South Central Growers' Poinsettia Open House

photos by Karen House

The Gardener's Gift of the Magi

by Kathy Doss

In the quaint town of Bloomsfield, there lived a couple who were deeply in-love, Lily and Bud Greenfield. Both were ardent gardeners, finding solace and joy among the blossoms and the soil. However, as was the case for many in their small community, times were tough, and their dreams of expanding their garden seemed distant.

Bud, a carpenter, devoted countless hours to fashioning a beautiful trellis made of oak salvaged from discarded pallets. He envisioned the rare heirloom “Alchemist” rose climbing his handcrafted trellis.

Illustration 1: By Nadiatalent - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37528615

Lily, a passionate botanist, cultivated a diverse array of flowers, but dreamed of owning the elusive “Ghost“ orchid. Native to the Florida Everglades, the ghost orchid thrives in a humid environment. Bloomsfield was located in a dry climate, but Lily felt she could provide the plant with the necessary environmental conditions in her small greenhouse.

Illustration 2: Mick Fournier / HBI Producers of Fine Orchids [1], CC BY 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons

As the holidays drew near, Lily and Bud yearned to find the perfect gifts for each other. Bud decided to sell his exquisitely crafted trellis. He used the proceeds to purchase roots of the ghost orchid from Orchidweb.com. Lily, aware of Bud's desire for the rare heirloom rose, took the step of selling her greenhouse on Facebook Marketplace. With the funds acquired, she procured the coveted Alchemist rose for Bud.

On Christmas Day, as they unwrapped their gifts, a blend of joy and sorrow played across their faces, marking the onset of a bittersweet realization. Lily's orchid no longer had the proper environment to flourish. Bud's beautiful heirloom rosebush had no trellis to climb. Yet, neither was disappointed with their gift. They realized that each of them had sacrificed their own desires for the happiness of the other. The true gift was not the rosebush or the orchid but the love and selflessness they shared.

Spring unfolded, and their garden became a sight to behold. The Alchemist rose, nurtured by Bud's tender care, climbed a rustic trellis made from tree branches. Its blooms unfolded as the delicate petals gradually revealed the hidden beauty within. The Ghost Orchid, also, flourished in a tiny cold frame built from old windows scavenged from a demolition site.

As they worked side-by-side, their laughter mingling with the buzzing of bees and the rustling of leaves, a deep contentment filled their hearts. The garden bloomed more beautifully than any they had planted before. It was a reminder that the best gifts come from the heart, nurtured by love, sacrifice, and the joy of giving, not wrapped in fancy paper or tied with a ribbon.