. Then it flowered. It was a weed.
She was miffed. She posted a picture of the bloody thing on social media, along with the story of the seedling saga. Some ninny responded with that old chestnut: "A weed is just a flower in the wrong place." No it isn't. It's a bloody weed.
Denne historien er fra July 15 - 21 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 15 - 21 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
